The Libraries selects annual Student Awards winners

Each school year, the Libraries recognizes some of its many exemplary student employees with its Student Awards. The Libraries held a ceremony in April to honor its award-winners with short speeches about their accomplishments. The event was sponsored by the Libraries' Student Assistant Program Committee.

The Libraries’ Student of the Year Award was given to Jake Davis, one of the first student employees to join the new Duke Energy Hall events team. Darren Boone and Robin Kelly nominated Jake.

“Our Duke Energy Hall guests continually state how much they appreciate having Jake as their event assistant,” the nomination materials noted. Boone and Kelly also praised Jake’s audio-visual troubleshooting skills: “As we all know, electronics can be particular, but in those moments, Jake shines in finding solutions.” 

The nominators noted how much the events team will miss Jake after he graduates from Interdisciplinary Studies with a major in Science, Technology and Society as well as a minor in Environmental Science and Biology this spring.

Two student employees were recognized with the Above & Beyond Award. Samuel Firmansyah, who works in the Libraries IT Department, was nominated by Christina Riegel and Abhishek Firodiya. Simone Smith, who has worked in Tripsaver for over three years, was nominated by Michael D. Wallace.

Samuel Firmansyah was praised for going beyond his duties by identifying and resolving technical issues, including diagnosing a WiFi connectivity problem on Apple laptops and implementing a fix that has saved significant troubleshooting time. “This attention to detail helped prevent long repair times and ensure lending computers can be recirculated with minimal down-times,” Riegel and Firodiya noted in their nomination.

They also recognized Samuel’s leadership in mentoring other IT Student Technicians. “He is always patient, approachable and eager to assist his teammates of all skill levels. Student technicians are set up for success because of his problem-solving and eagerness to help.”

Simone Smith has been a fixture in Tripsaver through her years at NC State and has received the Libraries’ Wells Fargo award in 2023 as well as a Libraries Student Scholarship in 2024. She was featured in a Libraries article after receiving that scholarship.

Wallace described how indispensable Smith has been to Tripsaver. “When processing books for Tripsaver, she displays a keen eye and will let me know if there is any discrepancy with the paperwork,” he wrote in his nomination. “For example, if the book arrives in a damaged state and also when items are returned in a damaged state. Because of Simone’s diligent eye in regards to the condition of book returns, it has made us add the condition of the items when they arrive on the borrowing slip.”

Wallace also praised Smith’s efficiency and persistence, noting that Smith’s tenure in Tripsaver brought about the Student Lead position in the department.

“When I initially interviewed Simone, I told her that we did not have any open positions at the time, but we could revisit the following semester. The following semester came, and the rest was Tripsaver history.”