Early Bird

Congrats to our Roadrunner Shoutout of the Week winners

These exceptional faculty, staff and student employees are shining examples of dedication, innovation and excellence.

By Josie Lavender

March 25, 2021

Nominations continue to roll in for Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Roadrunner Shoutout of the Week awards, highlighting the excellent and important work happening at all levels of the University. This week, we celebrate three members of our University community who inspire students and their colleagues.

“Now is the time for us to pull together and find shared strength,” said President Janine Davidson, Ph.D. “I applaud these winners for helping to unite and strengthen the Roadrunner community.”

Faculty winner – Alycia Palmer, Ph.D., analytical-laboratory instructor, Chemistry

Nominated by Shalini Srinivasan, Ph.D., professor, Chemistry, who wrote:

“Dr. Palmer has taken the reins for the Chemistry Department’s upper-division laboratory courses in the last few years. These are courses in which students acquire skills that are invaluable not only to their intended majors but extend well beyond the classroom.

“The level of rigor in preparation and delivery for these courses was exponential even before the pandemic. Post-pandemic, Alycia's absolute commitment to the students and these courses is beyond impressive. As a most recent example, Alycia created instructional videos for instrumental-analysis students; these videos go over instrument components as well as how to use the software for each instrument. In addition, each video is primed for accessibility because of the time and effort invested in editing and accurate captioning. For the uninitiated and those unfamiliar with an upper-division chemistry lab, ensuring smooth functioning of these instruments is no small feat.

“She also is a passionate advocate for an accessible and equitable learning experience for students. Her approachability has (facilitated) and continues to facilitate rich mentoring experiences for students. Her dry wit belies an enthusiastic and charming personality, making her a consummate educator!”

Alycia, thank you for quickly pivoting with MSU Denver in transition to a virtual classroom. Your dedication to providing students with holistic support is deeply appreciated.

Staff winner – Yona Estrada, health-career navigator, Health Institute

Nominated by Thuyvi Vo, health-career navigator, Health Institute; Karla Horgan Arévalo, health-career navigator, Health Institute; Lauren Jones, lead health-career navigator, Health Institute; Tai Kim, health-career navigator, Health Institute; and Ruby Matheny, industry-program navigator, Applied Learning Center, who wrote:

“Yona Estrada is a health-career navigator for the Health Careers Opportunity Program at MSU Denver’s Health Institute. There are so many wonderful things we can say about Yona: She is respectful, innovative, hardworking and outright amazing! When one of our staff left, Yona immediately stepped in to lead the Health Scholar Programs’ virtual 2021 Navigate Your Health Career Event. It was a successful event with over 200 participants! She worked tirelessly to make this a great and accessible event for our Roadrunners and Auraria Campus community. In addition, Yona showed exceptional community leadership by contacting major employer partners such as Centura Health, Denver Health and YMCA of Denver to be part of the event. The relationships that she built with these partners are a major asset to MSU Denver students as they continue to build their pathways into careers after graduation. From her work with our Health Scholars to the way she authentically shows up for the Denver community, Yona continues to promote and advocate for equity. Thank you, Yona, for your leadership in equity at the intersection of higher education and health!” 

Yona, thank you for the passion and forward thinking you’ve applied to your work with MSU Denver. We are deeply grateful for your efforts to enrich the Roadrunner community.

Student-employee winner – Noel Corrales, peer mentor and tutor, TRIO Student Support Services

Nominated by Eric Silva, assistant director, TRIO Student Support Services, who wrote:

“Noel has been a PMT with TRIO since the fall of 2019 and has been an incredible addition to our team. As both a TRIO participant and staff member, he cares deeply about the success of our program and our students. Noel is always the first to volunteer to take on a new task or help with onboarding a new staff member. The students he meets with for tutoring always have positive things to say about their meetings with him and often credit him with making their challenging classes feel more manageable. Noel brings positive energy into all of his interactions and is often turned to for support from his peers. The TRIO SSS office is a better place because of his contributions, and we are incredibly grateful for the hard work and dedication he continues to show our students.”

Noel, thank you for tirelessly working to help fellow Roadrunners achieve their possible. MSU Denver is lucky to have a scholar and community leader like you.

To nominate outstanding employees for the Roadrunner Shoutout of the Week award, please complete the form on the Roadrunner Shoutout of the Week webpage. Tell us how your nominee is making an impact through great teaching, service to students or innovation.

Winners will be selected each week and profiled in the Early Bird on Thursdays. Winners will also get a shoutout on social media.