student employee appreciation - University of Houston
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University student employees gain real-life work experience

University of Houston students learn and live through numerous experiences during their time in college, with some – student employees – opting to take it a step further by supplementing their university life with real-life work experience.

Sophomore Grace Lockett’s goal is to graduate debt-free, so she sought employment to aid in that effort. Lockett has been a customer service representative at the Cougar Card offices for the past 2 years. The experience has paid dividends for Lockett, who has learned to strengthen her communication and problem-solving skills. It has also allowed her to be creative and develop new ways to connect with the students at UH.

Like the other 120 students who work in the Administration and Finance Division and for Divisional Business partners, Locket fills a vital support role while obtaining resume-building experiences by working on campus.

The second week of April is recognized as National Student Employment Week, an important time to recognize and highlight the contributions student employees have made to the success of the A&F divisional departments, programs, and services.

“One of the benefits for the students is they get that real-life experience,” said the director of Cougar Card, Rosie Ashley. “Working on campus within the Office of Administration gives them that real-life experience of what to expect after they graduate.”

Read the full student work experience.

student numbers

Student Profiles

 

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Grace Lockett

Classification: Junior
Major: Computer Information Systems
Employing Department: Cougar Card Services

How long have you been a student employee: 2 years 

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? Being a student employee has given me the opportunity to strengthen my communication and problem-solving skills. It has also allowed me to be creative and develop new ways to connect with the students at UH. 

What are the benefits of working on campus? It is convenient and they always work with your class schedule and exams. It also makes you feel more like a part of campus life. 

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Khloe Williams

Classification: Freshman
Major: Fitness and Sports B.S.
Employing Department: Cougar Card Office
How long have you been a student employee: 9 months

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
As a student worker, I have improved my communication skills, learned new technology and the importance of teamwork.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Working on campus has many benefits. It gives me the opportunity to learn about events taking place on campus, flexibility to have time for studying and gain experience for my resume while being close to student life.

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Cristian Romero

Classification: Senior
Major: Technology Leadership and Innovation Management
Employing Department: Environmental Health and Safety
How long have you been a student employee: A year and a half

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
I have had many opportunities to practice working as part of a team. I have had the opportunity to take multiple safety training courses, learned much about workplace organization and safety, strengthened my documentation skills, and been able to observe good organizational management structure firsthand.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Working on campus has given me a much greater understanding of the campus layout and the types of services UH offers. It has increased my sense of belonging to the university and allows me to conveniently balance my work and my college life. Also, the staff I have worked with has been made of amazing and understanding people who have been just as invested in my learning opportunities as I have.

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Paytrion Hunt-Murphy

Classification: Freshman
Employing Department: Cougar Card Office
How long have you been a student employee: 1 month

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
Some resume-building experiences I have achieved are learning how to effectively work as a team in a professional setting, and learning how to effectively communicate with all types of customers regardless of difficulty.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Personally, one of the best benefits of working on campus are that it’s in close proximity to the freshman dorms. Professionally, the benefits of working in the Cougar Card office is the close-knit staff, interaction with a variety of different people, and the flexibility of the schedule.

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Zahabiya Khandwawala

ClassificationJunior
Major: Biotechnology
Employing Department: Cougar Card Office
How long have you been a student employee: 7 months

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
I have been able to improve my customer service skills and show that I am able to problem solve during stressful situations.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
One benefit is having my hours scheduled around my classes and exams. I also live on campus, so it is very easy for me to commute to work. Finally, enjoy feeling like I am involved in the university, printing the cougar cards every day for student and faculty members.

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René Carrasco

ClassificationSenior
Major: Business, Digital Marketing
Employing Department: Equal Opportunity Services
How long have you been a student employee: 6 weeks

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 

First-hand, real-world experience working in the field in which I plan to build my career which is Digital Accessibility.

I’ve completed multiple training courses and received certification in specialized areas such as Sate of Texas Accessibility Guidelines, Digital Accessibility Best Practices, and Digital Accessibility Forms and Documentation.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 

The convenience of being able to switch seamlessly from class or study time, over to work. There is no need to commute any further or navigate a different campus. I spend more time doing the things that I want to do because my work and my studies are in one place.

The peace of mind that I gain from knowing that I’m working for a reputable university system with equitable policies in place, a welcoming and positive work culture, and access to all of the latest tools and technologies for work.

Knowing that the work we are doing is making a difference in my own education, as well as in the education of many other students and employees who depend on digital accessibility.

And everyone on campus loves my guide dog!

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Joel Ramirez

Classification: Senior 
Major: Construction Management
Employing Department: Facilities – Project Planning
How long have you been a student employee: 8 months

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
I’ve utilized my knowledge of project development from class and had hands on experience creating scope of work documents and preliminary estimates. I’ve also been able to work with many different people since I’m a member of a multi-disciplinary team.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Working on campus has made my school year a success because of my job’s flexibility with my class schedule.

Dhanush Raghupathy

Dhanush Raghupathy

ClassificationGraduate Student
Major: Accounting   
Employing Department: Administration & Finance
How long have you been a student employee: 6 months

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
Some of the resume building experiences I've achieved are teamwork, communication, and technical skills.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Working under FPC I'm getting relevant experience, Flexible schedule, and financial assistance.

Rhozalin Nath

Rhozalin Nath

Classification: Sophomore
Major: Computer Information Systems
Employing Department: Administration and Finance
How long have you been a student employee: 1 year

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
I have gained leadership and management skills while working as a student ambassador in the Administration and Finance Department. I have learnt how to work in an office and collaborate with different departments such as Parking and Transportation. Working in tabling events has helped me build my customer service and communication skills and working on projects assigned by my supervisor has helped me build my time management skills.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Working on campus has made me more connected with the University of Houston and given me a broader knowledge of all the resources available. It is also a great way to help students learn how to work in teams and build necessary soft and hard skills that will help them in the future.

