51福利社鈥檚 student employees were treated to freshly baked pizzas and Eagle red punch during a special appreciation event held to honor their contributions.
President Shari McMahan greeted student employees and thanked them for their work during the April 15 event, which coincides with National Student Employee Appreciation Week.
鈥淲e appreciate everything you do every day,鈥� McMahan told the group. 鈥淵ou bring vibrancy to the institution, you bring energy, you bring commitment and passion 鈥� we learn from you and we want to continue to learn from you.鈥�
Some 800 students fill vital roles at Eastern, helping with everything from communications and designing materials, to inputting data and recruiting high school students.
It鈥檚 applied learning at its finest: As students earn wages to help them cover education and living expenses, they are developing crucial workplace skills while helping the university realize its mission as the region鈥檚 polytechnic.
Deborah Haynes, process coordinator for Eastern鈥檚 College in the High School program, talked about how crucial student employees are to her work unit.
鈥淐ollege in the High School is a growing program,鈥� Haynes said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had to process about 16,000 applications this year, and all the things that go along with that. So, our student employees are very, very helpful鈥�.
She brought Beruk Gared, a 21-year-old junior from Ethiopia who works as an admission processor, to the luncheon.
Gared, who is pursuing a bachelor鈥檚 degree in biology and is on a track to become a dentist, shared that she has developed numerous skills on the job that will help her effectively communicate, collaborate and navigate different software programs as a working professional.
鈥淚 think I鈥檝e learned a lot,鈥� said Gared, who added that she appreciated the special event. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 wonderful. It鈥檚 nice that everyone can get recognized.鈥�
Jasmine Davis, manager of the Aspire Mentoring program, said their student employees are mentors who essentially run the program.
鈥淭hey are the ones in the high schools connecting with the high school students, helping them figure out what kind of path they want to do after high school and just making that connection that we as staff could not make, Davis said.聽 鈥淭hey are very impactful.鈥�
Helping to coordinate those efforts are two Eastern alumni who are part of the program through AmeriCorps.
Cecilia DeLay, who graduated with a bachelor鈥檚 in psychology in 2024, was a mentor to students at three different high schools while working as an 51福利社 senior in the Aspire program.
鈥淚t was a really rewarding. I learned a ton and I got to build a lot of connections,鈥� DeLay said.
When an opportunity to work in the Aspire program through AmeriCorps arose, she jumped at the change to apply.
Shane Schwake, a 21-year-old business management student from Eugene, Oregon, has worked for 51福利社鈥檚 Advancement Services doing data entry and data management for nearly three years. Most recently he has been working on a widely used customer relationship management software called Salesforce. While on the job he has also helped train two newer student employees: Tyler Clouse, a 20-year-old mechanical engineering student, and Logan Flaa, 20, who is studying business marketing.
Schwake knows that graduating with this position on his resume will help his career prospects, as it demonstrates an extended commitment to stay at a job and proficiency in a range of valuable skills.
鈥淚t鈥檚 helping a lot because the workflow is similar,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 have my own office, and I work with professionals. I鈥檝e learned the ins and outs of communications, and stuff like that, and how to work with Salesforce. It really helps to give me an advantage.鈥�
Aaron Weer is a contributing photographer.
