Award Narratives

2024

May 23 Ceremony

Monica Jones     Magdalena Cortes     Kristi Allen     Staahl Almeida     Jessica Ochoa     Sheryl Reinschmidt

Sarah A. Gilman Memorial Award for Monica Jones, Food Services Manager
Award Speech delivered by Erik Russell, Assistant Vice President for Hospitality and Auxiliary Services

Today, we have the pleasure of recognizing one of our own with the Sarah A. Gilman Memorial Award for outstanding service. This award celebrates not just dedication and hard work, but a spirit of innovation and a commitment to enhancing our community here at Occidental College.

The recipient of this award is someone who brings more than just culinary skill and professionalism to our community. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, this individual has significantly enhanced the student dining experience, transforming meal times into the highlight of their day. They have not only revamped the menu at the Tiger Cooler but also integrated cutting-edge technology into our dining services. I am referring to the smart fridges that have become a campus sensation. Starting with modest sales, these fridges quickly captured our community's interest, with sales soaring to over a hundred units daily on average. The overwhelming success of this initiative this semester has not only redefined our approach to campus dining but has also set a robust standard for innovation. 

Beyond their role as a culinary innovator, this person is a master at making each meal special. Daily specials and signature dishes aren't just meals; they're experiences, crafted and marketed with the same zest they bring to every dish. Each day, their creations offer a new surprise that keeps the college community eagerly anticipating what's next, making dining not just a necessity but an event.

This individual's coachability is another aspect of their professionalism that deserves acclaim. They have shown an exceptional ability to learn and adapt, taking feedback and turning it into action that not only meets but often exceeds expectations. Their growth mindset has enabled them to continuously improve and innovate in ways that inspire all of us.

Behind the scenes, they have shown remarkable perseverance through a year of both challenges and growth, often working late into the night to ensure everything runs perfectly. It's the kind of dedication that often goes unnoticed, but today, we want to acknowledge their work.

Their approach always includes a good dose of humor—making sure that even in the busiest times, there’s a moment to laugh and breathe. Through their leadership, they’ve turned everyday meals into a testament of creativity and community spirit.

Now, who is this remarkable individual? The person who has not only kept us well-fed but has truly raised the bar for service and innovation? Please join me in congratulating Monica Jones on this well-deserved recognition. Monica, your hard work, your vision, your unwavering commitment to excellence, and your playful marketing genius have not gone unnoticed. Thank you for everything you do—Occidental College is a better place because of your contributions.

Congratulations, Monica!

 

Sarah A. Gilman Memorial Award for Magdalena Cortes, Cleaning Services B
Award Speech delivered by David Caldwell, Director of Facilities

I'm excited and honored to present this special recognition to someone who's been a devoted and vital part of Occidental College for nearly 25 years.

Magdalena Cortes has been a trusted and indispensable part of Occidental's custodial team throughout that time. Our custodial team cares for and maintains spaces where students can thrive academically and individually by maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness and organization.

Throughout her impressive career, Magdalena has been a vital member of that team and, through her dedication and attention to detail, has helped ensure that our faculty and staff could make good our promise "to provide a gifted and diverse group of students with a total educational experience of the highest quality." Working closely with community members across campus and her team, Magdalena has made a measurable difference in the care and maintenance of our campus, something you can see in the pride she takes in her workspaces, her team, and Occidental College.

Magdalena Cortes is a pillar of support for everyone, especially the students. I say "the students," but Magdalena might call them "her students." Her genuine concern for their well-being and unwavering support are crucial to her service to this college and are evident in the care and attention to detail she demonstrates. Over the years, she's fostered deep friendships with many students, and they continue to stay in touch with her long after they've graduated.

On behalf of the Facilities Department, Occidental College, and generations of Occidental faculty and students, I'm honored to be here today, along with Magdalena's family, her team, and all of you, to express our heartfelt gratitude and thanks, and to recognize her for 25 years of exceptional service to Occidental College.

I'm thrilled to present Magdalena Cortes with the Sarah A. Gilman Memorial Award.
 

