Past UCI Student Affairs Employees of the Month

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Over the past quarter, Amy has implemented a series of training workshops for her student staff around the theme of "Seeking Civility." Over the Spring Quarter, Amy led her student staff through a series of workshops that tackled such topics as perception, gossip, and conflict management. She utilized resources available to her on campus, created fun activities to cultivate the learning, and provided time for reflection and sharing. In addition, to providing these opportunities for her student staff, this was also an opportunity for Amy to challenge herself and grow in her presentation management and public speaking. Overall, the workshops were well received, sparked constructive conversation, and led to a positive upswing in staff behavior.

Commencement and Special Events
OVCSA

Alex has been one of the fundamental parts of her team since day 1. Her commitment and her guidance when it comes to new employees on this team, is one of the reasons we’ve all come to truly enjoy our roles. She has trained everyone to a point where they can take on tasks on their own and know how to complete it with confidence. She is determined to get all tasks done efficiently and effectively. She goes above and beyond for our team and the events we host for different departments within Student Affairs. It's hard to fathom the amount of planning that goes into a graduation of this magnitude with 11 ceremonies spread out in only four days. The year-long dedication and hard work she puts into these events every year, so that we can give our students the best send off they've worked years to obtain, is inspiring. Alex is one of the very backbones to the endeavor that is UCI's Commencement, and she does it all so flawlessly. We're all so very proud of her, and want to thank her for everything she brings to this office!

Sorority and Fraternity Life
Student Life and Leadership

Monica has been a great addition to the SFL space and recently addressed the office's SFL Awards. From recruiting of on-campus professionals and external professionals to support our chapters, Monica did a fantastic job in helping revamp the program and getting individuals to submit their application materials, getting additional chapters to submit materials and build the recognition of our chapters. This year, Monica reviewed the rubric and our office saw an uptick in responses from chapters. To further help build the names of our chapters, Monica has also looked to send information to Executive Offices/Headquarters staff for our organizations notifying them of honorees and how proud they are overall. I think Monica has done a phenomenal job of helping build the SFL name not only at UCI but also externally to their national organizations. In addition to this, Monica has been a great voice for our students to build their skills as undergraduates and grateful to have her in our office as a advocate for Sorority & Fraternity Life.

Campus Organizations & Volunteer Programs
Student Life and Leadership

Kathy recently joined the COVP team during late fall quarter. In such a short time frame, Kathy has created a variety of engaging community service projects for the campus community. A key factor in each of the projects is collaboration. Kathy has been instrumental in cultivating campus and community partnerships that have helped all of the activities thrive. Whether she is actively mentoring and guiding students through the planning process, or bringing colleagues from various centers/units together, Kathy does a phenomenal job of creating a joyous and inclusive space to be creative. Since November, Kathy has reimagined the community service and leadership fair, and created multiple opportunities each quarter to connect and learn about social issues impacting Orange County communities. Even through the challenging days, Kathy is a beacon of positivity. We appreciate her tenacity and ability to inspire others to be their best.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Cindy is a licensed clinical social worker who has been working at the Student Health Center for over 3 years as part of the mental health and psychiatry team. She works part time and for over a year she was the only social worker working due to the hiring process (that can be long due to credentialing). During this year she was very busy and often stayed later than her scheduled time. She made sure students got the care they needed and resources that were available to them. Once a new hire arrived, she helped with the onboarding process and has been very helpful ever since. She always has a positive attitude and is willing to help any way she can.

Student Center & Event Services
Auxiliary Services

Jerome Chuang and Johnny Hsu are the key team members in our AV department. They have been pivotal in the resurgence of the AV Team. When we returned to on-site event services, they have been providing AV assistance for all the SCES events in person, webinar events, and hybrid events. In addition, they have been training and developing new SCES students to become SCES event technicians to provide additional AV and event assistance during events for all the SCES events. Without their knowledge and experience, SCES would not be able to provide on-site AV services for events. With all the AV oversight for events at the Student Center, they were still able to step in and assist the Student Affairs office with off-site events located in the Cova room within the Brandywine eatery location. A big Thank You to Jerome and Johnny for their continuous support and guidance.

Creative & Marketing Communications
OVCSA

Miré showed exceptional leadership and professionalism when she got pulled into a project with a quick turnaround and a high profile. Because of the timing, the creative brief didn't exist, so Miré jumped in and took on a leadership role in gathering all of the info, verifying the needs of the campus partner requesting help, and then got to work on creating some concepts for the project. She came up with a perfectly appropriate design that was flexible, scalable and pretty darn neat. As additional requests came in for this project she managed them all with grace and professionalism, and was able to help elevate this important initiative.

International Center
Student Life & Leadership

Ruth approaches her work with a positive spirit - she is always willing to learn and exhibits much kindness when working with students who are facing difficult situations. In her role as student advisor, she carefully walks students through the complex processes regarding immigration regulations to ensure students are clear about their roles and responsibilities while delivering messages with a great deal of care in the process. She is consistent in her advisement practices and is also a great support to her colleagues and lends a helping hand wherever possible to support the success of the services provided by the International Center.

Counseling Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Yesenia Flores is a social worker of the highest quality. She is knowledgeable about resources on campus and off campus, she is proactive and kind, and she is very motivated to help students cope with the most difficult of circumstances. Additionally, Yesenia's calm demeanor, inherent kindness, insight and willingness to help at a moment's notice make her the most valued of colleagues. She is a role model of professionalism and dedication to this job of caring for students. There are many specific as well as general reasons she is deserving of this award, and the Counseling Center is incredibly lucky to have her as part of the team. She is indispensable.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Casey (Cassandra) comes to work with the intent of making sure every Student(patient) that comes through that door has the opportunity to get care and help at the Student Health Center. She is a great asset to the team. She is always positive, kind and willing to go the extra mile to assist anyone here in the department. She speaks to students(patients) with patience, compassion, and empathy. Casey treats every patient with respect and dignity. Casey deserves employee of the month because she sets a standard for what each employee at the Student Health Center should strive for.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

As a Student Housing Conduct Coordinator, Sofi meets daily with students who have violated Housing policies and discusses expectations, policy interpretation and living in a community environment. Sofi has a few residents who repeatedly violated Housing policies and she has tried different strategies to connect with them at each meeting. Her most recent meeting with one resident Sofi noticed the resident’s demeanor and non-verbals; paused the conduct discussion and said, let’s talk about you and what’s going on in your life. How are you? Sofi met with the resident for 1 ½ hours as they shared about challenges they were facing. She has set up bi-weekly meetings with the resident to touch base with them and has connected them to the Campus Social Worker and the Counseling Center. Sofi took the time to connect with the resident, put aside the meeting agenda to hear a student in need, showing care and concern. She is making an impact on students' lives and is showing exactly how conduct can have a positive impact on students.

Creative & Marketing Communications
OVCSA

Jess Leggett goes above and beyond. She's made her onboarding experience for incoming team members really welcoming and great and has worked hard to give other leaders a chance to build up their employees' onboarding memories. She makes her team members excited and happy about their new job and position here at UCI. A huge part of that is how she represents and embodies the UCI culture. This campus really matters to her. She seems to go out of her way to make things more enjoyable for the people around her.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Michelle has been seeing many of our students with eating disorders which can be quite complicated and challenging. She does so with enthusiasm and positivity, even in situations where the student is not doing as well as we’d like. She has taken on the role as the main dietician seeing majority of our students with eating disorders, as the previous individual stepped down from this duty last year.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Joe is all about streamlining and innovation. He is always looking for ways to make operations more efficient and effective. In regard to this, Joe undertook the project to make the Housing Work Order System more efficacious to our housing residents. Working with OIT personnel, Joe created a three-tiered messaging system that would notify residents when their work order request was placed, when the work order was accepted, and when it was completed. The notifications specifically laid out request number and the nature of the request. The automation of this process both enhances the task process for staff and increases communication with our residents. This is something that has been needed for well over 10 years in Housing. This process is not just a layering of minutiae; this reform streamlines the entire process making operations transparent, effective, and useful. It is this type of forward thinking that propels our unit forward.