Don Johnson

Don Williams Johnson

Classification: Graduate Student
Major: Electrical Engineering  
Employing Department: Administration and Finance
How long have you been a student employee: 8 months

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
As a student ambassador, I demonstrate the ability to manage my time effectively and efficiently by balancing my coursework and job responsibilities. I also demonstrate reliability and work ethic to potential employers by completing assigned tasks and meeting deadlines.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Working on campus provides opportunities to build relationships with faculty, staff, and other students. This can lead to valuable connections and potential career opportunities in the future. Working on campus provides a way to earn an income while pursuing my education, which can help reduce financial stress and debt.

Tyrese Franklin

Tyrese Franklin

Classification: Senior
Major: Electrical Engineering  
Employing Department: Art, B.A. with a minor in Marketing
How long have you been a student employee: 3 years

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
Being a student employee has enabled me to enhance my Graphic Design portfolio through various means, such as creating departmental magazines, designing signage, and producing event graphics. Additionally, I have developed my project management skills by meeting deadlines and collaborating with other team members.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Working on campus is convenient, flexible, and provides opportunities for skill development and networking. I’ve also gained insight into the inner workings of the University by working in the Facilities/Construction department.

Nida Shami

Nida Shami

Classification: Senior
Major: accounting  
Employing Department: Accounting and Finance
How long have you been a student employee: 2 years

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
Leadership skills that have allowed me to also communicate well with my peers .

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
You get to explore the campus and see the inside of it very clearly. You get to experience it very interestingly.

Miguel Carrion

Miguel Carrion

Classification: Junior
Major: Architecture  
Employing Department: Facilities - Design
How long have you been a student employee: 1 years

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
Working with the design team, I have been able to sit in meetings and gotten to know contractors, furniture vendors, and clients and see how every team fits into the bigger picture to complete a project on campus.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Working on campus allows for flexible schedules since we are students first, we also get a glimpse of what happens around UH from a different perspective that we may be used to.

Khizer Ali

Khizer Ali

Classification: Junior
Major: Electrical Engineering  
Employing Department: Computer Information Systems
How long have you been a student employee: 6 moths

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
I have learned a great deal of HTML and CSS as I have been working on Facilities PMWeb webpage. I have also gotten a basic overall understanding of PMWeb.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Time management. Working on campus and going to your classes is much easier.

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Shayam Reddy Kotha

Classification: Graduate Student
Major: MS in Engineering Data Science
Employing Department: Administration and Finance
How long have you been a student employee: 8 months

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
Volunteering, Communication, and Office Management are important in every field which we intend to work for. Bridging the communication gap between various departments and students has made me understand the importance of communicating things. 

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Many students in University aren’t aware of many services provided by various departments. I got the opportunity to represent several departments of UH and interact with the students to help them with getting information of services provided by on campus. 

Lorraine Sandoval Morales

Lorraine Sandoval Morales

Classification: Senior
Major: Pre-Nursing  
Employing Department: Copy, Print and Delivery Services
How long have you been a student employee: 6 months

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
While a student employee, I improved my communication and computer skills, which are great skills for my resume.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
The Opportunity to have a a flexible schedule. Also being able to come to work after class creates a great work-life balance.

Kristen Crowson

 

 

 

Kristen Crowson

Classification: Senior
Major: Architecture  
Employing Department: Copy, Print and Delivery Services
How long have you been a student employee: 6 months

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
Graphic design experience
Worker client relationships
     - e-mailing clients and helping resolve problems or issues with their order.

In office work experience
    - Working in an office with others, asking questions and leaving my comfort zone.

Organizational Skills
    - organizing jobs both physically and digitally to allow finding things to be found with ease by the whole office.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Working on campus provides less wasted time in commute since it’s just a short walk from my college and dorm. I get to interact with people on campus more often. My campus job is flexible with my ever-changing schedule which I appreciate a lot.

Anthony Polka

Anthony Polka

Classification: Junior
Major: Computer Science  
Employing Department: Copy, Print and Delivery Services
How long have you been a student employee: 2 years

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
Customer service, completing deadline and office relations

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
Working on campus is the perfect work/life balance. I live pretty far off campus, so the flexibility of my job helps with my studies.

Tyrese Franklin

Evan McGhee

Classification: Junior
Major: Media publication and sports  
Employing Department: Copy, Print and Delivery Services
How long have you been a student employee: 4.5 months

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 
I was able to gain and achieve some resume building opportunities like Customer Service, effective communication skills and workplace relationships.

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
I have gained many contacts on campus. The flexibility of the job helps with maintaining a balance with my studies.

Tyrese Franklin

 

 

Terese Terriquez

Classification: Sophomore
Major: Math  
Employing Department: Copy, Print and Delivery Services
How long have you been a student employee: 6 months

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 

  • Communication Skills
  • Problem-Solving Skills
  • Bilingual: I can help those who can’t speak English
  • Technology Skills
  • Customer Service Skills

What are the benefits of working on campus? 
This job makes it quicker to get to and from work. My family can find me much easier. There are a lot of good places to eat before or after work.

Tyrese Franklin

 

Dennis Lopez

Classification: Sophomore
Major: Architecture  
Employing Department: Copy, Print and Delivery Services
How long have you been a student employee: 5 years

What are some resume-building experiences achieved while being a student employee? 

  • Problem Solving physically and technically.
  • Working with paper
  • Working with people

What are the benefits of working on campus? 

  • The flexible schedule
  • The comfortable atmosphere