Student Employee of the Year recognized for outstanding achievement

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Maddi Dayton
Jaren Oldroyd (third from right) is chosen as 2017 Student Employee of the Year for his excellent work as a senior student supervisor in the BYU Security Office. (Maddi Driggs)

A student employee is recognized every year during BYU’s Student Appreciation Week. This year, Jaren Oldroyd not only won Student Employee of the Year for BYU but also won regional and state Student Employee of the Year.

Physiological developmental biology student Oldroyd has been the security office senior student supervisor for the BYU police station for the past two and a half years. He said he was surprised to be elected, and he wasn’t aware of the award previously. He also said he was humbled people had so many nice things to say about him.

Oldroyd created a security system for BYU and made ten different templates for each area of the system. Oldroyd talked with student employees about what they would like in the program to help the security officers work more efficiently. He also stepped in to work Friday and Saturday shifts for an officer who has been away from work the past three months.

“I just like my job a lot, and I like the people I work with. And my supervisor is awesome, so it makes it easy to come to work every day,” Oldroyd said. “I think the combination of all of that makes it so easy for me to help improve the job.”

He said he is excited to see what happens in the future. Oldroyd also won the regional award for Student Employee of the Year, which is the first time a BYU student has won the regional award.

Sgt. Russ Fuller nominated Oldroyd and said he is trustworthy in all that he does.

“One of his characteristics that I appreciate most is his ability to be a facilitator — someone who helps make something happen,” Fuller said. “Jaren sees a problem and works to find a solution.”

BYU has 15,000 to 16,000 student employees.

All the departments on the BYU campus nominate a student employee for the award each year. The awardee must be a current BYU student employee and have completed at least six months part-time or three months full-time employment in order to be nominated. Afterwards, the student employee committee selects one winner to be nominated for state competition.

Assistant Administrative Vice President for Human Resource Services Brad Taylor presented the school award to Oldroyd. Taylor said the BYU campus is not able to run without student employees.

“Jaren is in a highly responsible position, and the kind of leadership that he has brought to the position, along with the innovation, and creativity and drive to make the program and the department better have really stood out,” Taylor said.

Taylor presented Oldroyd with a BYU blanket embroidered with his name, the official student employee of the year plaque, the nomination letter and a gift card to the BYU Store. Oldroyd was also given the state Employee of the Year award plaque and the regional Student Employee of the Year award plaque.

Student Employment Manager Jenifer Jarvis said the process to nominate a student is pretty extensive.

“I think it is great that we have a student appreciation week, and there are lots of things going on this week, but to have this award program, it is an honor,” Jarvis said.

Oldroyd is also one of four students who is in the running for the national Student Employee of the Year award, which will be announced on April 9.

Joellen Sturgeon, student employment manager for Pepperdine University, is the president for the Western Association of Student Employment Administrators. Sturgeon presented Oldroyd with the Student Employee of the Year award for the Western Region.

“Jaren’s application this year really stood out,” Sturgeon said. “His job requires a unique experience, and the work he is doing will live long on campus after he graduated and moves on.”

Sturgeon has been involved with student employment for nine years and has worked with electing the regional student for the past three years. She chooses one student from 13 states in the Western region to win the regional award.

Oldroyd’s mom, Michelle Oldroyd, said her son’s nomination made her proud.

“He has always been a hard worker and dedicated to what he does no matter if it was Scouts or work or school,” Michelle said. “I am not surprised that he got this.”

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