Monthly Student Employee Spotlight
Our student employees are doing amazing work throughout the University. Each month, supervisors have the opportunity to nominate one of their student employees to be feature in the Monthly Supervisor Newsletter as well as be featured on the Student Employment website.
Are you a supervisor who is interested in nominating one of your student employees? Please email tess.marme@pepperdine.edu to inquire.
January 2021: Student Employee Spotlight
Brittaney Edwards
Major: Juris Doctor (JD)
Career Goal: I intend to become a corporate or health law attorney.
Brittaney says, "I enjoy helping students apply creative solutions to complex writing problems, and I enjoy working closely with my supervisor, Emily Guetzoian."
"Brittaney is a 3rd-year law student who joined our team this fall as a PGBS Writing Consultant. From day one, Brittaney has sought to provide an outstanding tutoring experience for the students she tutors. She is very thoughtful and always very intentional in her planning and her approach to tutoring. She also made a great presentation on Learning Styles for our students. Since she holds an MBA herself, Brittaney has been especially helpful in mentoring some of our business school students and providing them personalized study strategies and advice during tutoring sessions. Brittaney is intelligent, professional, and an asset to our team."
View Past Student Employee Spotlights
October 2019
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Esther ChungEsther Chung is a Political Science Major with a Nonprofit Management Minor. Her career goal is to work in an area that focuses on global justice. She works in the Convocation office and she loves her co-workers and supervisors. According to Esther, "They are so encouraging and make work so easy".
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November 2019
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Sydnie GregerIn Fall 2020, Sydnie will start her Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. She then plans to earn her Ph. D. in Clinical Psychology to continue her career in therapy specializing in anxiety and mood disorders in children and teens. She also plans to teach psychology in a collegial setting. She says, "I love the people I work with. I have worked in the financial assistance office since the beginning of my freshman year. Now, as a last semester senior, I feel like the financial aid staff is my family."
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December 2019
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Kayley ButlerKayley Butler is a Physics Major with a Sustainability Minor. She aspires to obtain her PhD in Environmental Science and work with the Los Angeles community to prepare a healthier path for future generations. For the past three years she has worked at the Pepperdine Fund helping to educate students and alumni on the importance of giving back and increasing the value of her degree. Kayley says, she is so grateful to work with supportive people who love Pepperdine and Excel Spreadsheets as much as she does!
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February 2020
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Kimberly NesperKimberly Nesper is currently studying for her PhD of Global Leadership and Change. Her career goal is to one day be a Foreign Services Officer or Ambassador. Kimberly says, "I have truly enjoyed working for my supervisor, Sue Funkhouser, and her team in the MSOD department. Everyday in the office, I am greeted by friendly people. The work I do is truly rewarding, as I see students progress through their academic careers."
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April 2020
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Georgia ZancaGeorgia Zanca is majoring in Journalism with an outside concentration in Screen Arts and hopes to work for Walt Disney. Georgia says, "The Emily Shane Foundation has given me the exceptional opportunity to help others recognize their own talents and to see my students mature and grow into incredible young men and women. Getting to be with students on a weekly basis exposes me to new perspectives and provides me with insight from different backgrounds, languages, and more. " |
"Georgia demonstrates a tremendous work ethic, and works well with minimal supervision. She is extremely creative in her approach when working with a student who did not speak english and was able to forge a productive relationship with her by using online resources to translate back and forth from English and Spanish. This student has improved her english speaking skills and is notably more confident due to Georgia's care and persistence. Georgia is a wonderful colleague and a joy to work with."
- The Emily Shane Foundation
The Emily Shane Foundation is one of Pepperdine's Work Study Community Service Partners. Students who have been awarded a Federal Work Study award have the opportunity to work off-site in the community. The Emily Shane Foundation is a unique educational initiative that provides essential mentoring/tutoring to disadvantaged middle school children across Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
May 2020
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Cindy KimCindy Kim is an undergraduate senior graduating with an Advertising degree with an emphasis in Business. In the future, she hopes to go into Dental or Dental Missionary. Cindy says, "I love my supervisors and the people I work with in the Information Technology department. Not only are they super intelligent, their personalities make it such a fun place to be. Thank you Tessa, Lynn, and Tim for always being there to help me!" |
"Cindy has not only been an exceptional employee, but has always been excited to work. With the pandemic and sending many of our students home, Cindy was available 4 and sometimes 5 days out of the week. She is a kind and understanding hard worker, and continues to leave her mark within Tech Central."
- IT Client Services
June 2020
Dai-Ning (Maggie) Lin
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As a rising sophomore, she has yet to discern what God's plans are for her. Nonetheless, she aspires to become a philanthropic business leader that will work with sustainability in mind and give back to society. |
Maggie says, "I love how my on-campus job at the Intercultural Affairs Office provided me with the opportunities to utilize my creativity and artistic skills to overcome challenges and to support our diverse community. Moreover, it has also introduced me to so many amazing people from such varying backgrounds, who made my Pepperdine experience all the better! Big shout-outs to my supervisors, Rebecca, Dani, and Daniel for all the advice; and a big thank you to all my colleagues for making "work" so fun."
"Maggie is passionate, driven, and a go getter. She creates beautiful videos highlighting the work that is done in ICA in a timely manner. Her work showcases her creativity and is always done at the highest level of excellence. She takes initiative, brings new ideas to our staff meetings, and is always willing to learn and grow."
