ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ

August

Abigail Brooks - Abigail has been working in the Division of Student Engagement for a short while but she has already made a great impact. She jumped right in during a major transition and has been incredibly helpful. She learns so quickly and is not afraid to get creative and make things more efficient and effective. It's a dream working with her! We are all so grateful she joined ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ!

Aimee Morris - I’d like to commend Aimee for going above and beyond to help a new student understand Canvas messaging. Her support made a meaningful difference in the student’s successful start to the semester and reflects her ongoing commitment to student success.

Ali Void - Ali issued a stop work in the shop for safety inspection. The awareness to do so demonstrates a high level of safety awareness in the first few days on the job. Ali is going to be a valuable asset to the ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ team and EHS commends the recognition and reporting of hazards in Theatre.

Allison Riggs - Allison played a key role in contacting students and ensuring our data was accurate to support a successful transition for new students arriving on campus. Her efforts significantly contributed to a smooth and effective onboarding process.

Andy Warman - Andy and his team work hard year-round, keeping the residence clean for students and guests.  They are always willing to jump in to make sure a job gets done and gets done correctly in a timely manner.  Have an emergency?  Andy or the team is already on the way!  Thank you for all you do, especially during the summer months.

Asunta Barone - Thank you, Asunta for jumping in to help the undergraduate team bring in the Fall 2025 class!

Brandon Garvin - Brandon has been instrumental in getting our Certiport Testing off the ground. His efforts have resulted in numerous students obtaining their professional certifications in MS Excel. He has put in the time and effort to assure our testing computer works without problems.

Brett Polen - Brett was a huge help throughout summer conferences, whether it was brainstorming new procedures, helping student employees, or checking in on residence halls.  Thank you for your help and making campus feel so welcoming to our guests!

Dani Navarro - Dani has only been with TRIO SSC for a year but she picked it up incredibly fast and is such a natural in the TRIO world. Her connections with students and peers is genuine, unforced, friendly, accurate, and helpful. TRIO LOVES DANI!

Ellie Simpson - Ellie has created a Red Folder Initiative on campus, which is a creative way to ensure that employees know how to access student support. It is the most straightforward, engaging, and helpful resource I have seen! I am so proud of Ellie and impressed with the impact she's made at ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ, on our BIT and ACT, and on students in need of support. Ellie is amazing!

Emma Salazar - OMG Emma has been invaluable, and I don't know what I would do without her as Assistant Director. She thinks of things that need to be done, tends to them, takes initiative, supervises the processes, and sees them through. She truly embodies putting students at the center and it's amazing to watch her connect with her colleagues and students. TRIO needs heart, soul, strength, and power; she's got it all.

Emmy Hermes - Thank you, Emmy, for all your outstanding help during Start Up!

John Lynch - John and Focus Lynch are spectacular campus partners! Focus is always ready to accept a delivery at Central Receiving and welcoming anyone who stops by to talk purchasing or surplus! We're lucky to have John and Focus on campus!

Jaxsen Davis - Jaxsen was the RD on duty during move ins which is one of the hardest times to be it due to the massive influx of students. Jaxsen did an amazing job coordinating with multiple departments and went above and beyond to make sure that all the students were taken care of during this stressful time. A big thanks for him and all of Housing staff making this year’s start great!

Jed Gilden - Sometimes getting answers from the financial aid email address takes some time; Jed has graciously replied to the emails I send directly to him and I'm so grateful. When students are stressed, they need resolution fast, especially when money is involved. Jed's help is always understandable, guided, patient, optimistic and solution oriented. SUCH a great person to work with!!! He has already helped me help many students easily breathe this semester.

John Yezbak - When an issue happened in one of John's halls, he went to great lengths to help the students affected and to coordinate with departments to quickly get the issue taken care of. The students and I were very appreciative of all the hard work John did. Thank you, John, for all you do.

Kami Parrish-Larson - Kami deserves more shout outs and recognition! She juggles a million things every week and makes it look easy. She is flexible and always has a plan when equipment goes down. Kami supports her faculty in every way she can to ensure their success in the classroom and research. She goes above and beyond to promote not just biology and Fort Lewis, but a love of all science with younger students from around the Four Corners. Kami is the driving force behind Middle School Science Camp that ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ hosts with The Powerhouse, and it was another incredibly successful year. Thank you to Kami for all you do for Biology, the Fort, and the next generation of upcoming scientists!

Kayla Catlin - Thank you, Kayla, for going above and beyond to help bring in the Fall 2025 class and always offering to help!

Kellin Herman - This year's startup in the technical sense was much smoother then prior years thanks to Kellin's work. Long term planning and thinking on his part enabled us as a team to find and correct issues well in advance of start-up that would have affected the larger student body.

Leah Hale - Leah has been doing a great job working with our faculty, as a new staff member to Katz she is doing amazing work, has been diligent, and has continued to assist new faculty, chairs and more.

Lily Ballengee - Lily is always a pleasure to work with during summer conferences.  She is welcoming and friendly to guests and offers constructive feedback when needed.  Thank you for all you do!

Mariela Avalos - Mariela is fluent in Spanish. Over the last few years, it's become more apparent that ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ needs more Spanish speakers; Mariela has been invaluable! She helps TRIO families and students with limited English proficiency understand complex things like financial aid and taxes. Without her help, MANY TRIO students would struggle greatly and probably leave ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ.

Megan Woodward - Megan was only with TRIO for one year but she was a joy to work with, she was enthusiastic, and wonderfully friendly to her students and colleagues. We will HONESTLY miss Megan but are excited for her new chapter.

Melissa Stordeur - I recently hired a new employee who is ESL. Melissa and Shawna have done a wonderful job assisting me with her orientation with their quick thinking and compassion. Without them, I would truly have been lost as what to do. Thank you so much for your dedication to the campus!

Custodial Department - Monica, David, Jerry, John, MaRiah, Marty, Peter, Shane, Andrew, Draven, Ken, Lakpa, Nelida, Russell, Zachary, Yasoda, Tina, Saida, Richard, Michelle, Michael, Margery, Jeffrey - Does anyone really know how hard these people work to keep our campus clean? Sure the floors are polished and restrooms spotless, but we take this for granted.  A HUGE thank you to the Custodial department.  You guys ROCK!!

Sara Colella - Sara went above and beyond during Transfer Orientation, stepping in last minute to provide critical support beyond her initial responsibilities for the day. She showed incredible adaptability, responding to shifting needs on a very busy event day while keeping clear communication with the rest of the team to ensure all areas were covered. Sara even volunteered to give a presentation on student resources to incoming students, where she provided both helpful information and a welcoming presence. Her initiative, teamwork, and positive energy made a significant difference in creating a smooth and supportive experience for our new students.

Shan Wells - Shan created amazing content for our Faculty and Staff Welcome Back and Convocation events. The videos are really high quality and are such an amazing representation of ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ an ÅÝܽ¶ÌÊÓƵ culture.