Each year, the College of Technology awards student organizations and individuals who contribute to the success of its students through their leadership and dedication. Despite the challenges faced due to the pandemic and the shift to online studies, these groups and individuals were consistently able to find ways to connect students to each other and to the community. Congratulations to all of the 2021 CoT Student Organization Award winners!
Outstanding Faculty/Staff Advisor Award
The Outstanding Faculty/Staff Advisor Award recognizes a faculty or staff member who is dedicated to helping student organizations achieve their goals. This year, the college presented this award to College Events Coordinator Jennifer Knobloch, who goes above and beyond to assist, listen to ideas, mold leadership skills, and create ways for better engagement between students and the College. Notably, Jennifer has been coordinating the successful Cougar Tech meetings for student organization leaders. These meetings provide an opportunity for the college to assist organizations with all aspects of running a successful organization and provide an opportunity for leaders from different organizations to communicate with each other.
Student Organization Community Service Award
The Student Society of Human Resource Development (SSHRD) has exemplified the spirit of the Student Organization Community Service Award through their significant commitment, outstanding service, and positive impact on the UH and City of Houston Communities. SSHRD has volunteered at multiple events including Project Cure, The Beacon, and the Houston Food Bank. SSHRD has consistently operated volunteerism and outreach events on a monthly basis to show the best the college has to offer in terms of passion and compassion.
Outstanding Student Organization Award
The Outstanding Student Organization Award recognizes member involvement, partnership, and teamwork. This year’s award was presented to the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP). Despite the pandemic, AITP was able to have over 20 companies come out and talk to their members and host multiple resume workshops, professional development workshops, and overall information sessions. AITP made sure that their members were able to succeed through starting their own mentorship program and holding weekly virtual tutoring sessions. In addition, AITP was nationally recognized and recently won the 2020 Premier Student Organization Award from USITCC due to the work of the 2019-2020 AITP Officers.
Deans Award for Outstanding Student
Yeslyn Casasola, President of Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS), was chosen as the Outstanding Student due to her contributions to the quality of campus life through service, leadership, and spirit. She has been very involved serving in the role of President and managed to host multiple events both virtually and in-person that kept the members of WiCyS involved and engaged with the community. Yeslyn is passionate about her role and WiCyS and has demonstrated the skill sets and attitude that a student leader should have, especially during a very challenging year.