The respect that Western Nevada College student Ryan Johnson has earned for his reliable and quality work for Continuing Education during the past 18 months has made him, to say the least, an indispensable employee.

Ryans commitment to quality is perhaps is best summed up by the question I have asked him over and over since this year began: Are you SURE you cant stay another year? said Lauren Slemenda, Western Nevada Colleges coordinator for Continuing Education.

For his dedicated and outstanding service as an assistant to the Continuing Education program, Johnson has been selected as WNCs 2019-20 Student Employee of the Year.

Ryan is uniquely reliable, Slemenda said. He arrives to work on time or early for every scheduled shift, having missed no shifts in his year and a half of service, and completes every task thats assigned to him, without the need of reminders. He is consistent in his commitment to quality customer service, trustworthy to a fault, always prepared, manages his commitments effectively and communicates thoroughly.

Johnson was among 14 student employees nominated for the award and will receive a WNC Student Leadership Scholarship.

This award means so much to me in the sense of the community, Johnson said. Without the amazing people I met through working at the college, I wouldnt have gotten to be friends with all of them! Not to mention how safe and loved I feel from the peoplewho respond with the same amount of energy that I have!

Student employees play key roles on Western Nevada College campuses, dedicating themselves to helping students and visitors.

The quality of Ryans work is most evident in his enthusiastic customer service, Slemenda said. As a department that relies exclusively on student enrollments for our funding, it is important that every customer who calls or stops by is greeted with a positive attitude, feels confident in the competence of our employees and knows that their business is a priority for us. Ryan has a true talent for customer service and refined his skills over the past year and a half to become someone our students rely on and appreciate for his positivity and helpfulness.

Johnson was the first Continuing Education assistant hired since the department was revamped and has made indispensable contributions to the programs growth over the past two years.

He has had to be incredibly patient with almost constant changes and has served as a role model for new student employees, putting countless hours into training and preparing them to do the job as effective as he does, Slemenda said. Without him, I can confidently say that this department would not be where it is today.

Being part of the Continuing Education team has allowed Johnson to develop his skills and prove his dedication to the college.

Working in Continuing Education has meant the world to me, Johnson said. Aside from having such an understanding, caring and amazing boss, I had my work cut out forme since we were the only two running it at the time. However, this gave me plenty of chances to prove how much of a hard worker I was and enjoy working at the college all at once.

In addition to Johnson, the following students werenominated for the 2019-20 WNC Student Employee of the Year. Congratulations to all of them:

• Angela Mitchell, Nursing & Allied Health
• Aurora De La Torre, Latino Outreach
• Daniel Ledezma, Controllers Office
• Desirae Blunt-Lamkey, Fallon campus
• Evelin Ortega Quintero, Counseling Services
• Giselle Andrade, Information Marketing Services
• Guadalupe DeSantiago, Dini Library
• Juan Carrillo, Facilities
• Kayla Villegas, Financial Aid
• Lesly Sanchez, Financial Aid
• Lily Barajas-Rodriguez, Digital Campus Tech
• Lorena Jimenez, Admissions & Records
• Marisol Lopez, Financial Aid