While the Office of Student Life and Leadership is responsible for some of the largest events on campus, Sabrina Wienholtz is used to remaining behind the scenes.
But after being named Employee of the Quarter, she may have to get used to the spotlight.
Wienholtz, assistant director, Office of Student Life and Leadership, said she was shocked when she walked in to a staff meeting to find a surprise party waiting for her.
“I knew Brad [Bayer] had nominated me before, but I didn’t see it coming,” Wienholtz said. “It felt really, really good to be recognized by the campus and by my peers.”
According to Bayer, executive director, Office of Student Life and Leadership, no one is more deserving of the award.
“Sabrina has an amazing work ethic, demonstrates ongoing flexibility, is solution-focused and has a genuine passion for student services and UCCS,” Bayer said in his nomination letter. “Overall, our department, the Division of Student Success and Enrollment Management, and the university operate effectively because of Sabrina.”
A seven-year UCCS veteran, Wienholtz is responsible for many of the day-to-day office tasks that keep Student Life and Leadership running smoothly, ranging from advising student clubs to managing the office budget to launching a leadership development program for first- and second-year students.
According to Wienholtz, working with students is the most gratifying part of her job.
“The reason we’re all in these jobs in Student Life is because we want to help develop students and we buy into higher education and the transformation that happens here,” Wienholtz said. “To be able to take someone who comes in as a freshman, who has potentially never had a job before, and to take them from a place where they don’t know how to professionally answer a phone to a place where they’re ready for a career and they’ve learned a lot and have discovered who they want to be through that process is amazing to be apart of.”
A member of the UCCS staff since 2007, Wienholtz served as program assistant in the Office of Student Life and Leadership for four years. In 2011, she was named a student activities specialist. In 2012, she became assistant director following a national search.
Outside of Student Life and Leadership, Wienholtz serves as secretary and treasurer of the Professional Exempt Staff Association and teaches a freshman seminar. When not at work, Wienholtz can often be found either bowling or doing yoga.
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