Carolyn D. Adams Memorial Award for Kristi Allen, Associate Vice President for Institutional Planning
Award Speech delivered by Mary Maher, Associate Vice President for Human Resources/Chief Human Resources Officer

Last year, Barbara Valiente nominated Kristi Allen, Associate Vice President for Institutional Planning, for the Carolyn D. Adams award.  Barbara wrote, "Kristi demonstrates superior performance every day.  She is all in for Oxy!  She is collaborative and builds close working relationships with others.  Under her leadership, the College ends each fiscal year with an operating surplus.  Within the first few years of Kristi's arrival, she improved the budgeting process by building an electronic budget request and reporting process, allowing improved data to make better budget decisions.  Kristi also began to oversee the Institutional Research function, hired an excellent employee and greatly improved the effectiveness of Institutional Research.  She worked with the Vice President for Enrollment Management to develop and co-lead a new initiative for Strategic Enrollment Management.  She worked with the CIO to start an initiative on operational excellence and is co-leading that effort. She is now taking on the Institutional Assessment function.  Kristi is always reading and researching to determine what strategic improvements are necessary at Oxy.  Once she believes an improvement needs to be made, she takes the initiative and convinces others to take action."

Barbara's wise choice, and eloquent description of who Kristi is as a colleague, describes Kristi’s relentless pursuit of excellence, tempered by her down-to-earth practicality of working creatively within budget.  And what a blessing her creativity is.  In my experience, it’s rare to see the exquisite balance Kristi brings when it comes to envisioning what could be, never being distracted by the challenges of forging a path forward.  She is the scout to Occidental's wagon train; the pathfinder working in the background for all that is good at Occidental.

Today, Barbara's voice reminds us of a number of Kristi's accomplishments that have made Occidental a better place to work, and there’s no stopping in sight for what Kristi is directly and indirectly accomplishing.  She brings a caring and supportive honesty that results in a balance of respect and regard for each of her relationship here at Oxy.  This is not to say that she, like all of us, isn’t sometimes challenged by the diversity of work styles and characters we encounter, and that encounter us, but Kristi has honed her skill of accepting, respecting and venturing beyond those differences in the interest of finding the win-win.  Her good-natured sense of humor serves her well in discerning both the challenge and joy of holding space for others while working together toward success.

Being, as I am, in the business of human resources, I also value Kristi's professional achievement in term of paying it forward, meaning when someone does something for you, instead of paying that person back directly, you instead, pass it on to another person.  Kristi recognizes her own professional indebtedness to the mentors who paid it forward with her.  Her gratitude has her paying it forward in the work relationships surrounding her.  Over the past two years, I've witnessed both her subtle and dramatic impact, enhancing and changing the professional lives of those she works with. 

One example is last year's winner of this award, Ron Siliezar.  A number of years ago, Kristi knew he was pushing the boundaries of a job that would never be enough for him, so she opened up an opportunity for Ron to develop a broader set of skills, abilities and collaborations.  From that day forward, with Kristi's continued support, Ron and his colleagues have touched just about everyone's work lives on this campus by replacing inefficient manual paperwork with automation.  What you don't know is that with Barbara's nomination of Kristi last year, both she and Ron were in competition for this same award.  They both had votes, but Kristi convinced the decision-makers that the nomination she submitted outlining Ron's achievement should prevail.  There is no finer example of true leadership that provides the shoulders on which others stand and achieve.

Both Barbara and I along with many, many others are in full agreement, and Barbara said it best when she wrote, “Kristi is an incredible colleague. She makes us all better.”

 

Carolyn D. Adams Memorial Award for Staahl Almeida, Assistant Director of Institutional Analytics and Reporting
Award Speech delivered by James Uhrich, Vice President/Chief Information Officer

It is my pleasure to present the Carolyn D. Adams Memorial award to Staahl Almeida. Staahl is our Assistant Director of Institutional Analytics and Reporting and in ITS. Unfortunately Staahl had a family trip planned for today so he is unable to be with us but I would like to take a couple minutes to share with you some of the reasons why Staahl was nominated for and won this award. First of all, I want to say that Staahl is a great team member in ITS, a wonderful colleague, a dedicated member of the Oxy community, an incredibly smart and capable programmer and a really good person. Many of you might not know Staahl because he often works behind the scenes to keep our systems running, creating programs, reports and data integrations to support our most critical operations and quietly doing an amazing job supporting the college. Staahl is the type of team member all of us want and I am so happy he is part of the ITS team and is being recognized today.

