We are excited to announce the results of the 2026 Student Employee of the Year awards! Congratulations to all nominees, nominators, and to Delaney Garland, who was also named the 2026 Student Employee of the Year—Critical Thinking Winner by the Midwest Association of Student Employment Administrators (MASEA), becoming our first regional winner!
Student Employee of the Year Awards
2026 Awardees
Lucy Theiler
Community Service
Hi, I’m Lucy Theiler, and I am a senior studying Marketing and Digital and Social Media Business Applications in the Kelley School of Business. For the past four years, I have served as an Advocate for Community Engagement—Cox Scholar with the Monroe County Office of English Language Learning. In this role, I facilitate an after-school tutoring program that pairs IU education students with K–6 English learners in our local school district. While much of my work is managerial, my favorite moments are when I get the opportunity to interact with students. Through this position, I’ve had the privilege of working with more than 700 IU students and have helped contribute to their IU experience through meaningful service-learning.
Olivia Novak
Social Impact and Belonging
My name is Olivia Novak, and I am a graduating senior at Indiana University. I am majoring in History and Anthropology, with minors in French and Spanish. I was born and raised in Bloomington. I have had several different jobs as a student, but the one I'm focusing on is my position as an Oral History Intern at the Center for Rural Engagement. Here, I work with Black communities throughout Indiana to preserve Black history. One of my favorite interactions with people has been when I ask to interview them, they say they have nothing important to say, and then they tell me an incredible story about their lives. I think we all believe that our stories are less important than they are.
Grace Mangan
Leadership
My name is Grace Mangan and I am from Santa Claus, Indiana. I am currently a Senior pursing a degree in Counseling and Psychology with a minor in Kinesiology. I started working with Recreational Sports (Intramurals) during my first semester of freshman year as a sports official, and it quickly became a huge part of my college experience. Over time, I have grown into leadership roles, first as a supervisor and now as a Program Assistant for the past two years. This job has given me so many meaningful opportunities to grow both personally and professionally, and it has truly shaped my time at IU. What has meant the most to me are the people I’ve met along the way. My coworkers have become some of my closest friends, and they are a big reason why this experience has been so special to me. I am incredibly grateful for everything this role has given me and the impact it will continue to have on my future.
Delaney Garland
Critical Thinking
My name is Delaney Garland and I am from Evansville, Indiana. I am currently pursuing a degree in Secondary Social Studies Education with an English as a New Language License addition. I work in the Office of Development and Alumni Relations at the School of Education, a position made possible through the Cox Scholars Program. From the moment I started my freshman year, my worksite made me feel supported and valued. At a large university like IU, that sense of belonging gave me the confidence to branch out and take full advantage of all IU has to offer. Through this role, I have also connected with School of Education alumni who have become mentors and valuable resources. Something people might not know about my role is that my desk is just two doors down from the Dean of the School of Education, which is very cool!
2026 Nominees
Emily Frey
Hilary Haine
Anna Erdosy
Ashley Lara
Scooter Beverly
Alex Jellison
Antonio Bruno
Bryce Miller
Hillary Haine
Cameron Moseley
Elise Riedinger
Grace Skirvin
Haley Walker
Harper Strahan
Jackson Biesen
Nate Miller
Nicole Ni
Pareese Payton
Tolu Semowo
Trystan Mullins
Zoe Caitlin
Ally Wolfgang
Kaitlyn Dewulf
Violet Peotter
Yusuf Naseri
Nominate your student employee
Nominations are closed for 2026.
The IU Bloomington campus Student Employee of the Year Awards recognize outstanding student employees in five categories. Please nominate a student in one category only…choose the category you think best fits that student’s achievements.
For this category, make sure to address the following criteria:
- How the student employee makes a distinctive contribution to the community with their work
- How the student employee's work makes an impact on the university and/or the university community—and how that impact will be felt even after the job is complete
- How the student employee works to inspire others to serve the university or community
For each criteria, the nominee will be assigned a score of:
- Excellent (3 pts), if the nominator provided specific details and
examples about how the student exceeded the criteria listed - Good (2 pts), if the nominator provided specific details and
examples about how the student met the criteria listed - Fair (1 pt), if the nominator provided specific details about
the nominee’s job contributions but did not clearly relate it to the criteria listed
For this category, make sure to address the following criteria:
- How the student employee demonstrates empathy and compassion for others in their work
- How the student employee understands the importance and ongoing commitment to Social Impact & Belonging efforts in their work, campus and/or community
- How the student employee looks for, or works for Social Impact & Belonging in projects, discussions and problem solving at work
For each criteria, the nominee will be assigned a score of:
- Excellent (3 pts), if the nominator provided specific details and
examples about how the student exceeded the criteria listed - Good (2 pts), if the nominator provided specific details and
examples about how the student met the criteria listed - Fair (1 pt), if the nominator provided specific details about
the nominee’s job contributions but did not clearly relate it to the criteria listed
For this category, make sure to address the following criteria:
- How the student employee motivates and inspires others through encouragement and by building trust
- How the student employee strives to take the lead in workplace scenarios and is open to change and new ideas
- How the student employee is passionate in mentoring and training fellow student employees
For each criteria, the nominee will be assigned a score of:
- Excellent (3 pts), if the nominator provided specific details and
examples about how the student exceeded the criteria listed - Good (2 pts), if the nominator provided specific details and
examples about how the student met the criteria listed - Fair (1 pt), if the nominator provided specific details about
the nominee’s job contributions but did not clearly relate it to the criteria listed
For this category, make sure to address the following criteria:
- How the student employee uses technology to improve efficiency and productivity of their work
- How the student employee manages technology to integrate information to support relevant, effective, and timely decision making
- How the student employee develops useful ideas that are new, better, or unique
For each criteria, the nominee will be assigned a score of:
- Excellent (3 pts), if the nominator provided specific details and
examples about how the student exceeded the criteria listed - Good (2 pts), if the nominator provided specific details and
examples about how the student met the criteria listed - Fair (1 pt), if the nominator provided specific details about
the nominee’s job contributions but did not clearly relate it to the criteria listed
For this category, make sure to address the following criteria:
- How the student employee multitasks well in a fast-paced environment
- How the student employee makes decisions and solves problems using sound, inclusive reasoning and judgment
- How the student employee gathers and analyzes information from a diverse set of sources and individuals to fully understand a problem
For each criteria, the nominee will be assigned a score of:
- Excellent (3 pts), if the nominator provided specific details and
examples about how the student exceeded the criteria listed - Good (2 pts), if the nominator provided specific details and
examples about how the student met the criteria listed - Fair (1 pt), if the nominator provided specific details about
the nominee’s job contributions but did not clearly relate it to the criteria listed
Please click on each category to review the rubric before submitting a nomination. Note: you must indicate the category for which you are nominating your student employee.
Your nomination should be in letter format (maximum 2 pages) and include:
- A brief description of why you are submitting this student for recognition
- An outline of your student employee's accomplishments as they pertain to the criteria for the category that you are submitting this student for
- A closing or summary statement
Your nomination will be scored using the rubric's standards, so please be as specific as possible and address the connection between the award category and your student employee's contributions. A committee will evaluate the nominations and choose winners in each category.
Nominate your student employee
Thank you for taking the time to recognize our student employees! Campus winners are announced and celebrated during National Student Employment Week (NSEW), April 12–18. You will be notified if your student is a winner on any level—campus, Midwest, or national.
About the national SEOTY awards
Each spring, the National Student Employment Association (NSEA) coordinates a selection process and chooses the National Student Employee of the Year (SEOTY) to recognize the outstanding contributions and achievements of students who work while attending college.