Human Resources & Development
OVCSA

Bill demonstrates excellence in service for Student Affairs. There has been a lot of changes at UCI related human resources functions, including the implementation of UC PATH, transition to Career Tracks, etc. Bill does an excellent job in assisting our unit with updating job descriptions, posting recruitments, and answering questions. He helps see the big picture, provides advise on strategy and ensures that all details are explained. His expertise and knowledge are valuable and an asset to UCI.

Center for Student Leadership
Student Life & Leadership 

Eena has been such a force in SLL. As someone who has seen and experienced what orientation used to be like (pre-pandemic and during the pandemic), it has been so moving to see all the changes she has contributed to making orientation better for the students, staffers, coords, and the staff members who are behind the scenes. Orientation interviewing and hiring have been streamlined and made into an enjoyable process. Staffers are finally going to be compensated for the time and care they put into orientation during the long summer (amazing!!!). For the latter half of February, I've been seeing so many staffers come into the suite with genuine excitement and enthusiasm for orientation, community building, and getting officially started in the spring. Eena has created such joyful and energizing spaces within CSL and SLL and it reflects in the students she works with and the power she carries. The flowers she deserves are long overdue! She brings fun into work, which is essential, especially for the students involved in the process. For women of color, it can make you feel happy and inspired to see her unapologetically holding space and constantly advocating for students. Womxn of color in all leadership roles (especially in higher ed) deserve so much recognition for the work that they do-- both seen and unseen.

Counseling Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Counseling center clinical services have evolved to require a wide range of interventions at the individual, group, and campus community level. Mental health needs on college campuses are higher and more complex than ever. Service delivery in this context is subject to many laws, rules, policies, and procedures that guide best practices. Keeping track of the campus needs, the types of services we design and offer, the expanded range of services students may need and how to connect them, and staying current with all legal, ethical, and professional developments related to standards is a job with relentless demands. Our Clinical Director, Dr. Vivian Yamada, manages all of this with diligence, grace, and warmth. Knowing we are in good hands that we can trust as we meet our students' support needs makes the job that much more doable at the highest levels of clinical care quality

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

As we come up on the one-year anniversary of the functional start to the Housing Re-Org in Grad and Family Housing, I was reflecting on all the amazing things Jennifer Nelson Martinez has accomplished this year. Jennifer led us through the re-org with grace, opened 1055 new beds to full occupancy, and started the well-loved and utilized Family Resource Center for our families. She has done all of this with new, or new to their role, staff, during covid and through a strike.

International Center
Student Life & Leadership

Amira is an exemplary employee who manages to juggle many projects at the same time. Her work is deadline driven and requires diligence and attention to detail. She can complement the fast-paced nature of her work by coordinating student-centered outreach to provide communication and education to students that are at risk of non-compliance. During the month of January, she went above and beyond by taking the lead for the International Center is creating the business practices for the transition of providing immigration services to visiting international summer session students. She has worked together with the Student Affairs-IT staff and others on campus to ensure a streamlined process. Most of all, she accomplished all this with a positive and “can do” attitude, approaching her work with a collaborative spirit to ultimately provide the best service to students and her colleagues.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling

Shelley (Administrative Assistant), Cindy (Purchasing & Admin Coordinator), and Brian (Facilities Coordinator) have been doing a phenomenal job collaborating with and supporting each other while the Student Health Center searches for a department manager. In the interim, they have taken the initiative to create a Marketing and Outreach workflow to be used when planning events sponsored by the Student Health Center. Their workflow streamlines tasks, improves communication between departments, and provides a clear process for a successful event. I admire their ambition, determination, and professionalism in drafting this workflow. These staff members are stellar employees. Together, they are nothing short of amazing. They are an asset not only to the Student Health Center but to the UCI community. Shelley, Cindy, and Brian are a great example of what teamwork is and serve as great role models for staff at the Student Health Center. I am so grateful have their resourcefulness and exceptional professionalism amongst the ranks of the Student Health Center.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling

Shelley (Administrative Assistant), Cindy (Purchasing & Admin Coordinator), and Brian (Facilities Coordinator) have been doing a phenomenal job collaborating with and supporting each other while the Student Health Center searches for a department manager. In the interim, they have taken the initiative to create a Marketing and Outreach workflow to be used when planning events sponsored by the Student Health Center. Their workflow streamlines tasks, improves communication between departments, and provides a clear process for a successful event. I admire their ambition, determination, and professionalism in drafting this workflow. These staff members are stellar employees. Together, they are nothing short of amazing. They are an asset not only to the Student Health Center but to the UCI community. Shelley, Cindy, and Brian are a great example of what teamwork is and serve as great role models for staff at the Student Health Center. I am so grateful have their resourcefulness and exceptional professionalism amongst the ranks of the Student Health Center.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling

Shelley (Administrative Assistant), Cindy (Purchasing & Admin Coordinator), and Brian (Facilities Coordinator) have been doing a phenomenal job collaborating with and supporting each other while the Student Health Center searches for a department manager. In the interim, they have taken the initiative to create a Marketing and Outreach workflow to be used when planning events sponsored by the Student Health Center. Their workflow streamlines tasks, improves communication between departments, and provides a clear process for a successful event. I admire their ambition, determination, and professionalism in drafting this workflow. These staff members are stellar employees. Together, they are nothing short of amazing. They are an asset not only to the Student Health Center but to the UCI community. Shelley, Cindy, and Brian are a great example of what teamwork is and serve as great role models for staff at the Student Health Center. I am so grateful have their resourcefulness and exceptional professionalism amongst the ranks of the Student Health Center.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Ashley Scering consistently models the values of Student Affairs at UCI through the work that she does. In December, Ashley went above and beyond to provide excellent service to 60 residents impacted by a flood in their residence. At the time of the flood, Ashley was the first responder and stayed until 2am ensuring residents were safe in their new spaces and that all supervisors had information needed. Ashley committed herself to doing daily check-ins with the residents, providing updates, answering questions, escorting residents to get belongings left behind all while still maintaining her daily tasks, assignments and managing additional programs and events. Ashley displayed a spirit of collaboration through communicating with all campus partners and ensuring everyone had all the information needed to get the necessary work done. Ashley always had the student's well-being at the forefront, while in meetings regarding the flood Ashley made sure to advocate for the residents and voice concerns and potential challenges. An example of this was making sure students had access to enough transportation to get meals, attend events, study, and take finals. Ashley volunteered to transport residents as late as 11pm to prevent a disruption in the student experience. During this time Ashley was positive and had a heart of servant leadership.

