Skip Navigation

Student Employee of the Year

Three students packaging admission boxes

Student Employee of the Year Award*

OU recognizes outstanding student employees with the Student Employee of the Year (SEOTY) awards. The process begins with supervisors nominating outstanding student employees at the institutional level. Nominations then move on to the national level for consideration.

To be eligible for consideration, student employees must be undergraduate students. Nominees are not restricted to students employed through the Federal Work Study Program. All student employees are eligible for consideration*.  

*2023-2024 OU SEOTY awards are cancelled for this year. We hope to reinstate the awards in 2024-2025.

 


SEOTY Nomination Process

Annual SEOTY Nomination Process
  • All SEOTY Nominations must contain two documents to be considered a complete nomination:
  1.  Supervisors may nominate students by submitting a letter (2 pg maximum) with the following requirements:
    • Briefly explain why you are submitting this student for recognition.
    • Briefly outline your student employee's accomplishments over this past year and/or how they have contributed to the work place.
    • How does this student exhibit NACE competencies in their position? Please provide specific examples. (See Career Readiness Guide (PDF)).
    • Closing statement.
       
  2. Supervisors will submit a cover page with the following information:
    • Student Name
    • Student Email Address
    • Supervisor Name
    • Supervisor Email
    • Student Job Title
    • Department where student position is held
    • Indication if you are a 2 or 4-year institution
    • Headshot jpg file of Student Nominee  
  • Nominations will be collected through January 27, 2023 at noon. Please submit both documents by emailing a copy to workstudyprogram@ou.edu.
NACE Career Readiness Competencies

Nomination criteria are based on the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Career Readiness Competencies. 

Career Readiness Guide

Selection and presentation of the Award
  • All nominees are invited to attend SEOTY Banquet the second week of April
  • All nominees will receive a certificate of nomination and a $500 scholarship
  • Top three finalists will each receive:
    • $1,000 Scholarship
    • SEOTY trophy
  • The winner will be submitted to National nominations
Once OU nomination processes are completed, the following steps will occur:

Once OU nomination processes are completed, OU will forward the student selected as the top SEOTY to the national committee for recommendation. NSEA Board Members will choose the overall SEOTY from the five winners of each category. Each winner will receive $300, with the overall SEOTY receiving an additional $300.

 

Previous SEOTY Nominees and Winners

2023 Nominees

  • I. Azman Abdulla - Modern Languages, Literatures, & Linguistics
  • Nicholas Alonzo - Oklahoma Climate Survey
  • Trinity Bucker - Food Services/Union Market
  • Caleb Cochran - Food Services/Couch Restaurants
  • Kathlyn Dannewald - Architecture Dean’s Office
  • Ashley Gonzalez-Vasquez - Center for Faculty Excellence
  • Javier Martinez - Office of Admissions & Recruitment
  • Joshua McClain - Price College of Business
  • Kasiah Mims -  University Operations, Food Services/Couch Restaurants
  • Ava Moore, - Architectural & Engineering Services
  • Teagan Raeburn-Romero - Food Services/Couch Restaurants
  • Haley Riggins - Housing & Food Services, Marketing and Communications
  • Cleveland Shepard - Graduation & Persistence Support
  • Gillian Stinson - Facilities Management, Engineering & Design

2023 Top Three:

  1. Kathlyn Dannewald - Architecture Dean’s Office
  2. Javier Martinez - Office of Admissions & Recruitment
  3. Haley Riggins - Housing & Food Services, Marketing and Communications

2023 OU SEOTY Winner: Kathlyn Dannewald - Architecture Dean’s Office

 

 

2022 Nominees

  • Sarah Bowen - Osher Lifelong Learning Institute
  • Connor Cowan - Housing & Residence Life
  • Derek Ford - OU Housing & Food, Baja Fresh Restaurant
  • Perry Johnson, Jr. - Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
  • Nate McMillen - Office of the Vice President, Student Affairs & Dean of Students
  • William Miller - Carl Albert Congressional Research & Studies Center
  • Nate Proctor - Mewbourne College of Earth & Energy
  • Shubhashree Sathe - Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 
  • Gillian Stinson - Facilities Management Engineering & Design 

2022 Top Three:

  1. Perry Johnson, Jr. - Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 
  2. Nate Proctor - Mewbourne College of Earth & Energy
  3. Shubhashree Sathe - Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 

2022 OU SEOTY Winner: Perry Johnson, Jr. - Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

 

2021 Nominees

  • Asia Nguyen - Student Loan Services, Office of the Bursar
  • Ben Price - Cooperative Institute fo Mesoscale Meteorological Studies
  • Britney Powell - Community After School Program
  • Chinyere Neal - OU LIbraries, Fine Arts Library
  • Dez Brooks - Wild Care Oklahoma
  • Elise Hodges - Student Learning Center, University College
  • Emma Capen - OU School of Dance
  • Hannah Williamson - Gallogly College of Engineering
  • Isabel English - Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education
  • Kristi Saliba - Dean's Office, Gibbs College of Architecture
  • Matt Miller -  Cooperative Institute fo Mesoscale Meteorological Studies
  • Noah Davidson - Honors College
  • Ryan Gaylor - Journalism / KGOU
  • Tony Dang - Meals on Wheels

2021 Top Three:

  1. Dez Brooks - Wild Care Oklahoma
  2. Kristi Saliba - Gibbs College of Architecture
  3. Ryan Gaylor - Journalism / KGOU

2021 OU SEOTY Winner: Kristi Saliba - Gibbs College of Architecture

 

*Graduate Assistants and Teaching Assistants are ineligible for Student Employee of the Year per NSEA ruling.

Student Financial Center
Buchanan Hall, Room 105
1000 Asp Ave
Norman, OK 73019-4071
Phone: 405-325-9000
Email: sfc@ou.edu

Updated 2/1/2024 by Student Financial Center: sfc@ou.edu