Tears of joy filled the room Wednesday afternoon when Office of Undergraduate Admissions officials named Emily Mabry as LSU’s Student Employee of the Year. Mabry, University Student Recreational Complex employee, is the UREC marketing team leader, the highest student position at the UREC. Tamara Jarrett, UREC director, could not attend the ceremony because of health reasons but said in a letter Mabry “embodies the vision of the student experience that was envisioned years ago … [she] had the courage to stand up to her peers and say, ‘I can do better. We can do better.'” Antonio Benjamin, outreach counselor at the Office of Admissions, said Mabry stood out from a pool of more than 5,000 student workers on campus. “Emily [Mabry] is definitely leaving her mark,” Benjamin said. “She’s really involved at UREC, as well as on campus, and she’s highly regarded here [at the UREC].” Benjamin said it was a two-month process to decide the winner. Mabry said she was surprised to receive the award. “I didn’t even know I was nominated,” Mabry said. “But I am definitely honored and overwhelmed.” Mabry said her responsibilities as marketing team leader include supervising other student employees, managing their schedules and working on individual projects for the UREC. Mary Parker, executive director at the Office of Admissions, said all the nominees were highly qualified, but Mabry’s resume and nomination letter set her apart. “It was a tight competition,” Parker said. “And we want to honor all the applicants because we can’t do the work that we do without the students who work on campus.” Since the University is a member of the Southern Association of Student Employees, Mabry will compete for the title of National Student Employee of the Year. Parker said Mabry has a good chance of winning this award. “Based on the resumé we sent to the national committee, she is absolutely going to make a good run for National Student Employee of the Year,” Parker said. Parker said a University student took home the national title in 2004. Benjamin said the national committee is currently deciding the national recipient.
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