Our annual celebration recognizing outstanding employees who have gone above and beyond in their dedication and service to the Cal State LA University-Student Union community
Excellence at the U-SU is rarely loud; it looks like a student worker who stays an extra fifteen minutes to greet the last visitor of the day, an operations assistant diligently working, a designer who quietly reworks a flyer until it sings, a manager who knows every team member's name and major. The U-Awards celebrations exist so that the whole community can see the brilliance we experience every day.
Dr. Megan Bell
Executive Director, U-SU
Fourteen members of the U-SU team, both students and full-time staff, nominated by their colleagues and selected by committee to be recognized for outstanding work, embodying our values, and building the culture that makes Cal State LA feel like home.
One from each U-SU department, nominated by their teams.
Graffix
Maya redesigned the U-SU’s entire event-poster system this year, cutting turnaround time in half while raising the visual bar across every department. Her calm leadership in the studio is the reason newer designers feel safe to take creative risks.
Cross Cultural Centers
Jordan led Heritage Showcase from a quiet studio session into a 400-person sold-out event in the LA Room. Beyond the numbers, every PASRC student who walked in left feeling seen — and that is the harder, more important win.
Center for Student Involvement
Priya rebuilt the club registration flow from the ground up, onboarded 38 new student orgs, and somehow made paperwork feel like hospitality. She is the reason CSI is the friendliest desk on campus.
Operations
Marcus handles 200+ room reservations a month with a level of care most companies could only dream of. When the boardroom A/V went down 20 minutes before a senate meeting, he had a backup running before anyone noticed.
Recreation
Sofia turned the Game Room from a quiet study spot into the most-loved hangout on the third floor. Her tournaments brought in students who had never set foot in the U-SU before — and many of them now work for us.
Admin
Aaron keeps the Executive Office running with a quiet competence that makes everyone else’s job possible. He notices what others miss — and the U-SU is steadier because of it.
One student for each of our six core values.
U-SU Values Award · Accountability
Daniela owns the night shift. When something goes wrong on a Tuesday at 9:47 PM, she is the one who finds the right person, files the right ticket, and stays until it is fixed. Accountability lives at her front desk.
U-SU Values Award · Integrity
Elijah said the hard thing this year, more than once, when it would have been easier to stay quiet. He held his peers to a standard, and they thanked him for it. That is integrity in practice.
U-SU Values Award · Innovation
Kyle proposed and shipped our first motion-design system, then taught the rest of the studio how to use it. The work he did this year will outlive his time here — the highest bar for innovation.
U-SU Values Award · Community
Asaya creates rooms where people actually exhale. Whether it is GSRC drop-in hours or the Cultural Grads ceremony, she sees who is on the edge of the conversation and pulls them in. That is community work.
U-SU Values Award · Fun
Devon turned a Friday-afternoon shift into something students plan their week around. His tournaments, themed nights, and unrepentant trash talk are the reason the third floor sounds like a real college.
U-SU Values Award · Connection
Savana remembers the names. She remembers the majors. She remembers what someone said three weeks ago and asks how it is going. The trust she builds is the reason students keep coming back.
Two full-time staff members who embody every U-SU value, every day.
Center for Student Involvement
Renee mentors the people who mentor our students. The leadership pipeline she has built across CSI — from peer educators to professional staff — is one of the most important pieces of work happening at the U-SU, and most of it is invisible until it isn’t.
Operations
James has spent twelve years making sure the lights, the rooms, and the people who run them are ready for whatever campus throws at us. When students say "the U-SU just works," they are describing James’s work without knowing it.
One from each U-SU department, nominated by their teams.
Graffix
Maya redesigned the U-SU’s entire event-poster system this year, cutting turnaround time in half while raising the visual bar across every department. Her calm leadership in the studio is the reason newer designers feel safe to take creative risks.
Cross Cultural Centers
Jordan led Heritage Showcase from a quiet studio session into a 400-person sold-out event in the LA Room. Beyond the numbers, every PASRC student who walked in left feeling seen — and that is the harder, more important win.
