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Across The ����aa����, about 400 student employees play some role in the activities that keep the institution running smoothly — from marketing to campus events to career services. But on-campus employment does more than provide infrastructural support for departments, or financial support for students. It’s also a training arena for young adults to prepare for their life post-graduation.

Elise Aydelotte, who has helmed the Office of Student Employment for a decade, has helped set the program’s direction, building a work culture that students are more eager than ever to participate in. At the core of Aydelotte’s efforts is a desire for students to benefit from a reciprocal relationship between work and academics.

“Students who also work — whether on or off campus — up to 20 hours a week tend to perform better academically,” Aydelotte said. “And the reason is that students are able to take what they’re learning in the classroom and apply it in a very practical, real-world way in the workplace.”

Aydelotte said that she wants every job on campus to provide some sort of learning opportunity for students, whether personally or professionally. In pursuit of that focus, TMU restructured student employment four years ago to reflect the real-world job market. The goal was to create work opportunities that would better interface with student ambitions and passions.

The program now functions through a competitive hiring process that requires students to create professional resumes, fill out job applications, and undergo interviews.

As a result, both employers and employees have become increasingly invested in the work opportunities on campus. “The supervisors are so encouraged and excited to see what their students are showcasing,” Aydelotte said, “and I think students have learned how to market themselves better.”

Mariah Hildebrandt (’23) is one example of how student employment can set the stage for post-graduation life. As a business major, Hildebrandt began helping the administrative and recruiting efforts of her cross country and track and field teams.

“I saw how much I loved working with people and loved working in an administrative, communicating role,” Hildebrandt says. “Student employment gave me a chance to see that.”

The experience inspired Hildebrandt to join TMU’s admissions staff full-time after graduation, giving her the opportunity to continue interfacing with new and prospective students.

Hildebrandt is just one of many students who have benefited from the program in the last few years. But Aydelotte sees student employment as investing in a purpose far beyond the University’s campus.

“We are emissaries of the kingdom,” she said. “It’s not just about their education here. It’s also about the small part we get to play in equipping them to go to all the different corners of the Earth and make an eternal impact through their work.”

Learn more about TMU’s Office of Student Employment at masters.edu/student-employment.