Creative & Marketing Communications
OVCSA

Throughout fall quarter, but especially during the month of December, Sara went above and beyond in managing our social media accounts. She has consistently provided thoughtful analysis of the channels and has utilized Instagram insights to inform her content schedule based on popularity of topics and demographics of our audience. This month, Sara created a family of templates to use with each content type, to provide a more streamlined feed on our channels. She continues to explore hand lettering techniques through cheerful and lovely holiday/important moment cards, and I honestly want to turn them all into a calendar. :) She also turned the Campus Assist List into a series of posts, highlighting the critical services that not everyone knows about. Interspersed with the important information posts are fun looks at notable alumni, flashbacks to bygone eras of campus history, and interesting behind the scenes notes about filming locations on campus. Sara has done an amazing job of growing our accounts not just in follower or engagement numbers, but also by creating a feed that is informative, positive, interesting, and fun. Add in her supervision of our inaugural Administrative Intern, and I guarantee you'll be impressed. Sara has created an organized, streamlined process of management for the accounts and a clear definition of expectations and assignments for our intern. She has helped him hone his organizational skills and pushes him to explore areas of interest. In December, he gave a presentation to the SA Comms leadership team with an overview of our channels' growth throughout the fall quarter and shared some of the insights he has gained by utilizing market research and the reporting tools to plan for future content/engagement goals and it knocked our socks off! Sara has proven herself to be a competent, insightful, and innovative professional and I look forward to seeing how she continues to lead the department in new and exciting ways!

Basic Needs Center
Student Life & Leadership

Andrea has had a critical role in overseeing and managing the Basic Needs new office location renovation, moving, and implementing temporary plans to ensure limited disruption to the hundreds of students seeking basic needs support. She has met with various campus partners to ensure the new space is equipped to provide food service, proper food storage, accessibility for students, available parking/access for students and deliveries, etc. This is a huge undertaking that requires Andrea's constant attention and quick problem-solving with campus partners to ensure services are provided to students. Many campus partners have an interest and need to be involved in the planning process. Andrea has managed all requests for information, adjusted timelines with contractors, and modified staffing requirements to roll out a transition into the new location. This project has seen many setbacks, but through Andrea's dedication and commitment to the UCI community, she has continued to address and resolve every challenge. Of course, Andrea did not do this alone, her team and many campus partners were instrumental to this project, so kudos to all! We are excited that the Basic Needs team is now in their new location!

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling

Dr. Godarz was the main Student Health Center pharmacist to lead the UCI interdepartmental collaborative effort to provide flu vaccine on the walk-in basis on Anteater Plaza and Social Science Ring. It was the collaborative effort between UCI Student Health Center, the UCI School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the UCI Program in Public Health. The clinic was mobile and created with the purpose of providing convenience to our students. The intention was to allow students to get their flu vaccine between their classes or during their lunch breaks. The clinic was held for two months in October and November of 2022. The student really enjoyed this convenience. As a result, the team vaccinated and provided protection to almost 1900 students and generated almost $100,000 for our campus. Prior to the implementation of the clinic, Dr. Godarz also led all the internal SHC departments since July 2022 to ensure the logistics were in place. Beyond this accomplishment, Dr. Godarz has received multiple compliments from our students as a caring and sympathetic pharmacist. For this reason, I am nominating Dr. Godarz to be the Employee of the Month for December.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling

As the Student Health Center Chief of Psychiatry & Mental Health Services, Dr. Vivien Chan has a strong understanding of not only the mental health needs of our students, but also of our campus. With the updates and innovations in Mental Health programs and initiatives that are now in place at UCI and across many of the UC campuses, Dr Chan continues to serve as our UCI Student Health subject matter expert. Dr. Chan continues to participate in lifelong learning as evidenced by maintenance of certification for specialty and subspecialty boards and has consistently authored academic papers for publication. Dr Chan continues to stay highly involved with her participation as a member of professional meetings and associations, and in doing so stays up to date on the latest best practices, keeps us informed of upcoming legislative changes and regulatory requirements, and serves as both representative for our campus and an advocate for our students. With the impact of recent events affecting our students, the mental health unit maintains quite a high-volume active caseload, however our SHC psychiatrists are available when needed to provide care to existing patients. Under the direction of Dr Chan, our providers frequently go above and beyond to facilitate real case management of some of our most challenging cases. The Psychiatry/Mental Health department is arguably one of the most challenging departments on campus, and Dr Chan has worked very hard to improve engagement with her team and provide them with a focus on teamwork and mutual support for the health and well-being of our students.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Sharon is a thoughtful leader who considers balancing needs, inclusion of voices, and is active in getting projects completed. An incredibly huge undertaking was the charge to have the Student Housing department leadership, managers, Undergraduate and Graduate Family Housing, and key stakeholders be trained in the Curricular Approach Workshops. Nearly 80 participants with varied positions, functions, experience with Curricular Approach, and investment were brought together for four sessions of nearly 9 hours and Sharon lead the Res Learning Teams along with our consultant to be focused on learning for our students while considering inclusion, being student focused, and create an environment for learning. I am grateful for Sharon’s leadership in having the Student Housing department be intentional and creating a place to thrive and connect for our residents.

Student Affairs IT
OVCSA

Evan embraces and lives the values of Student Affairs while providing expert and courteous service to students and members of the UCI community. He always tries to act in the best interests of students and people asking for technical help, and he is an inclusive, supportive, team member. He has been a critical component to the success of the CampusGroups platform, virtual fairs during COVID, campus organizations registration, orientation registration and communications, accessibility education, and many other Student Affairs efforts and projects. Thank you, Evan! And keep up the good work!

Campus Organizations & Volunteer Programs
Student Life & Leadership

Anella and Marie lead the inaugural UCI College Corps program. Together they have worked diligently to organize all logistics of the grant funded program. They recruited 70 fellows, solidified community host sites, and facilitated a live viewing event for the launch of the statewide program. Their strengths compliment one another, and they uplift each other to accomplish the goals of supporting students through their year long fellowship. In addition to their exceptional progress with UCI College Corps, Marie and Anella contribute a wealth of knowledge and skills to the team. We are grateful for their positivity, productivity, relationship building, and collaborative nature.

Campus Organizations & Volunteer Programs
Student Life & Leadership

Anella and Marie lead the inaugural UCI College Corps program. Together they have worked diligently to organize all logistics of the grant funded program. They recruited 70 fellows, solidified community host sites, and facilitated a live viewing event for the launch of the statewide program. Their strengths compliment one another, and they uplift each other to accomplish the goals of supporting students through their year long fellowship. In addition to their exceptional progress with UCI College Corps, Marie and Anella contribute a wealth of knowledge and skills to the team. We are grateful for their positivity, productivity, relationship building, and collaborative nature.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling

Dr Huang consistently role models and exhibits mastery of putting the needs of our students first, and supporting the clinical needs of SHC. With his open-door policy and experience, he is routinely sought out as a subject matter expert and advisor, with the experience of historical core job knowledge and functions which allows for opportunities of improvement in current process and workflow opportunities. He has been here in person throughout the whole pandemic which made nursing team feel secure knowing he was here to help and answer all of our questions about the unknown COVID-19. All of this is done while he is taking charge of other departments, laboratory and pharmacy. Dr. demonstrates superb leadership and team work. He trains newly hired providers, he is there if they have questions or concerns regarding patient care as well as daily functions. Dr Huang has been proving care to our students and support to our providers and staff for the past 20 years, and although he has seen much change and experienced many challenges, at the end of the day he has always been loyal to our clinic, supportive to our staff, and dependable to do what is best for our patients.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

During the month of October, Roger has stepped up to provide coaching and mentoring to new RLC staff in the department by checking in on them frequently and mentoring on best practices for our department as our new staff learn about the culture of UCI Student Housing. In addition to his work in providing mentoring and coaching to new RLC staff, he has been leading the LGBT taskforce for Student Housing which has generated positive changes to our gender inclusive housing by creating a second gender inclusive house and an open house in Mesa Court, which will be the first UCI hall with all gender bathrooms. Roger's efforts have been instrumental to create a culture at UCI that strives to do better for LGBTQ+ students and residents in Student Housing.

