President's Student Employee of the Year Award
The President's Student Employee of the Year Award is given annually to an outstanding student employee who has made a positive impact on the University and has demonstrated an exceptional quality of work and commitment to the University’s purpose and core values.
On 10/20/2026, the President and the awards committee will begin accepting nominations for the 2027 University of Texas at Austin President's Student Employee of the Year Award. Nominations will close on 11/11/2026.
The winner receives a certificate and an award of $1,000, sponsored by the Office of the President. The UT Austin winner is entered in the national competition sponsored by the National Student Employment Association (NSEA).
In addition, ten nominees are chosen as finalists and will receive an award of $250, sponsored by Career Success.
Who is Eligible for Nomination?
Only students employed in hourly-paid non-academic and academic student jobs as well as Resident Assistants are eligible for this award. The Graduate School oversees awards for salaried Graduate Academic student employees.
Additionally, only student employees who are assigned to work approximately 240 hours between June 1, 2026 and May 31, 2027 are eligible for nomination.
Nomination Guidelines
Any staff or faculty member can nominate an eligible student employee for an award.
To nominate a student employee, submit the online nomination form (UT EID required) by 11/11/2026. To be accepted, all nominations must be submitted online no later than 11:59 p.m. on that date. The nomination form consists of open-ended questions.
Award recipients are selected based on the quality of the nomination, and not on the quantity of nominations they receive. Nominations selected for an award will provide specific details about the student nominee and address how they have exceeded expectations and demonstrated an exceptional quality of work. The most competitive nominations address all areas below and have examples and/or answers to the prompt questions to showcase the student’s outstanding work.
The open-ended questions on the nomination form are:
- Quality of Work. Consider the following questions and characteristics as you describe the work your student employee performs for your office:
- How do they employ critical thinking skills to analyze and resolve difficult problems?
- How do they demonstrate a good attention to detail and balance responsibilities effectively?
- In what ways do they act ethically with integrity and honesty? How have they demonstrated a commitment to the university’s core purpose and values?
- In what ways have they demonstrated initiative, worked independently, and/or taken on challenging assignments?
- In what ways have they exceeded expectations and demonstrated exceptional performance?
(0-2500 character limit) - Effective Communication. Consider the following questions as you describe your student employee’s communication skills with other student employees, staff members, and office leadership:
- How well do they communicate verbally and in writing?
- In what ways do they positively represent your office through both their words and actions?
- How do they provide excellent customer service to your office’s stakeholders?
(0-2500 character limit) - Impact. Consider the following question as you describe the impact of your student employee’s work:
- What has been the outcome of their work product within your office, CSU, and/or across the University?
- In what ways has their work positively benefitted the Longhorn community?
(0-2500 character limit)
The Student Employee of the Year and finalists will be notified in March. They will be formally recognized in April as a part of National Student Employee Appreciation Week!
Online Nomination Failure: Please note that the online nomination form is time-limited. To avoid potentially timing out before submitting your nomination, you may want to draft your nomination text into a text editor such as Word and copy/paste it into the online form.
2026 President’s Student Employee of the Year Award Winner
Sahithi Alla exemplifies excellence in student employment at The University of Texas at Austin. As a student associate with the Employee Development and Engagement team in University Housing and Dining, she played a key role in supporting large‑scale training, recognition, and engagement initiatives that positively impacted hundreds of staff members across campus.
Sahithi demonstrated exceptional critical thinking, attention to detail, and initiative in managing the growth of UHD’s Star to Star peer recognition program, which has supported more than 4,200 recognitions since its launch. Her leadership was especially evident through her work on the Golden Horns staff awards, where she carefully processed hundreds of nominations to ensure accurate and meaningful recognition.
Widely admired for her calm, compassionate leadership and strong communication skills, Sahithi collaborates confidently with peers, professional staff, and senior leaders. Her work has strengthened programs, empowered colleagues, and fostered a culture of recognition and engagement - making her a deserving recipient of the President’s Student Employee of the Year Award.