April 28, 2014

Each year, Amarillo College recognizes National Student Employee Week by honoring an outstanding student worker who exhibits the highest standards of professionalism—the Student Employee of the Year.

This year, the honor goes to Sonya Madrigal, who both studies and works at AC’s Moore County Campus (MCC).

Nominations for Student Employee of the Year were solicited by AC’s Career and Employment Services and the nominees were judged based on criteria of reliability, quality of work, initiative, professionalism and uniqueness of contribution.

Madrigal, a computer information systems major who carries a 3.0 grade point average, has worked in the Student Support Services lab since spring of 2013. She was nominated for the award by Melissa Bates, assistant director of academic services at MCC.

“She is very dependable, punctual and professional,” Bates wrote in her nomination letter. “She is an asset for our lab … she can be assigned a task and will complete it above and beyond what is requested.”

Madrigal, who will graduate this May, is tasked with answering the phone and helping students as they visit the lab for tutoring or other services, but she does much more than that by keeping the computers up-to-date and virus-free. She has even created online forms to help connect students to the program, and she devised a “how-to” manual that documents when the computers need updates.

On Junior Day at Dumas High School, Madrigal represented the College and shared her story, encouraging students to take a good look at AC’s computer program.

As Student Employee of the Year, Madrigal receives an engraved plaque and a $100 honorarium. Additionally, her name will be added to the Student Employee of the Year plaque in the Career Center.