Creative & Marketing Communications
OVCSA

Jess has worked extremely hard since assuming the role of Creative Director within OVCSA. Not only has she balanced the work required of her new role while being the solo staff in the department, but she has also managed to meet all our design, social media, and communications needs. Jess spent countless hours creating a thoughtful onboarding plan for her new Design & Marketing Specialist and has prepared for the hire of two additional team members--growing the creative team by 50% and increasing attention to this important work that helps to drive engagement within Student Affairs. She has proven to be a patient and thoughtful manager, a strong and inclusive leader, and someone we can all rely on to be the glue that holds us together. Jess' passion for Student Affairs and creative work is evident in her presence on committees and how she shows up to work every day.

FRESH Basic Needs Hub
Student Life & Leadership

Keely plays such an integral role in our Operations processes. She purchases and orders all of the food that comes into our pantry; supports our Operations student staff of approximately 20 and an additional 10 College Corp fellows. She also plays a crucial role in supporting campus social workers with basic needs resource requests for their students. Keely so deserves this award; she's done so much for our space and continues to be an inspiration for our entire team!

Center for Student Wellness & Health Promotion
Wellness, Health, & Counseling Services

We would like to recognize Cassie for facilitating an Alcohol Awareness workshop for students living in Mesa Court. With the community’s needs in mind as well as the Student Housing Residential Curriculum wellness goal, Cassie and her peer educators designed and facilitated a workshop for residents. Cassie showed impressive flexibility in adapting the learning experience to meet the needs and learning styles of the students. Cassie and her peer educator team connected 1:1 with students and personalized the learning by engaging in individual and small group conversations about alcohol consumption, safety & resources. This personal touch resulted in a high impact program and a quality student learning experience. Empowering our Mesa Court residents with knowledge, awareness, and actions they can take to support their wellness would not have been possible without the vision, facilitation, and partnership (and the fun!!) Cassie provided. Thank you, Cassie!

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Kabria has been a continual source of inspiration and positivity at UCI's Mesa Court. Serving as a Residential Living Coordinator, Kabria has shown great passion for serving students and student staff. For every occasion where a student staff challenges Housing and Professional Staff, Kabria is equally quick to deescalate the situation. Kabria has an ability to break up stressful situations and get others to constructively talk about challenges at UCI. Kabria values all forms of feedback and utilizes a growth mindset to learn from conversations with Housing stakeholders. Feedback, according to Kabria, is seen as "a gift" that illuminates potential solutions for future endeavors. Kabria empathizes with our student staff while also critically listening to the needs of everyone. Kabria's ability to work with student staff is truly an art form that is steeped in care, empathy, patience, and holistic support. Kabria's personal Student Affairs philosophy and the way that she makes others feel seen helps exemplify how UCI strives for excellence in service. We are lucky and grateful for the opportunity to observe, learn from, and work with Kabria as she continually inspires me to bring my best self into work and when serving the Mesa Court residents. A special thank you to Kabria!

Office of Academic Integrity & Student Conduct
Student Life & Leadership

Michael has been with our office for several years and has always served with integrity and professionalism. Michael has recently taken on a role as an Interim Academic Integrity & Student Conduct Officer. In his role, Michael adjudicates various cases including those on the Academic Integrity & Student Conduct sides of the house. Michael has transitioned into the role wonderfully by processing and maintaining a high case load. In the last few months, OAISC has experienced some turn over which has required the team to take on more cases than normal and perhaps even cases they’ve never adjudicated. This month Michael has volunteered to take on his first Interim Suspension case, his first Title IX case, and the supervision of our Peer Advisor. For Michael’s first Interim Suspension case, Michael needed to interview the student involved and UCI Police. He has also needed to collect evidence and draft a decision appropriate to the determinations made. Michael has also volunteered to adjudicate his first Title IX case. In this case, Michael met with the parties involved and worked very closely with the Associate Director of Student Conduct to draft a decision that was consistent with the Title IX policy and university precedent. With the recent turnover of staff there was a gap as to who would supervise our Student Peer Advisor. With about a week notice, Michael volunteered for the role, created a week-long training plan, and met with the student for their first training session. Michael has taken to these tasks with fervor and enthusiasm. He continues to exceed expectations, support his team, and support the students of UCI.

Cross-Cultural Center
Student Life & Leadership

Fatima had been a staff member (although temporarily) since late October in 2021. She has now officially joined as a full-time staff member last week for September 2022. She could not be nominated before because she was temporary staff, but now we are able to recognize her efforts throughout the past year. The Cross was severely understaffed for most of the year academic year, and she kept this space open, moving, and guided the student staff here although that is not necessarily within her "duties" as the Admin Specialist (the position she had and came back to permanently). As is true for all the folks within Higher Ed, at the core of our work and duties is helping students, supporting them, and advocating for them. She helped bring back many of the umbrella organizations here at the Cross. She contributed to the hiring of the new director here. She helped organize and facilitate a retreat for the leadership of the umbrella orgs. She saw the need for leadership, guidance and fought to keep this office open for any organization that needed it throughout the year. She worked/ helped do programming on Deconstruction Zone. Fatima's commitment to the Cross during a very difficult year for both the center and the entire campus is awe inspiring. She deserves credit where it is due and seldom acknowledges the great improvements and changes, she's made in this space.

Disability Services Center
Wellness, Health, & Counseling Services

Shannon goes above and beyond to assist UCI students who are registered with the Disability Services Center. Shannon provides students with accommodations and help provide students with on campus referrals/resources so that they can have a well-rounded college experience. Shannon is always steps up to help the office by taking on additional caseloads when the office has been short staffed.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Rachel is a one-person operation within Student Housing Sustainability, but makes it look like a team of fifty are working. This past summer, Rachel has put in physical work to ensure that institutional waste diversion goals are operationalized into the new Verano 8 housing. She has also ensured student leadership is at the forefront of these initiatives. Rachel can do this work so well, because she collaborates with all. From the front-end staff that are implementing zero waste infrastructure, to the student staff that feel empowered to have conversations with others about this work, to other colleagues within Housing and across the campus that know they can always ask Rachel anything. Without Rachel, UCI would be sorely behind on meeting sustainability and student leadership goals.

International Center
Student Life & Leadership

In preparation for the start of fall quarter, Archana has worked to ensure that the services to the international student population is of the highest caliber. This summer she worked to put together a comprehensive communication plan for newly admitted international students. The communication ensures that new students are receiving information throughout the summer to assist with their visa applications and transition to the U.S. and UCI. In addition, to this, Archana worked to re-organize the information on the IC website to make it easier for student to find what they need. All this while maintaining a heavy case load to meet with international students, as serve as mentor and leader to the Advising Team; and ensures that she reaches out to campus colleagues to provide the best service to the international population.

Office of Social Work
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Christy has been doing amazing work with FRESH, specifically in her role assisting housing insecure and/or homeless students through our Basic Needs Sponsored Housing (BNSH) service. She has been a great advocate for her students and does fantastic work communicating them and partners on campus to make sure that they are housed and continue to be students at UCI. She has encountered complex cases of students experiencing homelessness and she has quickly and efficiently collaborated with multiple campus partners from Housing to Legal Council to Academic Affairs to advocate for students' needs and find a quick resolution to their challenges. Even with the increased new caseload during the pandemic, she has gone above and beyond to navigate and support each and every one of them. We are so grateful to have Christy's leadership and expertise to support such a crucial effort at the intersection of the work of the campus social work and basic needs.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Laura consistently goes above and beyond to support staff and serve students. While the Graduate and Family Housing Residential Living and Learning team was short staffed, she filled in covering duty, training student staff, chairing committees to hire new staff, and mediating roommate conflicts. She was often the first one in the office and one of the last people out. No matter how busy she was she would regularly ask colleagues what they needed and how she could help. Laura always is available to connect with students. This was a challenging month with the opening of Verano 8, after hours duty staff being limited due to COVID, and a few critical resident emergencies. Laura went above and beyond during this time and handled everything that came her way with grace and professionalism.

