CSB/SJU Honors Student Employees/Team of the Year
April 11, 2006
Emily Klehr, Chris Lauer and the Fast Forward Youth Program student staff have been named Student Employees/Team of the Year at the College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, and Saint John’s University, Collegeville.
The winners were announced at a breakfast April 11 in the Alumni Lounge at SJU during National Student Employee Appreciation Week (April 9-15). The winners receive an engraved plaque.
Klehr, a senior management major from Jordan, Minn., works in the SJU Academic Advising office as a management advising lead. She was nominated by her supervisor, Jason Kelly.
“For the past two years, I have been privileged to have Emily as my student assistant,” said Kelly, the associate director of academic advising. “Emily is an exceptional worker. With very little direction, Emily will take a project and complete it with more creativity and quality than I would have done myself.”
Klehr said the position has had a “positive influence” on her academic, personal and professional growth. “Morever, the management lead position has allowed me to grow personally by helping me expand my interpersonal and teamwork skills,” she said.
Her current plans include employment as a buyer analyst at Best Buy Co. Inc. headquarters in Richfield, Minn., this summer. Klehr hopes to become a prominent female leader at a Fortune 500 company.
Lauer, a senior economics major from Waunakee, Wis., is the manager of the Outdoor Leadership Center (OLC) at SJU. He also was named the state, regional and national student employee of the year.
Lauer is responsible for the OLC staff of 22 employees, ensuring the overall day-to-day functioning of the OLC, supporting OLC’s programs and operation, building and maintaining partnerships to enhance the mission of the OLC and working with the OLC supervisors. He has worked at OLC for three years.
“Chris uses strong communication skills with our customers while conveying information about equipment and programs, teaching at the Climbing Wall (part of the OLC programming), teaching outdoor-related skills and demonstrating outdoor equipment,” said his nominators and co-supervisors at OLC, Heidi Harlander and John Clarkson, in the nominating report.
Lauer said he has learned several things that will help him succeed in the future.
“One thing that has improved is my time management skills. I was never very good at keeping a schedule, and there still is a lot of room for improvement,” Lauer said. “However, becoming a manager at the OLC has forced me to be more organized.”
The Fast Forward Youth Program student staff of eight seeks to support Latino/a youth in their academic and personal lives by providing the opportunity for them to interact with volunteer college students who serve as their tutors and mentors.
“It is a privilege to supervise such a talented, dedicated and dynamic group of college students. They are undoubtedly among (the) hardest working teams of student employees on our campuses,” said Erin Truhler, director of the Fast Forward Youth Program.
The Fast Forward Youth Program student staff consists of Aaron Benes (senior, elementary education major, Cambridge, Minn.), Gretchen Enninga (sophomore, psychology, Fulda, Minn.), Raquel Gudiel (first-year, English, Bell, Calif.), Jessica Lage (senior, elementary education, Apple Valley, Minn.), Molly Leuthner (senior, English, Nelson, Minn.), Misty Martinez (junior, Spanish, Cold Spring, Minn.), Carliene Quist (junior, peace studies and Spanish, St. Cloud, Minn.) and Andrew Zimmerman (first-year, history, Gainesville, Fla.).
Exceptional student workers are nominated for the awards by their supervisors. The students also complete a nomination letter. The Student Employee/Team of the Year five-person committee reviews all applications and makes the decision based on the criteria of the program – reliability, quality of work, initiative, professionalism and uniqueness of contribution.
The other CSB students nominated for the award (listed alphabetically) and the areas they work in are Natalie Bly (Friendship Ventures), Laura Cooper (Kennedy Elementary School), Lisa Egan (psychology), Missy Rosenthal (SJU Campus Ministry), Christine Stutsman (New Beginnings), Aimee Tessar (CSB Custodial Maintenance), Rebecca Theis (CSB security), Katie Tinderholm (CSB athletics) and Alison Trampe (St. Joseph Lab School).
The other SJU students nominated for the award (listed alphabetically) and the areas they work in are Kevin Christen (CSB facilities management), Evan Creed (psychology), Brandon Drazich (SJU Campus Ministry), Kevin Kingdon (SJU Campus Ministry), Anthony Mayerhofer (Student employment/financial aid), Matt Neisen (SJU dining service), Jeremy Ploof (SJU Institutional Advancement) and Chris Sobeck (Friendship Ventures).
The other student team of the year nominees were from CSB Campus Ministry, CSB Campus Recreation, CSB Career Services, Career Services-Personal and Professional Development Center, SJU Dining Service, SJU Institutional Advancement, International Student Program, McGlynn’s and CSB/SJU Transportation Department.
All students nominated for the awards receive a certificate signed by CSB president MaryAnn Baenninger; SJU president Br. Dietrich Reinhart, OSB; Barb Fahnhorst, CSB/SJU director of student employment; and Angie Mareck, CSB/SJU student employment coordinator.
