Academics
Accolades
Tyree, as well as runners-up, finalists, the Student Employment Supervisor of the Year, and this year’s Faculty Career Champion, were announced at a formal ceremony Monday at the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts.
The event formally kicked off National Student Employment Week.
Career Development Director Kim Hull said the university is proud of all 610 student employees who play a valuable role in keeping Pitt State running, and in turn, they learn valuable career readiness skills.
For four years, Tyree has worked for Nature Reach, part of the Biology Department that uses live animals unable to live in the wild to provide programming on campus and in schools and parks.
"Kate has been an essential part of Nature Reach for the last four years. She has stepped in to take care of animals when I was not available, she has helped train new student keepers, and she has presented to kids and community members,” said Nature Reach Director Delia Lister. “When I needed an extra hand, I knew I could always count on her. It has been a real joy to watch her grow into a young professional.”
Tyree said she learned a great deal that will be valuable to her career, which she hopes is leading a nature center.
“It’s lovely to be recognized for my work,” she said. “One of the biggest things I am taking away from this job is a quote from Maya Angelou that Delia hung up my first few days on the job: ‘Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.’ That’s been big for me, in terms of helping other students as I’ve trained them, and in giving programs to the community.”
The first runner-up was James Shin (Computer Science/South Korea) - International Programs & Services. He has organized airport transportation schedules for incoming international students, manages the collection of donated items for international students, has served as a peer mentor, has been responsible for large data-entry projects, and has trained new student employees.
The second runner-up was Ryker Curry (Exercise Science/Iola) - Health, Human Performance, and Recreation. He brought together the Gorilla Baseball coaching staff, strength and conditioning staff, and the Human Performance Laboratory to collaborate on a pitching testing and athlete monitoring initiative to evaluate injury risk, performance, and the effectiveness of the strength and conditioning program, and coordinated the technology and data collection process.
Students also nominated supervisors for Student Employment Supervisor of the Year. This year’s winner was Sundown Jacobs, technical support specialist for Information Technology Services.
This year’s runner-up was Holly Kent, director of student relations and engagement for Kelce College of Business.
Marsha Blalock – circulation supervisor / Axe Library
David Boffey - assistant professor / Health, Human Performance, and Recreation
Matt Emerson – human resources / Military Sciences
Stephen Graham — testing center coordinator / Testing Center
This year’s winner is Assistant Professor Clint Myers (School of Construction/Electrical Technology), who champions career development resources and actively connects students to opportunities through employer interactions and career fairs. Myers also initiated an annual signing day ceremony for his students and their future employers — an event that has tripled in size in just a few years.
