On May 17, Cerritos College will be recognizing the outstanding classified and confidential employees of the 2011-12 school year.

Program assistant in the Career Services Center Rosario Vasquez, who won outstanding staff for Feb. 2012, explains how it works, “You get nominated by other staff members.”

She continued by saying that she has been nominated several times but this time she was picked by the committee who ultimately decides who is to be recognized for the according month.

Vasquez mentions who nominated her “I believe this nomination came directly from my supervisor.”

She added that she believes she was nominated by her boss because she sees her very busy especially because they’re low on staff.

Vasquez continued, “I’m all over covering the different areas in the department we have like five different areas that are covered her in career services.”

Instructional Media Production Specialist, Bernice Watson, who won for the month of March 2012, said, “I believe I was nominated because we had a lot retire last year and one of them was our repair technician, and so when he left there was nobody to take are of the classrooms.”

She continues to elaborate on this further by saying that whenever a projector or something is not working she would troubleshoot it until a new repair technician was hired.

Watson talks about previously being nominated, “This is the third time I’ve been nominated, the first time I think it was back in 97, and then in 2006 and then now.”

According to Watson, there are so many people that work hard on campus, you just don’t always see them.

Student Affairs Technician, Yajayra Tovar, talks about why she thinks she was nominated “I would assume it has a lot to do with the work that I do I work with foster youth on campus.”

She added that part of what she does is welcomes foster youth into the college, gets them enrolled and introduces them to resources.

Tovar talks about the challenges she sees foster youth face “A lot of these youth they come very unprepared and a little bit scared.”

She continued by saying that some of the reason they’re scared is because they have the slightest idea of how they’re going o make it and survive in the real world.

Tovar said, “So I kind of help them adjust to college and then we take care of all the other primary needs like housing, food and transportation to help them stay in college.”

Account Technician, Sylvia Arevalo, said, “Well I’m always there to help whoever, I have a hard time saying no.”

This is the first time in her 25 years at Cerritos College that she’s been nominated.

She talks about her chances of being awarded employee of the year “Well I know there’s a lot of people that are worthy there so I’d hate to say that I’m going to get it.”

Student Services Assistant II, Natasha Mejia, states why she believes she was nominated for April 2011 “I guess because I’m an outstanding employee.”

She said that her co-worker nominated her because of the outstanding job she did training her before going on maternity leave.

Mejia added, “I see that there’s a lot of good candidates so whoever gets it I’m sure they deserve it.”

According to Mejia she’s really proud of being recognized for the first time in her 10 years working at Cerritos College.

Liberal Arts Division Secretary, Megalis Lopez, shares her thoughts on why she was nominated in July 2011 “For that month there was a really big transition, everybody from our office left.”

Lopez elaborates a little more by saying that one of the secretary’s retired, the other got promoted to academic affairs, and the dean left for a vice president position at Santa Ana College.

She talks about how she feels about possibly winning the employee of the year award “I’m just really honored and happy to get employee of the month to be honest.”

Lopez added, “I think everybody on the list is equally deserving of it, so if I don’t get it whoever gets it I’ll be happy.”

EOPS Assistant, Robert Aguayo, said how he believes he was nominated “Well I’m assuming maybe you know maybe some of my colleagues I guess maybe wanted to acknowledge me for some of the efforts I put forth.”

Aguayo continued, “I think my colleagues and other people are just as deserving as anybody.”

According to Aguayo, he believes he is only as good as the link and there’s a very strong link amongst Aguayo and his co-workers.

Aguayo added, “You know I rely on a lot of my colleagues, my classified colleagues, my certificated colleagues everybody.”