University of Rochester senior Isthier Chaudhury ’11 has been named the 2010-2011 University of Rochester Student Employee of the Year. The award, which is given annually by the Student Employment Office, recognizes an outstanding student employee who has made valuable contributions to the department in which he or she works. Chaudhury, who works for University Information Technology as a classroom technology technician and printing support technician, was nominated by his supervisor Carol Amidon, classroom support technician.

As a member of the University IT team, Chaudhury’s responsibilities include the set-up and operation of all technology in the classrooms. He also is responsible for monitoring ink and paper supplies at public computing labs and libraries on campus to ensure they are well-stocked. In a letter nominating Chaudhury for the award, Amidon says a “defining quality for Isthier is his dedication to the job” and that his “consistently high standards of customer service” are only surpassed by his positive attitude.

Chaudhury, who is a chemical engineering and Chinese double major, was recently invited to Washington, D.C., to share his experiences studying abroad in Beijing, China. He studied abroad through the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) program at Peking University in Beijing as a Gilman Scholar during the 2009-2010 academic year. While in Washington, Chaudhury met First Lady of Michelle Obama and visited area middle schools and high schools to talk about his time abroad.

In celebration of Student Employee Week (April 10 through 16), the Student Employment Office will formally recognize Chaudhury, along with all of this year’s nominees, at a private reception on Tuesday, April 12. As Employee of the Year, Chaudhury will have the opportunity to compete at regional and state levels through the National Student Employee Association’s awards program.

This year, the following 25 students were nominated for the Student Employee of the Year award: Jennifer Alpern ’11, Kelley Beamish ’11, John Boule ’12, Isthier Chaudhury ’11, Oswald Codjoe ’14, Nicole Cragin ’12, Rachel DeAngelis ’11, Angelica Frausto ’13, Joseph Gardella ’11, Christina Gmyr ’11, Shaelom James ’12, Bin Qing Lin ’13, Kenneth Mansfield ’12, Chandler Moran ’12, Gabriella Morris ’12, Jenny Mosier ’11, Caitlin Redmond ’13, Sara Rothenberg ’13, Emily Schroeder ’12, Rachel Simeone ’13, Susan Virgilio ’12, Joseph Wang ’12, Hilary Wermers ’13, Wai Ling Ye ’13, and Shouling Zhang ’13.