major from Wellington, Fla.
A Florida State University student has been named the first-ever Tony DiBenedetto Overall Student Employee of the Year during the Career Center’s inaugural Student Employee of the Year Award Ceremony April 15.
Rebecca Garrett, a senior geology major from Wellington, Fla., began working for the Department of Mathematics as a student assistant and has served as the interim admissions coordinator since December 2014. In this role, Garrett has demonstrated a strong work ethic and tremendous initiative and has excelled at learning her duties and performing them with professionalism and positivity, according to Pamela Andrews, academic program specialist.
“We can trust Rebecca to work independently, thoroughly and professionally in handling prospective student applications,” Andrews said. “Our success in hitting deadlines, maintaining our reputation for excellence and creating a pleasant atmosphere in general for a process that many students find stressful and intimidating is entirely due to her presence.”
The award is named for FSU alumnus Tony DiBenedetto, chairman and CEO of Tribridge, who served as the keynote speaker for the ceremony. It was held in conjunction with National and Florida Student Employment Week, April 12-18.
After enrolling in 1983, DiBenedetto worked at the Disabled Students Lab and the Career Center, and he attributes a great deal of his personal growth and professional development to these experiences. After graduating from FSU, DiBenedetto earned a partnership at Arthur Andersen. In 1998, he co-founded Tribridge, a technology services firm.
In addition to the Tony DiBenedetto Overall Student Employee of the Year, the Career Center recognized four students for demonstrating unparalleled professionalism, initiative, customer service and critical thinking in their jobs at Florida State:
•Jaclyn Glazier, a doctoral candidate in music from Charlotte, N.C., received the Torch Award for exceptional customer service as a graduate assistant in the advising office of the College of Arts and Sciences.
•Charles Fernandez, a junior from Pembroke Pines, Fla., majoring in editing, writing and media received the Vires Award for his initiative as a technical support analyst in the Controller’s Office.
•Andrea Llewellyn from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., received the Artes Award for her critical thinking as a youth programs mentor coordinator in the Center for Leadership and Social Change.
•Hannah Everett, a senior from Juneau, Alaska, majoring in economics, received the Mores Award for her professionalism as an immigration assistant in the Center for Global Engagement.
The Career Center also recognized 62 nominees and highlighted the unique contributions made by student employees in 2014-2015. Nominees included degree-seeking students employed as student assistants, student interns, student ambassadors and graduate/teaching/research assistants and through the Federal Work-Study Program. Nominations came from faculty and staff members in departments and academic units on both Florida State’s main campus and the Panama City, Fla., campus.