O’Neill student staff members are often in the O’Neill office before anyone else. They’re making sure everything is ready for a successful day for both the students and staff who enter BS 3025.
When visitors walk into the O’Neill office, their first encounter will be with Katie Boynton, Jessie Silguero, Abby Klippel, Kelsey Weaver, Ariel Mason, Adison Stone, and Libby Toweson. These are the students that help answer student questions, talk to them about O’Neill services, and schedule appointments with O’Neill advisors.
Boynton and Silguero also serve as peer advisors for students who need a drop-in advising appointment. In light of the campus changes due to COVID-19, the peer advising team has had to pivot to providing virtual appointments for their fellow students.
“It’s been an adjustment for everyone, but we want to make sure we’re still here supporting O’Neill students and staff however we can,” Silguero says. “This is a tricky time and there’s some confusion about what’s coming next. This is another way we can give back to help.”
For both Silguero and Bonyton, the campus changes also mean an unexpected ending to their final year with the O’Neill student staff. Silguero joined the team in 2018 and Boynton in 2017. Both were set to graduate in May.
“I’ve stayed with O’Neill for almost three years because of the staff and faculty,” Boynton says. “Everyone who works in O’Neill, whether it is faculty or staff, is incredibly passionate about what they do and how they can best assist students. It truly feels like you’re a part of the O’Neill family, and I cannot imagine feeling this connected to another office environment. Our students have amazing opportunities because how dedicated the staff members are, and I love being able to see these experiences happen up close. Being a part of the O’Neill family has been such a monumental experience for which I will be forever grateful.”
Boynton, Silguero, and Klippel were also part of the team that earned IUPUI’s Student Employee Team of the Year Recognition Award in 2019.
While a simple thank you doesn’t fully cover the gratitude O’Neill has for its invaluable student employees, members of the student services staff are using the 2020 Student Employee Appreciation Week as an opportunity to express their thanks to our student staff.
