What began as a “bold idea” in the 2017 Bold Ideas Challenge has now come to fruition in Fresno State’s newest employee recognition program — High Five. Click here to read about how the program began.

High Fives are easy to give — simply go to the High Five website on the Organizational Excellence webpage, click “Give a High Five” and fill out the form to send kudos to anyone on campus. Your message will be delivered straight to their inbox, and recipients will be acknowledged weekly in Campus News.

Read below how your colleagues are going above and beyond to help the campus community.

(Note: Campus News edited comments only for misspellings and missing or incomplete words. They appear mostly as written for each employee.)

Above & Beyond

Curt Ward, Technology Services
Curt goes out of his way to finish the job correctly and with high professionalism. Thank you Curt, you deserve it!

Emogene Nelson, College of Health and Human Services
Emogene goes above and beyond in the College of Health and Human services making sure everyone knows their value at work as well as home life. Her leadership skills go without saying the kind of person Emogene Nelson is. Her dedication and willingness to help others truly make a big difference in our office. Emogene is always the first to take on tasks big or small, inviting all to make a move toward the goal of success.

Katelyn Spencer, University Advancement
In light of unforeseen events Katelyn jumped into unknown territory and helped Planned Giving move in the direction given to us. She was quick to think, act and help Planned Giving, like always, with a positive and productive attitude! Kate you went above and beyond once again. You are valued and appreciated.

Diane Volpp, Faculty Affairs
Going above and beyond to serve and respect our retired faculty! What an amazing ambassador of Fresno State! Thank you for your care and concern for Emeriti!

Maria De La Mora, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
Maria is an incredibly conscientious financial aid counselor who is dedicated to assisting our students to the best of her ability. She demonstrates great empathy and understanding for students struggling or in distress, and she will do her best to resolve their financial aid issues. She views students holistically and takes the time to listen to students and their stories; students are much more than their ID numbers.

Maria manages external scholarships for the institution, which is a huge undertaking in addition to her counselor duties. Understanding how even a couple hundred dollars can make a big difference in our students' lives, Maria will stay long after business hours to do her best to post scholarships to accounts. She does not have to do this, but chooses to because she cares about student success and learning.

As a sometimes hectic and perpetually busy office, we can sometimes forget to recognize the good work people are doing and instead focus on what we could do better. I want Maria to know that we appreciate her dedication to students, and for always being ready to assist co-workers in any way. She is a great asset to our office and campus!

Angelica Reyes, VPA
Crazy and uncertain times have called on many on campus to step up. Our Cabinet and leadership team is leading us through these days with clear and thoughtful communications and we know they are keeping everyone's safety and best interest in mind. We are grateful for this leadership.

Behind our campus leaders is an extraordinary team of dedicated, loyal and amazing support staff - our Cabinet Assistants. They are juggling calendars, rearranging meetings, maintaining their cool and handling uncertainty with care, compassion and professionalism. They are our unsung heroes. This is a shout out to one of our extraordinary Cabinet Assistants who has really stepped up. Thank you Angelica Reyes for navigating this challenge with care, compassion, impeccable judgment and your usual attention to detail. High Five Angelica - we appreciate you!

Jerry, Plant Operations
I would like to give Jerry a kudos for coming in on two occasions to resolve my lighting and clock adjustment. He was here promptly and was friendly, amazing customer service. The first time he came by to fix two lighting fixtures but he was able to repair other lights in our office. Thanks to him he made our world brighter one light bulb at a time.

Kristi Larkin, Scheduling Office
Hello. I would like to give kudos to Kristi Larkin for giving us exceptional customer service. She has had a huge impact in our department. Since I am fairly new, I appreciate how patient she is with me. Along with her team, she is responsive, kind and understanding of how difficult it could be to schedule rooms for our events. Without this amazing team, I would be lost trying to navigate all the rooms that we require for our events.

Nate Gapasin, Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Office of the Dean

Adeline Ford, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
Adeline, or "Ad," is one of the most conscientious staff members I have ever had the fortune to encounter. She has her own internal barometer that motivates her to produce high-quality work. During my tenure in this office, Ad has transitioned to managing two very important processes in our office, and she has done an excellent job in both improving them and following her own set deadlines to promote good customer service.

When I began work in this office in August 2017, Ad really took me under her wing and made the time to answer my incessant list of questions. She took the time to explain complex processes and review our office philosophies. I would have been lost without her guidance and support those first six months in the office. Two-and-a-half years later, Ad is usually my No. 1 go-to for questions; even if she doesn't know the answer, she always helps me find the answer. I'm so grateful we have her in our office.

Excellent Customer Service

Nate Gapasin, Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Office of the Dean

Mike, Plant Operations

Modeling Principles of Communication

Adeline Ford, Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships

Saved My Bacon!

Monica Olmedo, University Advising Center