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Arianna McCarty

2026 Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year, Leadership

����2026 National Student Employment Association Leadership Category Winner

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Arianna McCarty is a senior majoring in chemical and biological engineering and minoring in biochemistry and materials science.

Arianna has served as a course assistant and lead course assistant in several core ChBE courses and was nominated by Prof. Robert H. Davis, Tisone Endowed Chair, professor of chemical and biological engineering and Dean Emeritus of Engineering and Applied Science (with Prof. Eshan Keyvani as co-nominator) in the Leadership category. Arianna consistently goes “above and beyond,” creating original problems and solutions, coordinating other assistants and strengthening instruction through Canvas-based quizzes, targeted recitations and review materials. These improvements contributed to a 10% increase in midterm performance and a DFW drop to 13.8% (down from a historical rate above 20%). Arianna also serves as an ambassador for the Young Scholars Summer Research Program, helping organize events, provide feedback and communicate with participants with “tact, responsibility and insight,” contributing to 5/5 ratings from all 15 participants.

Beyond campus roles, Arianna pairs achievement with service:

• Earned a four-year, full-ride Boettcher Scholarship (one of ~40 statewide)
• Named the only 2025 Goldwater Scholar at CU
• Selected as one of only two CU recipients of a 2025 Astronaut Scholarship

Prof. Davis highlights Arianna’s “heart for serving others and improving their experiences,” shown through departmental peer-ambassador work and Engineers Without Borders, including a water-distribution project in Nepal. As Prof. Davis puts it, Arianna is “one of those very rare students… less than once a decade,” reflecting sustained excellence, leadership and impact.

Brooke Aulerich

Undergraduate Runner-up, Community Service

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Brooke Aulerich is a junior majoring in communication and media production and minoring in cinema studies, writing for public engagement and leadership studies.

Brooke works at the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) Boulder County as a kindness ambassador and was nominated by Jack Kim, executive director of NAMI Boulder County, and co-nominated by Mitch Kusick in the Community Service category. In this position, Brooke creates “positive and inclusive experiences” for community members affected by mental illness, leading outreach that connects youth and families with NAMI programs and resources. Brooke also helps plan key events such as the Board of Directors Annual Meeting and develops regular social medial content to share mental health education and resources. Beyond NAMI, Brooke has taken on additional leadership as a mentor to first-generation interns, as president of NAMI On Campus and as a resident advisor in Baker Hall.

Since fall 2025, Brooke has also served as a young adult presenter for NAMI Ending the Silence in local middle and high schools, described as “an inspiring role model” who helps students feel seen, seek support and resist stigma. Jack describes Brooke as “professional with a very caring demeanor and personal touch,” with a “bright energy” that makes conversations feel safe and welcoming. Brooke is “an invaluable asset” and “an absolute delight to know and work with,” recognized for strong follow-through, administrative skills and a creative approach that has elevated program quality.

Dulce Valenzuela

Honorable Mention, Social Impact & Belonging

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Dulce Valenzuela is a junior majoring in molecular, cellular and developmental biology and women and gender studies and minoring in sociology.

Dulce works as a bilingual lead museum attendant at the CU Art Museum and was nominated by Elizabeth Gregg, visitor experience liaison at the CU Art Museum (with Hope Saska as co-nominator) in the Social Impact & Belonging category. As a steady leader and first point of contact for visitors, Dulce mentors other attendants, trains new staff and runs bilingual (Spanish/English) workshops that help community members feel welcome. Described as “extremely reliable” and someone who can “brighten someone’s day,” Dulce consistently goes beyond assigned duties by staying late to complete projects and helping peers refine and strengthen their museum programming. With service to underserved communities as an overarching goal, Dulce brings empathy, patience and initiative to the team, including developing a recognition program to help student employees feel appreciated.

A clear highlight of Dulce’s impact is creating and leading a Día de los Muertos workshop. Dulce built an altar in the lobby, invited broad participation, and taught visitors to make papel picado, giving Latinx students greater visibility and a meaningful space to celebrate culture while welcoming those unfamiliar with the tradition. Dulce intentionally made the workshop bilingual to deepen belonging for Hispanic CU students, and it was incorporated into a Spanish-language course to strengthen both cultural understanding and language practice. Elizabeth noted that participants " gave rave reviews, commenting that they don’t often get to celebrate their culture in this way on campus, much less at an art museum.”

Braden O’Brien

Honorable Mention, Technology & Innovation

����2026 National Student Employment Association Overall Student Employee of Year and Technology and Innovation Category Winner

���Ҵ�ý�ƽ������ Braden

Braden O’Brien is a senior majoring in electrical and computer engineering and engineering physics with a minor in applied mathematics.

Braden works for the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) Advancement team and was nominated by Lauren MacKay, director of alumni and donor engagement with the College of Engineering & Applied Science in the Technology & Innovation (with Diamond Darling, Jessica Tooker and Rose Adams as co-nominators) in the Technology & Innovation category for “exceptional initiative, technical skill and innovative thinking.” From the outset, Braden identified opportunities to replace “inefficient or inconsistent legacy processes” with “technology-driven solutions” that reshaped the team’s approach to reporting and strategic planning. One of Braden’s most significant contributions was leading the development of a standardized system to track CEAS volunteer engagement in CU Ascend. Previously, volunteer data was tracked manually in inconsistent ways, limiting accuracy and long-term usefulness. Braden worked closely with Data Insights and Data Management teams to troubleshoot issues, test bulk-upload processes and design a sustainable approach to tracking volunteer engagement. Lauren describes this work as a “unique and forward-thinking contribution” that not only improved productivity for the team but also helped pilot processes that were later adopted more broadly.

To support continuity in a student-staffed environment, Braden also created detailed, user-friendly standard operating procedures that strengthened “continuity, consistency and data integrity.” In addition, Braden built a dynamic CRM dashboard that turns complex datasets into “real-time, actionable insights” for colleagues without technical backgrounds. Lauren emphasizes that Braden “does not innovate for innovation’s sake,” but instead builds tools that are accessible, sustainable and genuinely useful to the team’s goals.

Elle Kartchner

Honorable Mention, Critical Thinking

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Elle Kartchner is a senior majoring in creative technology & design with a minor in Japanese.

Elle works in the Digital Accessibility Office and was nominated by Megan Mock, assistant director of digital accessibility captioning services in the Critical Thinking category for contributions that will “make an impactful difference long after [graduation].” Elle is praised for “unwavering reliability” and “consistent professionalism,” balancing full-time coursework with a demanding workload in a hybrid, independent environment. Megan’s recurring thought of “What would I do without Elle?” reflects the confidence that every task will be completed fast and at a high standard, directly supporting students with disabilities who rely on timely access to course content. One clear example of that impact is a pilot project Elle led to caption recorded lecture content for students with accommodations. Captions were due within one day of a lecture being posted, and Elle met that deadline twice a week for an entire semester while exceeding quality standards. Beyond day-to-day execution, Elle has applied her accessibility expertise to broader initiatives, including a digital accessibility website and a “Captions Versus Subtitles” video that became a helpful internal resource for the team.

A particularly strong illustration of Elle’s critical thinking is how she manages captioning accommodations when assigned as the point person for a course. Elle reliably coordinates the full process. This includes reviewing Canvas content, assessing captioning needs, working with faculty and students and tracking deadlines to ensure accessible materials are delivered on time. She has successfully managed this complex, variable work across nearly 20 courses in a single semester, tailoring the approach to each unique course and instructor.