To celebrate Staahl’s work, I want to share some words submitted on his behalf as part of the nomination process for this award. Numerous colleagues from our Finance, Planning and Operations team nominated Staahl and here is what they said:

“Staahl is incredible at what he does, especially in the approach to his work. As a senior member of the ITS programming and business intelligence team, Staahl has and continues to be a stellar partner, helping workshop, resolve and develop solutions for business questions/cases that help propel our division forward. When I think of operational excellence, I think of Staahl, who's contributions in this effort have been a driving point.”

“Having Staahl as our partner has been a gift. We appreciate him so much. His acuity, his commitment, his enthusiasm for what he does, and his calm and quiet approach. He exemplifies All in For Oxy and it is an honor to nominate him for this award in Carolyn's name.”

“His partnership has allowed FPO to progress forward more quickly than would have been possible. What I also find incredible about him is that through our partnership, he's also teaching us, bringing us along, showing us what's possible, and helping us get to the finish line. He's a trusted partner, person, colleague, friend, who we value tremendously.”

“I can share that Staahl's proactive approach, combined with his willingness to share knowledge and expertise, has established him as a respected figure. His positive attitude, dedication, and expertise have not only contributed to the success of College programs and operations but have also inspired and influenced me in profound ways. Staahl's influence on my career has been motivational and rich with ideas, laying a solid foundation for success.”

“In addition to the above, I'd like to highlight Staahi's mentorship. He has taken some of our team members under his wing and has mentored them (without it being officially labeled as such). He knows that they want to learn more about programming and the underlying pinnings of our enterprise system, and he takes the time when doing the work to teach. Some team members are now mini Staalhs in the making, far more advanced in their skills than years earlier. He was never asked to take this on.”

“It's just what he does and Staahl does it with a quiet grace.”

 

L. Robert Torres Memorial Award for Jessica Ochoa, Human Resources Recruitment Administrator
Award Speech delivered by Chelsea Munoz Williams, Assistant Director of the Vantuna Research Group

This award was established to honor our beloved Robert Torres, who dedicated 15 years to Oxy as the Assistant Director of Dining Services. Robert epitomized exceptional customer service. Notably, he recognized his colleagues as customers and consistently went above and beyond to share his hospitality expertise, making everyone’s job easier, especially during event planning. Robert was a well-known and cherished figure within our community.

This year, when the call for nominations for this award was announced, one name came to mind: Jessica Ochoa.

Initially, I felt uncertain about presenting this award to Jessica because I feel I don’t work with her closely on a regular basis or know her that well. However, I realized the importance of recognizing individuals who, like Robert, significantly ease our professional lives.

I work for the Vantuna Research Group, a primarily externally-funded marine ecology lab within Oxy's Biology Department. We may sound small, but we've hired 13 new staff members through the PageUp portal in the past year alone. Jessica has played a crucial role in this process, making my job much easier. She is always positive, professional, communicative, and ready to assist with any challenge.

In preparing for this presentation, I learned even more about Jessica’s outstanding professional achievements from her colleagues in HR.

During the implementation of PageUp, Jessica assumed system administration leadership, learning the "behind the scenes" functionality and reporting methodology. She was key to creating an Oxy-friendly PageUp applicant tracking and communication tool.

Throughout the academic year, Jessica single-handedly manages student employment, providing informed and supportive services to over 1,000 students applying for student worker jobs. She patiently works with a variety of department personnel on the administration of that program, partnering with Financial Aid, Payroll and Accounts Payable and often tailoring her approach, because we all know Oxy can't do similar things the same way!

Jessica recently presented at a conference for Kuali-Build, the system Oxy uses to convert manual paper processes into automated workflows. She excels at this work, so much so that Kuali-Build is sponsoring a webinar where Jessica will be teaching the how-to's of managing projects and transforming manual processes into automated workflows and digital records to other schools and businesses.

Finally, I have learned that Jessica is transitioning from the multi-faceted role of Employment Administrator to Oxy's inaugural Employment and Compensation Manager. It is natural for her to grow her career in the direction of compensation as her familiarity with the campus jobs and community are fundamental to effectively analyze, evaluate, classify, and benchmark these positions. She is currently a contributor to, and will be responsible for, all the new systems, policies and processes resulting from the campus-wide Compensation and Classification redesign project.