Center for Student Involvement
Priya rebuilt the club registration flow from the ground up, onboarded 38 new student orgs, and somehow made paperwork feel like hospitality. She is the reason CSI is the friendliest desk on campus.
Operations
Marcus handles 200+ room reservations a month with a level of care most companies could only dream of. When the boardroom A/V went down 20 minutes before a senate meeting, he had a backup running before anyone noticed.
Recreation
Sofia turned the Game Room from a quiet study spot into the most-loved hangout on the third floor. Her tournaments brought in students who had never set foot in the U-SU before — and many of them now work for us.
Admin
Aaron keeps the Executive Office running with a quiet competence that makes everyone else’s job possible. He notices what others miss — and the U-SU is steadier because of it.
One student for each of our six core values.
U-SU Values Award · Accountability
Daniela owns the night shift. When something goes wrong on a Tuesday at 9:47 PM, she is the one who finds the right person, files the right ticket, and stays until it is fixed. Accountability lives at her front desk.
U-SU Values Award · Integrity
Elijah said the hard thing this year, more than once, when it would have been easier to stay quiet. He held his peers to a standard, and they thanked him for it. That is integrity in practice.
U-SU Values Award · Innovation
Kyle proposed and shipped our first motion-design system, then taught the rest of the studio how to use it. The work he did this year will outlive his time here — the highest bar for innovation.
U-SU Values Award · Community
Asaya creates rooms where people actually exhale. Whether it is GSRC drop-in hours or the Cultural Grads ceremony, she sees who is on the edge of the conversation and pulls them in. That is community work.
U-SU Values Award · Fun
Devon turned a Friday-afternoon shift into something students plan their week around. His tournaments, themed nights, and unrepentant trash talk are the reason the third floor sounds like a real college.
U-SU Values Award · Connection
Savana remembers the names. She remembers the majors. She remembers what someone said three weeks ago and asks how it is going. The trust she builds is the reason students keep coming back.
Two staff members who embody every U-SU value, every day.
Center for Student Involvement
Renee mentors the people who mentor our students. The leadership pipeline she has built across CSI — from peer educators to professional staff — is one of the most important pieces of work happening at the U-SU, and most of it is invisible until it isn’t.
Operations
James has spent twelve years making sure the lights, the rooms, and the people who run them are ready for whatever campus throws at us. When students say "the U-SU just works," they are describing James’s work without knowing it.
These six values guide who we hire, how we work, and who we celebrate. Every honoree was nominated because they embody at least one of them—usually more.
We are accountable to each other and to those we serve. We follow through, own our outcomes, and hold ourselves to a higher standard.
Why it matters: students rely on us. Showing up daily and consistently means doing what we say we will, every time.
We act with honesty and consistency, especially when no one is watching. Our word and our work line up.
Why it matters: trust is earned in small, daily decisions and it is the foundation of everything else.
We try things, learn quickly, and keep improving. We invite new ideas in and reshape what is possible for student life.
Why it matters: the only constant in life is change. We are always looking for ways to iterate for the better
We identify the specific needs of our community and intentionally create a culture of belonging for every Golden Eagle.
Why it matters: nobody soars alone. The U-SU is at its best when every student feels at home on campus.
We enjoy what we do, sharing joy and passion to instill an enjoyable, welcoming environment for students and staff alike.
Why it matters: college is short. Memorable moments make the work meaningful for everyone involved.
We prioritize genuine connections, appreciating the unique value in each other and the people we serve.
Why it matters: relationships outlast roles. Strong connections turn coworkers into mentors and friends.
Everyone on this page started as a student or staff member who simply applied. The next cohort is being built right now and there is more than one way to be part of it.
Browse open student/staff roles across Graffix, CSI, CCC, Operations, Recreation, and Admin. The U-Krew is how thousands of Golden Eagles built their first résumé.
Know a U-SU teammate who deserves a shout-out? Drop their name in our feedback form and tell us why they deserve it. Many nominations start exactly this way.