National Student Employment Week (NSEW)

“Gaeun consistently demonstrates excellence in every aspect of her work. She took the lead in developing and implementing our Commuter Learning Community programming, thoughtfully designing curriculum and facilitating weekly sessions that created meaningful connections for commuter and transfer students. What stands out most is her ability to understand what students need and turn that into engaging, welcoming experiences where they feel seen and supported.”

– Nehemiah Chung, Director, Student Transitions & Engagement & Commuter Student Advocacy

“Gaeun’s dedication to service is outstanding. She consistently approaches her role with thoughtfulness and a proactive attitude, always ready to meet the needs of both students and staff. Personally, I have found her to be an invaluable student employee, particularly when I first joined the team. Her readiness to lend a hand, offer guidance, and provide support demonstrates her extraordinary character and professionalism.”

– Anisa Arvizu, Graduate Assistant, Commuter and Off-Campus Life

“The CLC program launched in the fall of 2024 as pilot program and Gaeun stepped into the role as both a Student Coordinator and CLC Commuter Mentor. CLC is an 7-8 week peer mentoring program that pairs new first-year and transfer students with upper-class commuter undergraduates during their first semester at UIC. After a successful academic year, we decided to expand the program this 2025-2026 academic year with Gaeun as the sole student coordinator. Since the launch the CLC program has been vastly expanded as well as grown in engagement, which would not have been possible without Gaeun’s leadership. She has been a key player in recruitment, hiring, training, and supervision of up to 8 new Commuter Mentors throughout this year.”

–  Crystal Vazquez, Associate Director, Commuter and Off-Campus Life

“What stands out most about Gaeun is her genuine passion for helping others and her commitment to growth. Whether through her leadership in COCL or her technical contributions in research and industry, she consistently brings thoughtfulness, creativity, and purpose to everything she does. Her ability to balance multiple roles while maintaining such a high level of excellence speaks volumes about her character and work ethic. Gaeun is truly deserving of this nomination, and I strongly believe she represents the very best of student leadership, service, and innovation.”

– Kaitlyn Crisantos, Graduate Assistant, Commuter and Off-Campus Life

Gaeun Lee

Student Coordinator, Commuter and Off-Campus Life

Research Assistant, Learning + Interest + Technology Lab (LIT Lab)

“From my very first day as a student assistant at the UIC Alumni Association, Gina set a tone of intentional mentorship that I have rarely encountered in a professional setting. Rather than simply assigning tasks, she took the time to explain the “why” behind each responsibility, helping me understand how my contributions fit into the larger mission of alumni engagement and volunteer operations.

Gina consistently created space for my learning to extend beyond the immediate scope of my role. She introduced me to the inner workings of alumni relations, team of our alumni board members, and volunteer coordination domains I had not previously had access to as a psychology student. Her investment in my growth was deliberate and sustained: she checked in on how I was applying what I had learned, guided me through unfamiliar processes, and always made time to answer questions with patience and depth.

One of the most significant areas of development I experienced under Gina’s supervision was networking. Working at her side gave me an invaluable front-row seat to how meaningful professional relationships are built and maintained, with alumni, campus partners, and community stakeholders alike. I observed and participated in interactions that taught me how to represent an institution with warmth, confidence, and purpose. Second would be working with data, understanding it, how to locate the data in TED, and how to analyze the data to its best possible way.

She also supported my contributions to tangible projects — including the Alumni Among Us internal alumni engagement proposal and promotional video content for UICAA’s Giving Day campaign, both of which pushed me to apply creative, strategic, and communication skills I had not previously exercised in a professional context. These experiences gave me a portfolio of real work I am proud of, and confidence I will carry into my career.”

– Ratn Priya, Student Employee

Gina Ragland

Assistant Director, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Advancement