Undergraduate Earns 'Student Employee of the Year' Awards

Tia Neely, a junior majoring in brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester, has been selected as student employee of the year on campus and also has won the New York state competition. The awards mark the celebration of National Student Employment Week April 7 to 13.

Neely, a resident of Tigard, Ore., is a research assistant at Golisano Children's Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Under the direction of Dr. Jill Halterman and study coordinator Kelly Conn, Neely conducts pediatric asthma research in cooperation with the Rochester City School District. She works with Rochester school nurses and makes home visits to talk with parents and to check on whether children take preventive medications regularly. Besides these hands-on assignments, Neely creates and maintains research databases, and works on secretarial tasks.

Beyond her part-time job, Neely is active on campus as an executive member of the Campus Activities Board and is co-chair of Dandelion Day, which is the University's celebration of spring and the end of the academic year.

The campuswide competition to designate the best student employee is organized by Student Employment at the Career Center. Based on the recommendation of her employer, Neely was selected as the top student employee at Rochester, and then was picked as the best among 30 other college finalists in New York state. Student Employee of the Year programs are sponsored by the National Student Employment Association.