Staff Stars

January 2026 Staff Stars

Winners: Angele Traore, Brad Young, Fauna Whitman, Savannah McCandless, Thomas Youngberg

• *Angele Traore, Program Associate II - PACE Scholarship
  Angele is amazing to work with she works hard and has fun. Angele builds connections with students and the PACE staff as well. Angele is innovative with ideas and finds ways to put feedback into action. I enjoy working with Angele because she makes me feel like I am a part of the team.
• *Brad Young, Advisor SAT - Enrollment Services
  Brad truly shines at West Point Campus. His dedication, guidance, and positive presence help students find their direction. He takes time to listen and understand each student. Brad is the north star students rely on for support. He collaborates with colleagues and helps when needed. His positive influence is felt across the West Point Campus.
• Brandley Perez, Desktop Support Technician - Information Tech
  Brandley is exceptional! Any weird request (like one of our desktops is smoking so yeah...), issue, overall IT problem he is on it. He is professional and prompt. Thank you for helping all of us tech challenged individuals!
• Cameron Bandola, Specialist I - Food Services
  Cameron consistently ensures customers are satisfied with their food orders. Customers compliment the meals he prepares. He is innovative and creates specials that customers enjoy. He takes initiative to deep clean in the kitchen. Cameron is truly an asset, and we are grateful to have him on our team.
• Dallen Fischbeck, Custodian - Facilities Services
  Dallen consistently brings a positive attitude to his work. He greets everyone with a smile and kind words, creating a welcoming environment for those around him. He is always willing to go above and beyond his regular responsibilities, especially when tackling special cleaning assignments. His dedication and reliability make him an asset to the college.
• Scott Kennard, Custodian III - Facilities Services
  He's always happy to do even weird jobs like cleaning staircases and generally great person to be around.
• Elizabeth Scholes, Librarian - Library Services
  Elizabeth is an admirable leader in the library. Upon her return she immediately jumped into action resolving scheduling updates, integrating new technology into our processes, and supporting our students by creating process flow charts for our Library's TDX Implementation. This hard work is appreciated!
• Employee Wellness Program Associates (Bronwyn Deforest, Kadee Worley, Kevin Nguyen, Lyndsey Wilcken, Teylor Soto)
  The Employee Wellness Team makes SLCC a better place to work. They care about people, offer resources, workshops, and opportunities They go above and beyond, taking care of the college to reduce burnout, strengthening morale building a stronger campus. Their dedication makes SLCC a healthier, positive place for employees to thrive.
• *Fauna Whitman, Medical Assistant - Health Center
  Fauna has been the point person for our department's transition from Medicat Legacy to Medicat 1, in addition to doing her own work as a Medical Assistant. She is always willing to help answer questions, and if she doesn't know the answer, she will find out and get back to you with it. We couldn't do it without her!!!
• Jamie Dwyer, Librarian - Library Services
  Jamie has taken on a significant organizing role within the library to help us meet our objectives while also supporting colleagues in their own professional growth. Among other things, she has supported the effective acquisition of important library materials while also identifying ways to build team cohesion and collaboration opportunities.
• Jordan Johnson, Specialist - Facilities Sign Shop
  Jordan is an exceptional employee, but I am writing because of the kind of person he chooses to be when no one is watching. He mentors two students working part time in his dept with trust, genuine connection, and a belief in their potential. He motivated these young people and transformed them. Jordan reminds us of what leadership looks like.
• Lisa Molina, Coordinator - Student Support Services
  Lisa is incredibly thoughtful and considerate. She is always willing to support her colleagues, offering her ideas, time and expertise to help them succeed. She proactively checks in with our team and helps everyone feels included and valued. Her positivity and thoughtfulness make her a huge asset to our department.
• Mel Larson, Coordinator - Institutional Marketing
  Mel consistently goes above and beyond to support our team and help us serve the SLCC community. Mel's creative ideas improve our initiatives and create a positive, collaborative environment. Her dedication and passion truly make SLCC a better place for everyone.
• Mike Deluca, Coordinator - Information Tech
  Mike helped me sort out my video issues on Zoom. Stayed at the STPS School Admin meeting because my laptop would not allow me to run it as a Host and helped the event run smoothly. He is kind and easy to work with. Very knowledgeable and I appreciate his help with any event I've set up.
• Miriam Caine, Specialist - Student Center Office
  Miriam is a reliable and dependable person. She is supportive of all of us in the Jordan Student Building by helping on events, scheduling. She supports and guides students with kindness and efficiency. Miriam uses all her professional experience to build a warm community around each of us at the Jordan Campus. Thank you, Miriam!
• Naseer Ahamad, Internal Custom Solutions - Information Technology
  Naseer is consistently supportive, professional, and responsive. He is excellent at bridging the language gap by asking questions to understand needs and explain concepts in an approachable way. He provides updates, is friendly, and addresses requests. I am very grateful to work with Naseer. He's a fantastic example of collaboration and service.
• *Savannah McCandless, Specialist II - Student Services Offsite
  Savannah demonstrates exceptional work ethic. Her dedication, reliability and kindness make her an invaluable member of our team. With her work hours she is often the point of contact for many individuals and is always willing to help. Savannah's excellence, proactive approach, and dedication make her deserve this recognition. She exemplifies the qualities of a Staff Star, and we are proud to have her as a member of our team.
• *Thomas Youngberg, Journey Carpenter - Facilities Services
  Thomas was assigned to repair a whiteboard that had broken at the library. He did an amazing job diagnosing the problem, obtaining the right parts and completing the repair in a timely manner. We are grateful to folks like Thomas who go above and beyond!
• Tim Millar, Help Desk Support Technician - Information Tech
  Tim is an amazing co-worker who works hard to make sure things run smoothly for the help desk. He not only manages to tackle both big and small projects, but he also does it with a sense of humor! I couldn't imagine the help desk without him! Thank you for all you do!
• Trinadee Stone, Student Services
  Trinadee is a positive welcoming presence to WestPoint. She is friendly and personable to faculty, staff, students, and visitors. She goes out of her way to ensure everyone feels welcome and to find answers to any questions she is asked. Trinadee loves her job and is highly deserving of the Staff Star Award. Thank you for everything you do to support SLCC.