'Cats Caught Being Awesome

Greg Olson, Morgan Schmidt, Paul Hildebrandt, Dan Zampa, and Casey Zampa - Creative Media Technology

Congratulations to our May 2025 ‘Cats Caught Being Awesome winners!

This outstanding CMT team was nominated by the Chairs of the Staff Council Ways and Means Committee, who said, "We would like to nominate the Media Production Team for their work on the Staff Luncheon video. The people who get this done year after year are: Greg Olson, Dan Zampa, Paul Hildebrandt, Casey Zampa, and Morgan Schmidt. They put countless hours into brainstorming, writing, filming, and editing these videos for all of us to enjoy, and I think we can agree this event would not be the same without the video. But more importantly, when the staff actors are filming and often flubbing our lines, this team stays positive and upbeat, reassuring us we are doing great and not to worry. They have never seemed frustrated, and quite the opposite, are SO encouraging which puts us at ease. They really go above and beyond with the videos to bring creativity and laughter to this event, while being so humble about it. So Greg, Dan, Paul, Casey, and Morgan...we see you and applaud you! Thank you for all you do for the Staff Awards Luncheon. You are truly awesome!"

Stephanie Galloway, Financial Aid and Scholarships - April 2025

Stephanie was nominated by Maria Olson, who said, "Stephanie is one of our Financial Aid advisors, and she also coordinates outreach, including the scheduling of FAFSA and CADAA renewal workshops for students. Even if you don't work in Financial Aid, you probably know that the FAFSA went through a massive simplification/overhaul effective with the 2024-25 academic year. The revised FAFSA was plagued with many problems and technical issues that made the application process very frustrating for countless students and parents. Many of our new and continuing Wildcats felt this pain and relied on Chico State Financial Aid advisors to help them navigate the revised FAFSA and troubleshoot the multitude of technical issues. Stephanie worked with so many students with FAFSA problems that she became our in-house FAFSA wizard and identified many fixes to common obstacles. She worked with several students over a period of many months, following through, and calling Federal Student Aid with them until they had a successful application submission. One student in particular stands out because today (April 2), after no less than 10 in-person appointments with Stephanie, and one year and twenty-four days since he submitted his initial 2024-25 FAFSA, he finally has a valid FAFSA on file and can be awarded the financial aid he is eligible for. (Yes, for this academic year that is almost over!) Without Stephanie's persistence and keen ability to navigate complex bureaucratic processes, I am not sure if this student or many others would have had successful financial aid outcomes. Thank you for your hard work and commitment to our students, Stephanie!"

Chima Rivas, WellCat Safe Place - March 2025

Chima was nominated by Marc Mercado of Recreational Sports, who said, "Chima has restored my faith in humanity. They uphold necessary pillars of safety and community on campus through their work as the Coordinator for Advocacy Services at the WellCat Safe Place. I haven't met someone who willingly and passionately goes the extra mile to see their services follow through with the students and staff that use them. Chima is a light, a beacon if you will, of hope and unconditional support. They have helped me through some tough moments and guided me forward with their presence, affirmations, and action. Chico State is fortunate to have a hard working, knowledgeable, and considerate coordinator like Chima. Their relentlessness, commitment to students and faculty, and unwavering advocacy sends ripples across campus and can be felt like the smile they paint on your face when they say “hello”."

Kelly Webster, Business Student Advising and Services - February 2025

Kelly was nominated by Kristina Brown, who said, "Kelly is such a great person to work with, she’s positive and fun to joke around with. She’s always willing to help me when I’m feeling overwhelmed. She consistently takes initiative; she seeks out extra tasks without being asked. She’s great at identifying potential issues proactively, she demonstrates a strong work ethic and cares about our success as an office/team. As an academic advisor, Kelly actively engages with students beyond just course selection, she provides personalized support, connects them with relevant resources, and actively watches their progress, effectively acting as a mentor to help navigate challenges and maximize their academic potential. She often goes beyond the standard advising duties to ensure holistic student success. A specific example of Kelly going above and beyond for a student was when a student came to drop ins the week before school started requesting all online sections. Kelly quickly built rapport and trust from the student and they shared that they were going through a serious and life threating medical issue and hence the reason they needed all classes online. At this point in enrollment, finding all online sections is complex and takes a considerable amount of time to come up with viable options. Kelly stayed late to put together a class schedule that enabled the student to be retained as a Business major and persist towards graduation."