UCI Esports
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Ronald has kept the spirit and energy alive in the esports program throughout the pandemic. Despite being entirely remote, he has been an incredible mentor to our students and a constant positive force. Our students and staff adore him and he's an irreplaceable member of the team.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Cynthia is a great employee! Her consistent positive attitude makes a huge difference in our team. She is a kind, hard-working team player, and her professionalism is always there. She even helps by cross training since we’ve been short staffed. As well, she always speaks up in team meetings and provides unique perspectives.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Bruce is the Director of Residential Services in Undergraduate Student Housing. In his role he oversees the Move In/Move Out processes, Assignments, Summer Conferences and all public facilities in the 3 undergraduate communities. Bruce is also the instructor for our Sierra Live Learn Hall. Bruce is new in his role (which is a new position too) and our department is in the first year of a total re-organization. In June Bruce was responsible for creating a new process for our end of the year move out of 7,000 residents which needed to be standardized across all 3 communities. He collaborated with our Housing Administrative Services to create a transitional program for students who could not move out due on time due to circumstances. At the same time, he needed to create a training program for the Summer Conference Assistants. Lastly, he compiled and submitted grades to Social Ecology for all participating students in the Sierra class. Through it all, he excelled bringing insight into his work and streamlining the process. Through his leadership, we created new ways of doing things, fostered a sense of collaboration within our department's new units and provided excellent service to our students and to our campus partners.

Commencement Ceremonies & Special Events
Student Affairs IT
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

The Commencement team went ABOVE and BEYOND this year to create a memorable experience for UCI grads and guests at numerous celebratory events, culminating in the massive Commencement ceremony at Angel Stadium. The team constantly got thrown hurdle after unexpected hurdle and rose to the challenge with amazing alacrity. Having volunteered at the events, I would have had no idea of the challenges and changes this team faced without having seen/heard about them from working in the same office, and I can say with confidence that countless volunteers and guests remarked their pleasure, joy and in some cases, wonder at the amount of detail that went into each event. That's not even touching on the innovation with custom built apps and ways of doing things on the back end to make a smoother process for grads and guests. Congratulations on creating a series of successful, joyful events!

Dean of Students Office
Student Life & Leadership

Julie never ceases to amaze with her cheerful and helpful demeanor, and then you get a glimpse of the sheer amount of work she does for the success of the campus, division and SLL and it would make anyone’s jaw hit the ground. In addition to providing a diverse range of support services to various end of year events, Julie is also on the board for our NASPA region - where she coordinates the team, schedules, meetings, information, databases, submissions and more. Beyond that, Julie was an instrumental part of the Commencement Team. She assisted Commencement by volunteering at nearly all the events including Angel Stadium and taking it upon herself to provide assistance in ways that go far beyond her role as a volunteer. She is truly the most caring, generous, and yet also cheerful and friendly staff member you will ever meet! She is appreciated soooo much!

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Dr. Choy has transitioned from a role at the Counseling Center for many years and was "given back" to SHC due to psychiatric demand. In this role at SHC, the caseload volume compared to the caseload volume at UCI CC is exponentially increased. She has delivered service at this volume for 2 years (so far) in transition to UCI SHC. Further, we should give her recognition of her productivity and commitment.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Claudette has coordinated our quarantine and isolation housing operation since the start of the pandemic. Though not in her job description, she volunteered to take on this responsibility to support students and her colleagues who were up to their ears with other early-pandemic response efforts. She's put in countless overtime hours, often working many weekends in a row. She's now transitioning the Q / I operation to the Residential Life team so she can return more of her focus to her "real job." We can't thank Claudette enough for her service to the department and university!

Creative & Marketing Communications
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Jess has been an unsung hero this month (and actually half a year also)! She always has the best advice when it comes to how we can get the best engagement when sending out information to staff or students. With the need for grads to download tickets to two events plus the overload of information we send, sometimes directions get lost or students don't read all the info. In comes Jess saving the day with the best "How To" guide for the students to follow to help them. With our Commencement office planning 10 events + the big Angel stadium ceremony, Jess has saved us HOURS not having to email repeated steps to confused grads and we did very little troubleshooting because of her detailed guide that helped our students get their tickets. This is an example of the many things she does every month to help the Commencement office and all while she's doing the job of 3 people with sending out information for the whole Student Affairs division and helping with everyone's creative needs. Thank you for everything you do!

Office of Academic Integrity & Student Conduct
Student Life & Leadership

Michelle Moran has been an outstanding contributor to not just OAISC but to the campus at large. Michelle is one of our more senior investigators who maintains a very large case load consisting of Academic Integrity cases, Student Conduct cases, and Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment cases. This month, Michelle has adjudicated at least three high-level cases including a case involving eight parties and an attempt to harm another student with a weapon. Michelle has also adjudicated two Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment cases resulting in proposed sanctions of dismissal from the university. One of which included a curve ball of sorts that required immediate and timely follow up with the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity. Each of these cases required hours of follow up with campus partners including Student Housing, the Office of Campus Social Work, UCI Police, and Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity. In addition to the follow up to investigate, Michelle is required to write concise and thorough decisions that can withstand the scrutiny of appeal.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Although she has just recently returned from a 9 month leave, Dr. Rebecca Rootlieb has resumed to her position as the Senior Lead Physician at the Student Health Center with both energy and enthusiasm, and takes the lead in involving others and in promoting a spirit of mutual support. She excels in creative thinking and developing new perspectives and works to challenge conventional ways, value practices, and lead changes that enhance effectiveness through her participation in multiple committees. She champions changes and innovations to maximize engagement and work results, and does her best to empower and enable our providers to explore and implement valued opportunities. She anticipates information needed, and stimulates sharing of information and current trends, which has been critical for our providers in treating COVID. She demonstrates superior interpersonal skills, is collaborative and respected by others, and is sought after to participate in or lead across organizational work groups. She creates and models a culture of civility, respect, and inclusivity. In the short time of Dr. Rootlieb's return, she has already picked up where she left off, and we are incredibly proud of her resilience and continued commitment to the success of our Student Health Center, and to the health of our patients.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Miranda is an unsung hero who has quickly and effectively stepped into their Assistant Coordinator position and has absolutely flourished since. She has been the main support guide for our Arroyo Vista Sorority and Fraternity Life Houses and Academic and Identity Based Theme Houses. As the COVID policies shift, Miranda has been a guide for students through these processes with grace, kindness and patience. While the work and advising for the tasks is one aspect, the level of support and care that she has shown has gone beyond the direct staff that she works with, but all student staff in Middle Earth across positions. She is truly amazing.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Chantal has contributed positively to improving services providing to our students at Student Health Center (SHC) Pharmacy. Since joining the SHC Pharmacy, Chantal has utilized her experience to save our students and her team thousands of dollars. She has even gone above and beyond her job description to help support the clinic in providing COVID-19 vaccinations for our students on campus. Student Health Center is very fortunate to have her in the team as she not only performs excellent and distinguished service but takes the extra mile to assist our students with their medication prescriptions.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Patrick has been an unsung hero at Housing. Rarely says no to upcoming projects even during Housing reorganization period which hasn’t been easy awhile assisting his team through it all. He has been playing a very important role to assist all of us to relocate, to clean up the offices, repaint and ready for the others to use and more. He still keeps his normal routing work going. He's not just a good leader but a great team player.

