Each year the Student Employment team opens nominations for Student Employee of the Year. With nearly 9,000 students working in thousands of roles across campus, this represents a prestigious honor to ultimately appreciate the invaluable work completed by students each day. The impact of each of these students is tremendously important and felt by the entire campus community. In addition to acknowledging these contributions on our campus, our top nominee is also passed along for consideration for Regional Student Employee of the Year as well as National Student Employee of the Year, which are programs administered by the Midwest Student Employment Association in conjunction with the National Student Employment Association.
State of Wisconsin Student Employee of the Year & UW-Madison First Place Winner-Madeline Mortell
Marketing and Admin Career Peer Wisconsin School of Business
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Major: Marketing with certificates in Digital Studies, Spanish for Business, and Dance
Graduation: May 2022
Other campus involvement: Madeline has held leadership roles in Women in Business and her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. As a member of the dance community on campus, she is a teacher with Performing Ourselves, an organization dedicated to promoting self-expression to children in Madison through dance and creative movement.
What is your favorite part of your job? In addition to working with the amazing Career Engagement team, Madeline’s favorite part of her job has been implementing Google Analytics to improve the Career Engagement Studio’s services, resources, and offerings and fulfilling the needs of each student.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your job? As the Marketing & Administrative Intern for the BBA Career Engagement Studio, Madeline has expanded her knowledge of website development, brand strategy, and promotional methods.
Madeline would like to thank her supervisors, Caitlin Quillen and Melissa Leffin, for their support and dedication to making the Career Engagement Studio a great place to work! Additionally, she extends her appreciation to the UW-Madison Student Employment team for selecting her for this award!
Hometown: Cottage Grove, WI
Major: Retailing & Consumer Behavior, Certificates in Business and Entrepreneurship
Graduation: May 2021
After graduation in May, Maddy will be moving to New York City and starting her career as an Assistant Buyer for Ross Stores Inc.
Other campus involvement: Maddy is on the board of the Student Retail Association as a Fundraising Manager. She also spent three years working for Recwell in various positions such as referee, supervisor and member services assistant. Maddy also serves as the National Retail Federation Foundation student ambassador for UW-Madison.
What is your favorite part of your job? Maddy loves working with other students and helping them feel confident, career ready and finding what they are passionate about.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your job? Maddy has learned so much about career readiness as a whole as well as that it is never too late to figure out what the best path for you is.
UW-Madison Second Place: Maddy Braun
Career Development Intern: School of Human Ecology Student Academic Affairs & Career Development Office
UW-Madison Third Place: Tea Jackson-Strong
Tutor: College of Engineering Undergraduate Learning Center
Hometown: Blaine, MN
Major: Geological Engineering and Geology/Geophysics
Graduation: May 2021
After graduation in May, Tea plans on finding a job in the environmental remediation field to work on contamination monitoring/remediation efforts.
Other campus involvement: Tea currently serves as the Vice President of the Association for Women Geoscientists and Treasurer for the Epsilon Delta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
What is your favorite part of your job? Tea loves her job at the Undergraduate Learning Center (ULC), where she tutors for the LEED Scholars Program. Her favorite part is being a mentor for the younger engineering students.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your job? Entering her sixth semester working for the ULC, Tea has learned how to effectively explain scientific concepts.
The Student Employment team would like to thank the campus partners who helped select the winners of this years’ competition:
- Chad Schultz, Division of Recreation & Wellbeing
- Anne Murphy-Lom, UW Libraries
- Kasie Strahl, Office of Student Financial Aid
- Adin Palau, Community Relations and Campus Engagement
- Gwynette Hall, McBurney Disability Resource Center
- Justin Mumford, Office of Student Financial Aid