Student Employee of the Year (SEOTY)
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About SEOTY Awards
National Student Employment Week marks the time of year when we want to recognize our student employees and the contributions they make to our campus and their fellow UH Hilo students. One way that we are able to show our student employees our appreciation is through the Student Employee of the Year (SEOTY) awards which recognizes one student employee and one student employee team for their outstanding work contributions to our UH Hilo campus! It is during this time that the Student Employment program puts a call out to all supervisors for nominations, following the eligibility criteria listed below.
We also take a moment to express our appreciation for all our UH Hilo student employees through our “Messages of Appreciation”! We share these messages on our @uhhilostudentemployment Instagram account and through a collaboration with University Radio Hilo (URH) which broadcast these messages on KUHH (101.1 FM).
Awardees: 2022-2023 School Year
A Banner announces Lillian Lewis as the Student Employee of the Year awardee and the Financial Aid Office student staff members as the Student Employee Team of the Year
SEOTY awardees pose with the winner’s banner outside of the End of Year Celebration after their awards were announced!
SEOTY Student Employee of the Year: Lillian Lewis
Lillian Lewis is awarded the SEOTY Student Employee of the Year award and poses with Supervisor Christopher Wung, Interim VCSA Chris Holland and Chancellor Bonnie Irwin. (Cooper Lund/UH Hilo Stories)
Lillian Lewis poses with her SEOTY award plaque
“As a highly-motivated and well-rounded student of UH Hilo campus, Lillian’s leadership and duties within the department were and continue to be vital in departmental operations for FYE. The “seeds” [i.e., colleagues, mentees, etc.] that Lillian plants and propagates today, are true actions of an effective leader and dedicated employee, exemplified in her daily work and actions. As such, it is with great and undoubted pleasure that we recognize Lillian to be very deserving of consideration for the Student Employee of the Year award.”- Christopher Wung
SEOTY Student Employee Team of the Year: Financial Aid Office
Financial Aid Office student staff accept SEOTY Student Employee Team of the Year award. Student employees Minura Dawid, Zachary Wilson, and Seth Bello pose with Interim VCSA Chris Holland, Financial Aid Director Sherri Padilla, Financial Aid Counselor Nani Munekata and Chancellor Bonnie Irwin. Missing from the student team is Brianne-Emale Saltiban.(Cooper Lund/UH Hilo Stories)
Our Financial Aid Office student staff are smart, detail oriented and compassionate. Financial aid staff have access to a lot of sensitive, confidential information such as income and assets, loan indebtedness and unusual family circumstances which our Financial Aid Office student staff handle with the utmost care. -Kolby Santiago, Financial Aid Office Assistant Director
UH Hilo Stories: 2023 Awards and Recognition Celebration: Top UH Hilo faculty, staff, and student employees honored
Awardees: 2021-2022 School Year
A banner announces Student Employee of the Year First-Place Awardee Sheadon Freitas, Second-Place Awardee Shayla Kiyota, and the Team Awardees - Women's & LGBTQ+ Center team
SEOTY Student Employee of the Year: Sheadon Freitas
(Top) Sheadon Freitas poses with Chancellor Bonnie Irwin after receiving his award for Student Employee of the Year. (Right) Sheadon is adorned with lei and ballons presented to him by the staff from Office of the Registrar's.
Although I understand we have lots of amazing student workers within our university, I believe Sheadon deserves a shot at being chosen because he literally puts his heart and soul into our university. He really is just so special to our office and we are so sad that he will be graduating in Spring 2023 ☹ -Chablis Mattos
SEOTY Student Employee Team of the Year: Women’s & LGBTQ+ Center
The team has been able to create various learning spaces around issues impacting women and the LGBTQ+ community (examples include gender wage gap, violence, intersectionality with race as a key component) while establishing a resource base for learning opportunities (website, social media–Facebook, Instagram) and fostering a social dynamic to celebrate one’s individuality while coming together in a larger community collective. -Chris Holland
Nomination Eligibility
Student Employee of the Year Nominations Criteria
- Enrolled as a UH Hilo Student in at least 6 credits; a classified student
- Working at least 10 hours per week
- Employed by the department for more than 150 days. This includes current and previous semesters
- In good academic standing (cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher)
- For UH Hilo graduate students, you must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0
- Criteria Recommendations from the supervisor must cite specific examples of excellent work performance
- An outstanding record of competency and dependability
- Imaginative or creative solution(s) to difficult departmental activities
- Significant service to the UH Hilo campus community
Award
- The first-place awardee will receive a monetary award (as a tuition waiver), an Individual Plaque, as well as a spot on the Perpetual Plague (located in the Student Employment Office)
Student Employee Team of the Year Nomination Criteria
- Minimum of two students for team nominations, and can include students enrolled on other UH campuses
- Enrolled as a student in at least 6 credits; a classified student
- In good academic standing (cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher)
- For UH Hilo graduate students, you must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0
- Criteria Recommendations from the supervisor must cite specific examples of Excellent work performance
- An outstanding record of competency and dependability
- Imaginative or creative solution(s) to difficult departmental activities
- Significant service to the UH Hilo campus community
Award
- The winning team will receive an engraved plaque which will remain on display in their office. The winner will also receive a spot on the perpetual team plaque.
Deadline to submit: We are no longer accepting submissions for 2023.
Messages of Appreciation
This year's National Student Employment Week is April 10- 14, 2023! National Student Employment Week was established to recognize students who work while attending college. UH Hilo's Student Employment Office would like to show our student employees how much they are appreciated by sharing Messages of Appreciation from you!
During National Student Employment Week we will be sharing your Messages of Appreciation on both our IG @uhhilostudentemployment account and UH Hilo's KUHH (101.1 FM) radio station, so please take the time to share your appreciation for our student employees!
- Supervisors are allowed more than one submission. Each submission can consist of up to three messages (for your convenience).
- Multiple students can be named in each message, especially if sharing specific examples of their contribution!
- Please make sure that the students first and last names are included. Student employees will be asked to submit a Media Release form.
- We hope to share your messages as you have shared them with us.
Deadline to submit: We are no longer accepting submissions for 2023.
Other Resources
