Student Employee of the Year 2007/08
Congratulations Phuong (Lucy) Tran! Lucy has been named Student Employee of the Year for 2007/2008. Lucy works in Carlson Library.
Praise from Trina Lowery ...
“Lucy is easily the hardest working student employee I’ve known in twenty years. Every single minute of her shift through to the last fifteen minutes, Lucy is unfailingly responsible, cheerful, and quick to learn. She is the first student to master all four different jobs in the library. When she’s around, we know that she will finish all the work, do an excellent job, and then ask for more. We all breathe a happy sigh when we see Lucy come through the door. She is a delight to work with and represents perfectly the highest standard of service we strive to provide in Carlson.” (Katie Clark, Director, Science & Engineering Libraries).
“Lucy has been an invaluable asset to Carlson Library. Her cheerful demeanor and conscientious work ethic is not commonly seen and she is ready and willing to approach any task with a smile. She provided major assistance with a library project and her attention to detail and hard work attributed to the success of the project. Lucy not only is an asset to large scale projects, she shines performing everyday tasks with a strong commitment to the library and a recognition that all of the small tasks are necessary for the library to succeed, allowing her to achieve a high level of excellence as a work study student.” (Alison Bersani, Reference Assistant and Stacks Supervisor, one of Lucy’s direct supervisors.)
Lucy Tran arrived in this country in Jan 2004 and started classes at MCC a few days later. She applied to UR in spring 2005 and was accepted in the fall. She is a biochemistry major and is planning to become a pharmacist. She excelled at the PCAT and is currently in the process of deciding which pharmacy school she will be attending. Lucy is from Vietnam and is very aware that English is her second language. I believe that her concerns make her even more skilled and aware of communication issues than most people her age. She speaks and understands English very well and her written English is excellent. I still remember her handwritten job application when she was interested in in working here because it was so incredibly neat, precise and clear and her commitment to working here was obvious. I hired her in May 2006, as a circulation desk assistant, and have never regretted it.
Her strong work ethic has been apparent from the start. She has worked many opening shifts, arriving early (7:30am) and ready to work. Lucy approaches all tasks with enthusiasm and excellence. She puts herself into everything she does from the mundane to the complex. In an odd way find that students who excel at the most tedious jobs are the ones who later are very successful. her work is so accurate and efficient other staff members ask me when she is working so they can give her special projects. According to librarian, Diane Cass, “she did a terrific job of checking our holdings when I had hundreds of gift books to sort through. Her notes were most helpful as I was making decisions.”
Lucy consistently seeks to improve herself. When she needs my assistance with a library patron, (people who use the library) she pays close attention to what I do so that she can be even more effective in her interactions. If she is not sure about something, she will ask until she completely understands. I wish to make clear that these examples are not part of our expectations of student employees. They are the kind of situations that regular staff members usually handle. But Lucy goes the extra mile so that she can give our patrons the best service possible. She is so welcoming and helpful. If a library user comes to our desk with a difficult question or problem, she handles these patience and understanding. In fact I have received several unsolicited comments and compliments from patrons in regards to their contact with her. One of outr patrons sent me an e-mail about another topic, but it was Lucy that she had contact with and she included this comment, “The person in the library circulation (I do not know her name, but she is always helpful and friendly to me) caught me as I left Carlson, so I got the book and have returned it to its proper library home.” Another recent student hire commented to me during her interview, “who is that girl at the desk who always smiles and is so helpful to me?” Again it was Lucy.
Lucy was promoted to a student supervisor position last fall. Carlson Library is a three story building and the student supervisor is responsible for all library operations in the absence of full-time staff members. I always feel confident leaving work when Lucy is in charge. In this capacity Lucy also trains and supervises fellow student employees. Her many outstanding qualities make her a true role model for others.
In conclusion, I believe Lucy is a perfect candidate for this award. As noted before, Lucy has work in every area in the library. As a result she has had an effect on every staff member as well as our patrons. She will truly be missed when she graduates in May