September Employee of the Month
Justin Jones
Justin Jones has been recognized as Employee of the Month for his outstanding leadership and dedication as an Aztec Recreation employee. Justin works for two departments; he is one of the most qualified lifeguards at the Aztec Aquaplex, and he works hard with Building Services to maintain cleanliness and safety.
Recently, Justin was the initiator of a water rescue where he entered the water to assist a struggling swimmer and monitor their condition. “The kid was halfway down the lane and he just started sinking,” said Jones. According to Aquaplex supervisors, he handled the situation with a level head and remained calm and in control. The swimmer was just fine thanks to Justin’s quick reaction. Being alert and reliable are just a couple reasons why his co-workers see him as a natural leader and role model. He is best described as ‘dependable,’ according to friend and co-worker Omar Elbakshish.
Justin is a senior majoring in Marketing, and on his down-time he likes to go surfing at Blacks Beach and travel to different countries. Costa Rica is his favorite travel destination thus far, but his adventurous lifestyle has allowed him to visit Europe, Alaska, and Puerto Rico as well. He also likes to play basketball at the ARC when he gets the chance, and you might catch him swimming a few laps at the Aquaplex as part of his workout.
When asked what he likes most about working at the Aquaplex, Justin responded, “My co-workers.” Supporting each other and pushing one another to be better are the things that make a difference for him at work. Always giving encouragement and being trustworthy is what makes Justin a star representative for the staff.
July Employee of the Month
Brynn Viale
As a second year Masters student in Public Health, Brynn Viale is best described as outgoing, intriguing, and down to earth. She has worked with the Health Promotion Department at San Diego State University for 5 years, and for the past year she has been the graduate assistant in the ARC Wellness Office. She loves working with the undergraduate students in the ARC environment. Brynn’s enthusiasm and dedication helped her single-handedly plan and implement the Spring Health Expo: Road to Wellness. It has been three years since ARC Wellness has put on a Health Expo, and Brynn was able to make this one bigger, better, and more successful than any of the years past.
When asked of an important thing to know about her, Brynn said, “I love to travel!” She has been to 15 different countries all together, and this past semester she volunteered in Baja California doing small community health promotions. Her latest adventure will be to Thailand this summer!
Brynn stays active and enjoys her time at the ARC taking cycling classes, weight training and cardio exercises. She also enjoys the ARC’s climbing wall just to “change it up”.
She is a pleasure to work with, and always has an inviting smile on her face. Please congratulate and thank Brynn for all that she does. She is truly a dedicated employee, and wonderful person!
June Employee of the Month
Domenic Merlos, Aztec Aquaplex
Domenic Merlos has been recognized for his commitment and dedication to AS, working for the Aztec Aquaplex since it first opened in March 2007. He is a great leader and well liked by the members and staff. At the front desk, Domenic helps members with questions, billing, program registration, swim registration and tours. He has received a perfect score from a secret shopper because of his outstanding customer service relationship with the members and knowledge of the Aquaplex. Dom is able to think on his feet and multi-task even when under stress. He remains calm and understands that the member's experience is important. He is thorough and organized which makes him a great asset to the Aquaplex Guest Services staff. Dom is always willing to pick up an extra shift and has been working nights as a Tennis Floor Supervisor.
When asked what he liked most about working at the Aquaplex, he smiles, “The people. Everybody. All the colorful characters we get!”
He also takes advantage of the Aztec Recreation Center at least five days a week; strength training and participating in REC classes such as hip hop and salsa. On his free time he likes to play pool, the guitar, surf and continue to study martial arts.
Domenic is in fact graduating this semester with a degree in Psychology, and hopes to begin teaching English in Japan. “I’m stoked to graduate, but I’m really going to miss my fellow ‘plexers’”.
Domenic’s outgoing personality is a delight to work with, and always a pleasure to have around. When describing himself, he states, “People that know me would say I’m odd, sarcastic, and really energetic”. But with all of the skills that Dom posses plus his knowledge of the Aquaplex and Campus Recreation, he is well deserving of the Employee of the Month.
May Employee of the Month
Caleb Brookfield, ARC Members Services
Caleb Brookfield is a team player and well respected by the ARC staff. He has earned his position as Member Services Lead and employee of the month for several reasons. He takes a great deal of initiative when it comes to data entry; by entering program registration information, new member registrations, or cancellations each day. He not only processes paperwork, but manages his membership staff, the towel service, and rental lockers. Caleb’s patient, informative, and friendly personality has also greatly assisted his outstanding job performance of being readily accessible to customers.
As a junior majoring in Computer Engineering, Caleb enjoys working at the ARC for its on campus location, flexibility and student co-workers. “It’s nice to work with other students my age; we all have common interests and it makes the job more fun”. When he’s not working 7 am shifts, four days a week, Caleb teaches track at his old high school and is known by both the students and his friends as easy going and approachable.
“My best friend would say I’m a party animal, but I still know how to manage my time and balance school, work and my social life”. Caleb does an all around good job and we have appreciated his outgoing character and dependable qualities.
February Employee of the Month
Derek Winters
Derek Winters, Aztec Nights Lead at Bowling and Games was selected as employee of the month because of his outstanding success and commitment to his program. He has been working for AS since his freshman year in fall 2005, and manages Aztec Nights at Aztec Center Bowling and games which takes place every week from Thursday through Saturday, 10 pm – 12 am. All SDSU students are welcome to attend the free events that Derek hosts. By directing this program, Winters manages staff, prepares and sets up for the different activities, and stays in contact via email with over 600 avid participants!