Womxn's Center for Success
Student Life & Leadership

Erika Cortez has shown great dedication to creating safe, inclusive and interactive environments during her first year in person at UCI. She held the first Womxn's Entrepreneurship Day as a hybrid experience with great attendance and collaborators from across Student Affairs. Erika planned and executed the EmpowerHER Summit as an in-person experience with just under 100 attendees. She made sure to accommodate students with disabilities and received positive feedback about the care and attention they experienced during the event.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Chuck (Charles) Adams has been a tireless support in keeping our center cohesive in providing services amid all the challenges that COVID has posed for healthcare! Chuck coordinated COVID-19 vaccine access at the SHC as well as with outside pharmacy vendors to assist students in meeting their vaccine deadlines. He is at the forefront of planning and although his plate is very full, he is ready and available to all staff. He truly shows heart for what we do here!

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Throughout the Grad & Family Housing reorg, Laryea has been a quiet unsung hero. He shows up early, stays late, and works weekends to get the areas right while trying to maintain minimal impact on those working in the areas. He is gracious with the requests, even those that move things back from the way he just moved them. He brings a smile, calm demeanor, and a guarantee that things will be right. We are grateful for his wisdom and hard work.

Budget & Resource Planning
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Ray has taken on additional responsibilities during the process of changes in our office that are not necessarily the most glamorous, but essential in keeping the underlying operations of the office going. This includes coordinating work orders, from electrical work to furniture moves, researching and solving phone issues, coming in early and/or staying late to meet with FM, and putting out the small fires that come with any renovation project. He deserves all the kudos and recognition for his positive attitude and many contributions to the office.

International Center
Student Life & Leadership

Sandy has been integral in supporting International Center programs and workshops for our international students and scholars. She's been an essential part in growing our Scholar Programs team, including the creation and development of our Volunteer Scholar Program coordinator roles. We've been able to recruit and work with UCI scholars and students, getting them involved in planning and hosting events for our UCI scholars and their families. It's such a pleasure working with Sandy, and I'm so grateful to have her on the IC team!

Office of Campus Social Work
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

When I consider the culmination of student lives changed by Peter's work, I envision a ripple effect with immeasurable positive impacts. His direct service with students is not limited to only direct case management services with students, but also taken his experiences with our most vulnerable populations on campus and pushed for policy changes. Beyond the important work he does with our students, he’s a team player, a wealth of UCI institutional knowledge, and a great human!

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Maria always helps staff with our computer classes. She is always willing to assist her coworkers on new projects when it’s not asked of her and she also always tries to give service to those who need more knowledge on how to use the computer and she is a pleasure to work with. Maria tries to find new ways to teach us efficiently.

UCI Esports
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Haylesh has worked tirelessly to support the health and wellness of our esports athletes during COVID. Since coming back, he has hit the ground running with fitness testing and looking for innovative ways to engage our students. Additionally, he's leaving UCI at the end of June and will be heading back home to New Zealand. We will miss him!

Dean of Students office
Student Life & Leadership

For over a decade the Veterans Service Center has overseen the certification of military-connected benefits, which is an administrative function that deals heavily with financial aid, academic records and debt management. Miguel has been collaborating with various campus partners, at the leadership level, to tirelessly address this issue. Miguel aligns himself intentionally with the goals of the Student Affairs division and the mission of the institution, which is an example to lead as we work to promote the success of all our students.

Student Health Center,
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Callene provides support to the Nurse Clinic by ensuring vaccines are on hand for the hundreds of vaccinations administered weekly. She works hard on our daily counts of vaccines to ensure each vaccine used each is accounted for. If there is a discrepancy, she is quick to find the reason for the discrepancy and makes the necessary correction. Callene has been an instrumental part of the immunization team and recognition of her hard work is long overdue.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Channy's quick-thinking and attention to detail helped a student and may have saved a life. While walking through the Arroyo Vista community, she noticed someone sitting down on the top floor on the edge of the East Parking Structure, looking down and appearing to be in distress. Channy and I quickly went over to the structure, calling UCIPD on the way. UCIPD officers responded within seconds and let us know that officers were with the person and talking with them and that the person was no longer on the edge but instead sitting down on the floor with the officers. I just want to highlight how important Channy's action and awareness was to call attention to this situation immediately. Fortunately, the dangerous incident was avoided and help was provided to the person in distress.

Commencement Ceremonies & Special Events
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Though the month of December was short, Kelly & Alex were no less busy than any other time of year and they hustled to create events that positively impacted all members of the UCI community - from grads, their family and friends as well as campus leadership and guests at the inaugural December Commencement; current students with positive and fun reminders to complete the Daily Symptom Check and participate in healthy habits during the ZotPass popup; SA staff during the division-wide end of year celebration; and more. Kelly and Alex spend so much prep time and checking the spaces to be sure everything is going to plan during the events and then staying to clean everything up and pack it back away when the event is done. It truly is astonishing what this little team of two is able to accomplish and I appreciate their dedication.

Commencement Ceremonies & Special Events
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Though the month of December was short, Kelly & Alex were no less busy than any other time of year and they hustled to create events that positively impacted all members of the UCI community - from grads, their family and friends as well as campus leadership and guests at the inaugural December Commencement; current students with positive and fun reminders to complete the Daily Symptom Check and participate in healthy habits during the ZotPass popup; SA staff during the division-wide end of year celebration; and more. Kelly and Alex spend so much prep time and checking the spaces to be sure everything is going to plan during the events and then staying to clean everything up and pack it back away when the event is done. It truly is astonishing what this little team of two is able to accomplish and I appreciate their dedication.

Center for Black Cultures, Resources & Research
Student Life & Leadership

Dr. Àdisà Àjàmú's influence and presence on this campus has been instrumental in the development, both intellectually and emotionally, of young Black minds on campus as the founding director of the Center for Black Cultures, Resources & Research. His commitment to excellence is a testament of his passion for all things surrounding the African Diaspora. Àdisà exemplifies his strong passion and dedication for the success of black students on campus by advocating for all black students, regardless of background; this includes African Americans, African students, Caribbean students and undocumented black students. Through his African American Leadership Course, students have learned more about their background and African roots prior to enrolling in the course. His vision for the Center for Black Cultures is ambitious, one of a kind, and one that I hope to see flourish for years to come.

Office of Campus Social Work
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Kara Feldman has been involved in several unprecedented cases this year where her advocacy work with campus departments have resulted in finding grants and compensation for several students to be able to move forward with their dreams to graduate with a degree from UCI. A couple examples include: spearheading efforts for a student and their undocumented family, who lost their home and all personal belongings due to a fire, connect to both campus and community resources to reestablish themselves so the student could continue with their education. She also works closely with disgruntled family members of students making sure that they feel heard and validated while providing the students with wrap around services and support. Not only is Kara an exemplary employee but she is an outstanding co-worker and teammate.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Kabria is supportive of the programming goals for the International population at UCI. She is always willing to collaborate and learn more ways to connect with international students, especially in the housing areas. We've partnered with them to host courses in their areas and she has also led a course section for international students. We appreciate her support and willingness to collaborate!

