The University of Georgia employs more than 5,000 student employees. Each spring, the UGA Career Center celebrates the contributions those students make to labs, offices and programs across campus.
Held April 12, this year’s Student Employee of the Year Awards Luncheon brought together 100 of the top student employees, based on nominations by supervisors, in the Tate Student Center Grand Hall. During the luncheon, special recognition was given to the top three student employees.
Aiden Holley of Nashville, Tennessee, was named the 2017 UGA Student Employee of the Year. A 2017 UGA graduate, Holley was a part-time student employee in the Office of Service-Learning, a public service and outreach unit, and Campus Kitchen at UGA. His responsibilities included leading volunteer shifts, initiating new programs, creating and maintaining community partnerships and managing a variety of logistical operations.
Sahar Tejani, an early childhood education major from Duluth, was the 2017 runner-up. Tejani was a part-time student employee for the Georgia Center for Continuing Education where she was the director of the Summer Academy, an educational youth camp.
The third-place student was Jacob Kalina, an agriscience and environmental systems major from Williamson. Kalina was a part-time student employee for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences crop and soil sciences in Tifton. His supervisor praised Kalina’s conscientiousness when conducting research and his efforts to ensure that scientific procedures were followed correctly.
The Student Employee of the Year is selected by an 11-member committee of faculty and staff members from across campus. In addition to having his name engraved on the Student Employee of the Year plaque, Holley also had his nomination materials submitted for consideration in the regional competition.
