Junior Yuqi Zhou has been named UVM’s 2014 Student Employee of the Year. The award is granted as part of UVM's celebration of National Student Employment Week, a means of recognizing of the importance of student employees on a college campus.

Zhou was selected from among a pool of nominees chosen by campus employers for their enthusiasm, dedication, and initiative in the workplace. To qualify for a nomination, students must have a GPA of at least 2.0 or higher, have worked during the 2013/2014 academic year and work more than three hours per week regularly.  

Zhou serves as both assistant to the Family Business Initiative and “chief of staff” for 10 TAs in the School of Business. Zhou, says Daniel G. Van Der Vliet, director of the Vermont Family Business Initiative, is “constantly seeking out new opportunities to get involved,” adding, “I can think of no finer student employee on UVM’s campus right now.” In his letter of recommendation, Professor E. Lauck Parke of the School of Business Administration describes Zhou as a “self-starter” with “incredible drive, persistence, and determination.”  Because of her work ethic, “good humor’ and “exemplary work,” Parke says that she has ascertained nearly a “mythic reputation” in Kalkin Hall.

The award is facilitated by UVM’s Student Employment Office, which facilitates opportunities for students to gain experience in a professional setting, develop skills for the future and build a business network all alongside earning their degrees.