Student Affairs IT
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Josh continues to be an example of someone who will go out of his way to help with any project thrown at him. Over the past year and a half, Josh has been working diligently behind the scenes on many campus projects supporting everything related to COVID policy, vaccination, and testing. He is never someone who questions why. He is always someone who questions how he can help. His easy and calm demeanor helps to reduce angst and anxiety.

Center for Student Leadership
Student Life & Leadership

Andrea is gifted with the ability to make all committee meetings engaging and collaborative. Especially during our transition back to campus, it's been refreshing to take the time to check in with one another, and still get through all of our agenda items. Andrea has created a wonderful space for the committee to feel heard, validated, and recognized as a valuable member of the planning process. We don't always celebrate the behind the scene work and would love to see Andrea acknowledged for being an amazing individual and colleague.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

The UCI Student Health Laboratory has been at the forefront of the most critical work and changes we have done on campus to test our symptomatic students for potential COVID infection. Nader has assigned himself to analyzing all the COVID lab collection and testing processes to ensure that we are practicing the highest quality service. In addition, he has been the technical lead in the surveillance testing of over 1,500 students daily. Nader Bigdeli is a true asset and value to us all.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Jose Sanchez, Director for Arroyo Vista (AV) Housing, has been leading/chairing the 2021 undergraduate move-in committee. He has done a great job at leading the group and managing the constantly changing processes. As his work as the move-in committee chair had directly impacted thousands of students and their parents/guardians. At the end of it all, Jose provided appreciation and recognition for all of us involved. Move-in took place over roughly four days but was being planned for over four months. Jose did a spectacular job!

Student Outreach and Retention (SOAR)
Student Life & Leadership

Paulina Raygoza has advocated for her staff needs, and always speaks up to vocalize any concerns with the student experience. She's always mindful of how to support students from marginalized backgrounds, and does her best to role model mentorship within her community. Her multiple roles on-campus has left a lasting impact for those around her and she's always been a great listener in offering ways to continue to grow in this role, and continue to be supported.

Counseling Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Victoria single-handedly, and always with a smile, steers the "ship" of our front office unit. She is leading, training and orienting a new administrative team of brand new staff members as we transition back to in person services. In her short time at the Counseling Center she has become the administrative staff we can always count on to navigate multiple layers of the Counseling Center front desk operations. She has recently stepped in to cross-train multiple new temps in our office. We literally could not function without her at the front desk right now. She is the glue that holds our administrative support together.

Dining Services
Auxiliary Services

Diana has put in 1000% of her time to collaborating and partnering with other Student Affairs and DFA units (Housing, Child Care, Facilities Management) to reassign our dining staff all over campus to ensure they continue to work while we had to shut down for the past 18 months. While it is beyond her job requirements, she has always been willing to help and continue to be flexible with last minute changes with schedules or reassignments for our dining staff.

Commencement Ceremonies & Special Events
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Kelly has been a rock star this month, scheduling various large and small events, running a number of meetings to plan for said events, providing support to the organization and development of all the little details that make the events happen, as well as having some really great ideas for making things more exciting and efficient. Personally, Kelly has been a major source of encouragement and a positive teammate this month, as well, and I so appreciate her.

Veteran Services
Student Life & Leadership

In collaboration with OIT, Dr. Molina took a decade-old paper-based system and transitioned it into a highly secure digital platform. Dr. Molina's role has many components that go unnoticed but are nonetheless challenging. Being able to give bad news to a student in a graceful manner that is full of resources is an art form that comes naturally to him. Without Dr. Molina's contributions at UCI, the past two years would have been stifling for many students. His advocacy and dedication are in keeping with UCI's highest standards and overall mission.

Campus Assault Resources & Education (UCI CARE)
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Winnie Tse has been with the UCI CARE office for 10 years and over those years has supported a constantly growing and evolving team while providing compassionate, immediate, and responsive support to members of our community who have experienced extreme violence and abuse. Winnie's role has evolved over time and the way that she facilitates communications, anticipates department needs, and acts independently to communicate/train the team on new tools and workflows. She truly goes above and beyond, is reliable and hard-working and often doesn't get the recognition that she deserves.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

From the time the pandemic started, she has worked in the office everyday to ensure we had someone to provide lock out keys, move in keys to residents, and help vendors. This role could have been rotated among staff. Robin thought it would be better for one consistent person to reduce cross exposure so she volunteered to be the administrative person in the office. Robin goes above and beyond to make life for our students better.

Creative & Marketing Communications
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Jess has been the best help this past month while she has been given extra responsibilities. She is the best example of what OVCSA does and keeping our team on top of what needs to be done. I feel like we are ahead with our events for the remainder of the year because Jess has taken initiative and let us know what she needs from us. She is always bringing new ideas and finding ways to innovate Student Affairs.

Campus Organizations & Volunteer Programs
Student Life & Leadership

The registration process for campus organizations has drastically changed via the CampusGroups platform. Last year was the first year implementing the process, and summer served as the first transition from one academic term to another. With a lot of unknowns regarding the process, Nicole Inouye has served as a guiding light in making sure that our team was prepared in the best way possible. She has been our champion to ensure that we are thorough. Nicole focused on how she could best support the students and staff.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

As a contributing member of our OIT Management Committee, and overseeing some of the most critical systems in our department, Herbert is dedicated to working long hours and weekends to ensure that all processes have been approved and patient care is without compromise. Herbert has developed the talent of figuring out the processes necessary to get things done, works hard to organize people and activities, and has come to an understanding of how to best separate and combine tasks into a more efficient work flow. We are truly fortunate to have him on our team!

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Melissa has taken Student Housing’s task force on as an additional assignment/responsibility to an already large workload. I have seen the care, compassion, and diligences that Melissa has taken to support the LGBTQ+ community. As a co-chair, Melissa has utilized her strengths and position to advocate for changes that would help our residents while also pushing Student Housing's value of "inclusion" to the next level. I would like to extend a major "thank you" to Melissa and the entire Student Housing's LGBT task force!

Student Affairs IT
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Ben worked tirelessly these last few months to create a Commencement registration system and check-in process that would assist us with our virtual Commencement registration AND our graduate stage moment registration. We heard many compliments from the volunteers on how easy the system was to work with and that many of the graduates' family members thoroughly loved seeing the first year photos attached to each graduates account. This registration system and check-in system was the back bone that helped us have successful Commencement events this year.

Sorority & Fraternity Life
Student Life & Leadership

Ed is the Director of Sorority & Fraternity Life - yet he took on a project OUTSIDE of his center to help Center for Student Leadership out! It has been an absolute pleasure working with Ed - he is dependable, timely, takes initiative, and is just an all-around joy to be with. It is truly thanks to his dedication and intentional work that we were able to produce such a meaningful resource last month for our incoming anteaters. Thank you, Ed!

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Thien initiated the Medication Delivery System starting April 2020 and has served more than 5,000 students. This enabled our UCI students to complete online requests for prescriptions that were delivered to their residence by mail. His strong skills in collaboration also became evident when he helped the nursing team manage the back-office medications. His team performed two mock surveys and guided us in making corrective measures. Because of this, the AAAHC accreditation survey on the specific standards were deemed fully compliant.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

This year Bruce created a virtual SIMSOC to allow the residents the opportunity to experience a treasured Sierra tradition. This was a major undertaking that began with Bruce creating a proposal that transformed the overnight program into a 1-day virtual retreat. Bruce has demonstrated his dedication to provide an amazing opportunity for students to experience a treasured Sierra tradition by creating virtual SIMSOC. He has also demonstrated our Housing Cultural Beliefs of "Value People" and Courageous Dialogue, through his work with Student Affairs Assessment on the WASE accreditation creating and facilitating the Sierra Program Assessment.

