Celebrating National Student Employment Week: Meet the 2022-23 Winners
Student employees are crucial to cultivating a positive campus community. Annually Syracuse University Student Employment, also known as ’CuseWorks, hosts the National Student Employment Week Celebration.
Leading up to the celebration, members of the University community are encouraged to nominate student employees, supervisors and teams that improved the student experience through their hard work and dedication. All nominations are then reviewed by the Student Employment Recognition Committee.
Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year: Jacob McGraw ’23, Community Standards STOP Bias and Hate Initiative Peer Educator
“As a connector between students and staff, he has been an outstanding member of the team. He has had such an impact on our community,” says Jessica Roberts, Community Standards bias education coordinator. “Jacob is resourceful, adaptable and has incredible communication skills. He has gone above and beyond to educate students, serving as an excellent presenter and facilitator, especially when it comes to difficult or divisive dialogue. His patience and great active-listening skills challenges others to learn more while simultaneously supporting them in their learning process.”
Graduate Student Employee of the Year: Andre Santibañez G’20, G’23, Barnes Center at The Arch Program Assistant for Sport Programs
“Andre has been the rock of Barnes Center at The Arch club and intramural sports programs. He’s open to change, willing to try others’ ideas and brings an overall ‘silver-lining point-of-view’ that makes him a bright spot,” says Jasmine Holmes, Barnes Center at The Arch associate director for sport programs. “I know he will be successful at the next level, he is the best teammate and has unmatched ambition. We are so thankful for the dedication, support and passion Andre has demonstrated.”
Supervisor of the Year: Vicente “Vinnie” Cuevas, Barnes Center Health Promotion Coordinator
Nominated by numerous coworkers, supervisors and student employees, Cuevas is described as a light who always finds the positive in things, hardworking, compassionate, a problem solver and always striving to provide good service. During the pandemic, he would check in with student employees just to ask about how they were doing. Embodying the values that Syracuse University encourages all its members to uphold, he creates a strong sense of belonging.
Department of the Year: First Year Seminar (FYS) 101
Awarded to a team that exemplifies ideals of providing job opportunities and important skill-building to student employees, the 2022-2023 winner is FYS 101. As a first-year seminar that supports a strong foundation of the Syracuse University student experience, organizing FYS 101 is no small task, inclusive of supporting students as learners and growing student peer facilitator professional skills. FYS 101 hires nearly 240 student peer facilitators annually.
Story by Student Experience communications intern Madison Manczko ’24, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