While majoring in Aerospace Engineering, Derek devotedly works long hours and Sundays are usually his only days off. He can be found on his off hours within the center; bowling, playing Wii or foosball. He also takes any chance that he can get to spend time with his family. “I miss my nieces and nephews. That’s the only thing I don’t like about working all the time”.
Nevertheless, Winters mentions his most favorite part of the job is “Making sure people have more fun than they would have expected!” He also noted that many participants have asked him how he comes up with such fun games, or “fallen on the floor laughing” from his bubbly spirit. He has proven to be an outstanding employee, hardworking and a pleasure to be around; for both staff and participants. When asked to use three words to describe himself, he replied, “tall, dark and handsome”.
January Employee of the Month
Emily Spagnolia – Intramural Sports
Emily Spagnolia has been officiating Intramural Softball, Volleyball, and Basketball this Fall semester and has become one of our strongest officials. Emily's professionalism as an official has earned her respect from her fellow officials, her supervisors, and most importantly, the participants. Emily is not the most intimidating official we have by any means, but her knowledge of the sports, ability to make the right calls, and her communication with the players allows her to keep control and strong command of any game. She is always willing to help out her fellow officials if they need shifts covered, and also helps coach the newer officials in making them better at their job. We are proud to have Emily represent Intramural Sports as the Employee of the Month for Campus Recreation.
Emily is a freshman, majoring in Marketing. When not officiating, you can find her working out at the ARC on a stairmaster and elliptical, or can find her at the Racquetball courts. Most notably, Emily is the Fall 2008 Racquetball Ladder champion for beginners at Recreational Sports. She likes working at the ARC since Campus Recreation works around her schedule. Emily typically works 2-3 shifts a week for 4 hours each, which gives her flexibility for school and working out. She like intramurals because “if you want more hours there are always shifts available...the coworkers look out for each other which is nice too.” If Emily could use three words to describe herself, she would say “outgoing, spontaneous, and creative.” We couldn’t agree more!
December Employee of the Month
Ralph Almaguer
Floor Supervisor Ralph Almaguer has been an important asset to the ARC Facilities Staff. He has gone above our expectations by covering many shifts for his fellow floor supervisors, learning quickly about the job, and having a great attitude. We have been able to confidently depend on Ralph to pick up multiple double shifts including weekend opening and closing shifts. Although Almaguer has only worked in Facilities since May 2008, he has learned very quickly about the ARC and the Floor Supervisor position. As a result, Ralph has already been partially promoted to Facility Supervisor for two shifts a week while still maintaining his Floor Supervisor position. He has currently put in the most hours of anyone on the Facilities Staff.
Ralph’s main responsibility is geared towards the safety of our members. His job is to make sure everything and everyone is as safe as possible, while the members simultaneously enjoy the facility. As a SDSU senior majoring in Criminal Justice, Ralph describes himself as “laidback and charismatic, but still very hardworking”.
He also demonstrates deep dedication to the ARC by taking full advantage of the facility. His typical workout is spent by lifting weights for a couple hours, using the machines for abs, running a few miles and then ends his workout by boxing. “I love to box!” he says, while his other interests include the art of tattoos and skydiving. In fact, he will soon be able to skydive by himself.
Ralph’s most favorite aspect of working at the ARC is his coworkers. “I’ve met a lot of great people. I like everything about this place,” he says enthusiastically. “I want to be a police officer after I graduate, so I hope everyone will still be my friend!”
October Employee of the Month
Erica Goitia, Information Services
Erica Goitia is an employee with initiative. She consistently keeps the Information Services desk organized to help herself and her co-workers find current information quickly and easily. As part of the Information Services team since May 2007, Erica never gets bored with her job, she likes helping members and says that she likes the dynamic of seeing everyone who comes into the ARC. She finds that face-to-face interaction makes the job interesting.
Erica loves the ARC and says, “I pretty much live here.” She knows her co-workers well, likes all of them, and finds they have a good group dynamic. She also works out four to five times per week. For each workout she starts with 30-40 minutes of cardio on a variety of the machines, completes a full-body weight training program that varies day-to-day and then stretches. She says she has been stretching since age four and enjoys it a lot; noting that it relaxes her and if she skips it she feels tense.
Erica is known for her creativity and talent and one year she created caricatures of all her coworkers for the Holiday Season. She also plays the piano and has much experience with Polynesian dance performance and competition. For Erica, it’s all about staying motivated. She keeps on top of school work and takes her Integrated Marketing Communications studies seriously, planning ahead for internships and a career in marketing that allows her to apply her creativity and open-mindedness.
Erica’s perspective about working in Aztec Recreation is that it’s important to have activity every day. She believes in the ARC, she thinks it’s a great facility and thinks that those who are not members should join!
September Employee of the Month
Mike Rankin
Mike Rankin has worked at the ARC since June 2007 and he is an exemplary employee. Always polite and friendly with customers as well as fellow staff, everyone appreciates working with Mike because he is a true team player with a lot of knowledge about Aztec Recreation. He takes initiative to train new team members and since he likes the people he works with, he finds it natural to help them out when special cases and infrequent questions come up. He feels its his job to solve problems for members.
Mike likes to lift weights at the ARC but he says he has no particular regimen or fitness goal. He weight trains because it makes him feel good and he knows it's healthy for him, too.
A senior in Communications graduating in Spring 09, Mike says he likes the upper division classes and is fortunate to have chosen a major that he likes. He is excited to learn, taking the same approach to school as he does to all aspects of his life. He is focused and totally engaged in school, work and his social life and feels he gets more out of life when he puts forth his best effort.
Last update: 9/24/09