Special Events & Commencement
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Alex is like an unsung hero within the office - she consistently takes on her duties with a quiet persistence while maintaining a positive, team player persona. This month in particular has been a challenge due to the hubbub around Commencement and Graduate Stage Moments. Alex has been managing the email correspondence, which has seen a major increase, as well as her daily duties assisting with Commencement and other events. In addition, Alex flawlessly executes the Employee of the Month program, making sure the program continues to flourish each month.

Student Outreach and Retention (SOAR)
Student Life & Leadership

SOAR is truly lucky to have Joey as their Assistant Director supporting and advocating for student growth and development. He started his position at UCI virtually, but he quickly acclimated and made an intentional effort to make himself known across campus and various departments. He has gone above and beyond in his position to ensure that our students, especially those from diverse underrepresented backgrounds are supported when challenges arise. He is genuine, innovative, and an overall great human being. For those reasons, I highly recommend Joey as employee of the month.

Campus Recreation
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Trac is truly the guiding force for the safety culture of the ARC and Campus Recreation. As a CPR and first aid instructor he has trained thousands of students, faculty, and staff. Trac has also been a mentor to hundreds of ARC student members. his’s student staff and class participants universally sing his praises as a master instructor and trusted, respected, and unparalleled mentor. Recently, he led the ARC student operations team in responding to a medical emergency in the ARC. Their immediate response and flawless execution of safety skills were critical to supporting the patrons’ wellbeing.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Mariana is one of those gems that shines behind the scenes. Once you get to know Mariana, you will see their brilliance and light. One of Mariana's strengths and talents is their knowledge and passion around diversity, equity, and inclusion. During meetings, Mariana frequently brings up the student perspective and voice. Mariana strives to make decisions that are student-centered. As a co-worker who works intimately with them, Mariana is a ROCK-STAR!!! I cannot express how grateful, honored, and privileged I am to work alongside Mariana.

UCI Esports
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Hillary is one of the driving forces behind the great team culture that we have cultivated within Esports. She continually collaborates with other departments and external organizations to bring in expert speakers to educate our staff and students, providing them with pertinent information and best practices. She helps them navigate student life, and mentors them in all aspects of personal and professional development. Her work has enabled our scholarship student athletes to become the best that they can be both, in game and out of game.

Dean of Students Office
Student Life & Leadership

Miguel facilitated LEAD@UCI class, a leadership course hosted by CSL, during Winter 2020. His warm and welcoming energy is contagious to staff and students alike. I met with a few students taking the course for individual coaching sessions, and all of them had nothing but positive words for Miguel! From his caring and curious questions to helping each of his students feel seen and heard, I honestly wish I got to take this course myself with Miguel as the instructor.

Campus Recreation
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Courtney has been instrumental in the continued success of the Campus Recreation Department. Due to COVID-19, our transition to virtual online services and outdoor activities could not have been possible without her organizational and management experience. She has also created health and wellness initiatives that have allowed faculty/staff and students to continue working toward and achieving their physical activity goals remotely, during the pandemic. Courtney’s office door (virtual) is always open for whoever comes through, whether that be students or staff, ready to listen, provide feedback and expertise.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Amaris is leading a team of 5 professional staff members in developing the RA selection process for Student Housing. Amaris is organized, ensures everyone’s voice is heard, has been innovative and supportive of new ideas and approaches to the selection process and is always inclusive in her decision making. Amaris did a great job at role-modeling flexibility by responding to the necessary changes required by COVID-19. I strongly believe she deserves recognition for the commitment she has invested into leading this selection process which ultimately impacts all the undergraduate students living in Arroyo Vista, Mesa Court and Middle Earth.

Creative & Marketing Communications
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs

Cindy Love has been invaluable to the Orange County Veterans & Military Families Collaborative (OCVMFC) with her hours and work in support of the Collaborative's county-wide "Ask the Questions" campaign. The campaign brings awareness to OC service providers to change their intake forms to ask clients if they have served in the military and if they have children. Cindy and her team put together multiple highly professional awareness/creative pieces that is changing the way OC connects services to our veterans and our underserved children of veterans.

Veteran Services
Student Life & Leadership

Over the past year, Simón has worked closely with UCI Accounting & Fiscal Services to help reconcile over $711,350 in past due receivables and overpayments to UCI dating back from 2009 to present. Simón has spearheaded efforts to develop a secure and efficient technology platform for all student certification records to be filed while further protecting privacy and ensuring departmental practices align with campus security measures. Simón has had a direct and positive impact on how we certify and serve UCI military-connected students.

Student Health Center
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Chao Hsu is a great role model, very helpful, considerate and very caring nurse supervisor. Chao is a model employee who embodies collaboration and commitment to service. As a nurse who receives numerous phone calls from students on a day-to-day service, she ensures that their needs are answered regularly. The pandemic has not been easy for international students who stayed, or the general population on campus. Several times, she would come to me as the manager to look further on how we can help students who are in distress or needed resources or referrals. Chao's efforts and positive attitude are much appreciated!

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Throughout this past year, and even more so this past month Amanda has led the team of student staff and volunteers with her continuous involvement, support and leadership. Integrity and inclusion are always at the forefront of Amanda’s leadership. She’s an excellent role model to the students of what inclusive leadership is by the decisions made and actions she takes. Amanda was available after-hours to meet with the student, came in most weekends in February to help prepare spirit packages that were mailed out to over 25 schools in the region participating in the RBC conference.

Campus Organizations & Volunteer Programs
Student Life & Leadership

Selina coordinated a new program for RCOs, in collaboration with CARE, that focused on providing education, resources, and advocacy around the theme of power-based violence and intervention. In addition to the program's success, we wanted to acknowledge Selina's creativity, organization, collaborative spirit, and innovative thinking.

Together, she and Melissa Bader-Huesgen addressed three concerns:
1. staff capacity to reach 15 unique RCOs in one quarter
2. incidents that occur within RCOs regarding power-based violence
3. how to be creative in a zoom environment

Selina's resourcefulness is always appreciated. This program was an excellent example of her exemplary leadership.

Campus Assault Resources and Education (CARE)
Wellness, Health & Counseling Services

Melissa coordinated a new program for RCOs, in collaboration with COVP, that focused on providing education, resources, and advocacy around the theme of power-based violence and intervention. Melissa helped lead this innovative program in collaboration with Selina Bustillos. In addition to the program's success, we wanted to acknowledge Melissa's ability to deliver this content in a manner that was digestible for students and for creating a welcoming environment during each session. It's a challenge to get students to participate via zoom, however, in each workshop, Melissa's presentation style and approachability opened the door for increased student engagement.

Student Housing
Auxiliary Services

Lora is a perfect example of an unsung hero! Her dedication to our students goes way past her 8-5 hours as a Housing Assignments Lead. Lora consistently goes above and beyond for our community, for instance, responding to a student's email after hours or even on the weekends and doing additional research on options for students. Lora also regularly offers suggestions to clarify and streamline processes. Verano's ability to maintain such a high occupancy rate is testimony to Lora's hard work and dedication to the University.

Cross-Cultural Center
Student Life & Leadership

Daniel's ability to integrate two passions: advancing social justice and supporting our students' personal development are greatly admired by his peers, as well as his ability to have an honest conversation about how we, as individuals or as a community, have to do better in advancing social justice. Daniel continues to be a champion for engaging the UCI community in these critically important conversations and creating a more equitable, socially just campus, and this is only highlighted by the thoughtfulness and attention to detail he poured into MLK Jr. Symposium.