Hands down, everyone in HR knows her to be a wonderful, genuine, and caring colleague and willing adventurer. And from everyone on campus, thank you, Jessica, for all that you do for Oxy!

 

L. Robert Torres Memorial Award for Sheryl Reinschmidt, Director of Financial Aid
Award Speech delivered by Maricela Martinez, Vice President of Enrollment

When I think of Robert Torres, I think of someone deeply dedicated to Occidental's students, faculty, and staff. Robert worked tirelessly behind the scenes, ensuring everything he did was perfect, never expecting to be praised or rewarded for his good work. This year's Robert L. Torres Awardee embodies all of these qualities. I am so happy to be here today to award Sheryl Reinschmidt, our Director of Financial Aid, an award in his name. 

For those of you that may not know, the Office of Financial Aid reviews thousands of financial documents, government forms, and uses complicated formulas to assess a students’ eligibility for federal, state, and institutional aid. In a single calendar year, Sheryl and her team will review documents for nearly 4,000 prospective and current students. They have to keep up with changing federal and state laws, and have to respond to thousands of phone calls and emails from students and families all while being sensitive to the heightened emotions that come with job. 

Sheryl joined us in October of '21, stepping into a challenging situation. The Office of Financial Aid was short staffed, and the first round of early decision responses was looming, just a month away. Over the past three years, Sheryl has faced numerous hurdles, from staff vacancies to increased federal reporting requirements to growing demands from current and prospective students. She has never wavered in her commitment to our students, families, and staff. 

When Sheryl arrived, the office lacked comprehensive documentation on policies and procedures. She immediately set to work, creating policy guides and documenting processes. Her efforts have not only streamlined our operations but have also enhanced our support for students. For instance, two years ago, she led a team to evaluate and create a process for how the college awards stipends and scholarships ensuring compliance with federal regulations. 

Even being short-staffed, Sheryl has taken on additional work and spent evenings and weekends to ensure we never missed a deadline, financial aid packages were completed ahead of time, emails and phone calls were returned promptly, and students and their families' concerns were heard and addressed. I received the following email from the parents of a current student who came to the Financial Aid Office for assistance. "Sheryl was extremely helpful, but beyond that, she showed kindness and compassion and understanding. We really appreciate the human perspective that Sheryl brought to the situation, and wanted to tell someone beyond her how much we value her assistance." This is one of many such emails I've received over the years. 

In Sheryl's second year at Oxy and during the busiest time of the year, as we worked to enroll next year's first-years and transfers, we were notified that Oxy would undergo a federal program review (something that typically only occurs once every 20 years) by the Department of Education. In addition to being responsive to admitted students, Sheryl had to find the time to oversee the collection of required documents and help various offices understand the regulations. This would be a herculean task under normal circumstances, let alone being short-staffed in the middle of April. In typical Sheryl fashion, she stepped up and never missed a beat. Thanks to Sheryl's hard work. The program review was expedited by the Department of Education and we passed with flying colors. 

Finally, this year, the FAFSA rollout and the subsequent delays tested Sheryl's patience and have been some of the most difficult months in her career. Almost daily, Sheryl has had to confront and adjust to new errors with the form and the pressure of sending financial aid information to admitted students as quickly as possible. Sheryl has worked day and night, answered questions from admitted students and families, was attentive and supportive to our current students, attended webinars to stay up to date on the latest FAFSA news, and greeted students and their families with a warm and welcoming smile. To quote a fellow staff member that also nominated her for this award, “Sheryl is a patient person that goes above and beyond for her staff. This year’s FAFSA has been a huge headache for everyone – staff and students alike – and she has been able to roll with the punches and guide us through it all. She is very understanding when it comes to our concerns. She really cares about us, and it’s the reason she is such a great leader.” 

I am not exaggerating when I say we would be lost without Sheryl. While much of her work happens behind the scenes, she is essential to the functioning of the College.  

Please join me in congratulating Sheryl. Her commitment to Occidental, our students, prospective students, and the entire community is inspiring. She is a proud Oxy alumna and a staff member deeply committed to the College and its mission. I feel so lucky to be working alongside her.

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