- Intercultural Affairs
Isabella Teague
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Isabella is an incoming senior majoring in Advertising with an emphasis in Creative Writing. She hopes to one day lead through Art Direction in an ad agency or her own. |
Isabella says, "Working at the Student Employment Office each day was an adventure and each task was never the same. I've never had such a wonderful, understanding supervisor like Tess - someone I can always joke and have a heart-to-heart conversation with. Though words can't fully express how much this experience has meant to me, I will say that working at the Student Employment Office has helped me grow, understand myself better, and motivated me to make a difference in any choice of work I choose to do."
"Isabella has worked in our office for a year and constantly goes over and beyond what is asked of her. Among other responsibilities, she created all the marketing items for National Student Employment Week and led our social media campaign where we raffle off 3 prizes each day. Isabella is incredibly talented and an absolute joy to work. She is not only professional in all that she does but has a witty sense of humor while treating everyone with the utmost care. Thank you Isabella for all your hard work and for being creative, a problem solver, and dependable."
- Student Employment Office
July 2020
Zion Chang
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As Digital Arts and Computer Science are growing industries around the world, Zion says, "I am a graphic designer for the Center for Faith and Learning and
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"Zion is going into her senior year and has worked for me since her first year at Pepperdine, creating our marketing materials. She is super talented and creative and her art has only grown more impressive over the years. She is flexible and independent, cheerful and positive, and thinks deeply about how her faith informs her choices and her pursuits in life. It has been an absolute joy to have her as an employee and I dearly miss our weekly check-ins in the office. I am looking forward to working with Zion during her senior year!"
- Center for Faith and Learning
Emma Thomasson
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Emma is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Philosophy with plans of becoming a Emma says, "My favorite part of my job is that my supervisors have become like
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"Emma is an outstanding contributor to the work of OSA. She has a rare combination of gifts: good judgement, smart intuition, excellent written and verbal communication skills. Emma is wise beyond her years. These skills allow us to rely on her to navigate exam procedures with professors as well as answer phones during our weekly professional staff team meeting. We trust her to talk with parents -- no small responsibility. Emma is punctual, reliable, and always follows through. She is a gift to our office as well as the students and faculty we serve."
- Office of Student Accessibility
August 2020
Alexis Okamoto
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As an Economics major, Alexis hopes to work in Data Analytics for a tech company one day. Lexi says, "I really enjoy working with other students and offering my services |
"Lexi is a dedicated Career Ambassador who has been graciously working remotely for the summer on top of completing a summer internship. We are so grateful for her dedication, attention to detail, and efficiency! She is such a valued member of our team and works hard to provide great service to fellow students."
- Seaver College Career Center
September 2020
Michelle Okinedo
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Michelle is a Business Administrator major in the 5 year MBA Pepperdine program. Michelle says, "It has been such a joy getting to work at Waves on Call since my |
"At the end of the day, people will not necessarily remember that Michelle has raised a substantial amount of money for Pepperdine, yet they will remember that she put others before she put herself in order to make a successful Call Center--this is the raw impact you can not ask from someone, they just do it because they know it is the right thing to do...and because they love Pepperdine. I am blessed to have Michelle as an employee."
- Waves on Call
October 2020
Jada Jensen
Jada is a double major in Religion and Advertising. One day, she hopes to open a Christian high school for special needs kids.
Jada says, "I love my job because I get to do the things I am passionate about everyday. I get to work with social media, learn more about marketing, and work with graphic design. Additionally, I love getting to support and work with our clubs. Lastly, I love my job because of the people I work with. My coworkers and my boss are some of the best people I know."
"Jada is ICA's social media intern and she is SUCH a go getter. She consistently goes above and beyond to come up with creative content and innovative ideas for how to engage students virtually. In addition to her creativity Jada is also a very responsible young lady and always sees projects to completion. ICA is so lucky to have her, on the team!"
- ICA (Intercultural Affairs
November 2020
Samirah Alam
Samirah is finishing up her degree in Psychology. Upon graduating this semester, Samirah will begin Graduate courses to pursue a Masters in Clinical Psychology with an Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy at GSEP. Samirah plans to become an LMFT.
Samirah says, "I love that I get to interact with students each day and help them with paperwork since it can be a confusing process. I also love how much my work environment has fostered my growth. I've gained valuable skills during my time as a student employee, such as time management and problem solving. I'm also thankful for the relationships that I built at my workplace and the support that my colleagues have provided me during my time as an undergraduate student.
"Samirah is one of a kind! She is an incredible balance of dominating tasks and projects while at the same time is personable and relationship-oriented. I admire how Samirah is detailed and executes tasks with great precision, while at the same time, I can carry on a conversation with her and feel seen and heard. Samirah cares for people and serves our community with great care. I am honored that she is one of our exceptional student employee colleagues!"
- Student Employment Office
December 2020
Candy Shim
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Major: MS in Global Business Candy says, "I love each interaction I'm able to have with my peers at Graziadio and my weekly meetings with my supervisor (shout out to Emily Guetzoian)! My job has given me the opportunity to learn so much about effective communication and the importance of being proactive, especially in the current virtual environment." |
"Candy is a PGBS student who joined our team this fall as a PGBS Writing Consultant. She is a terrific tutor who strives to provide her students with a positive tutoring experience. She provides additional resources and suggestions to students to help them succeed on their own after the tutoring session. As a fellow PGBS student herself, Candy is able to incorporate her own knowledge and tips into her tutoring sessions. Candy also provided a terrific, interactive presentation for students on time management strategies. Candy is a kind, thoughtful, hard-working student employee and contributes positively to the Graziadio mission."
- Student Engagement and Success (PGBS)