ITS proudly recognizes Nan Jiang, Senior Application Developer, as the April 2024 Employee of the Month, for her remarkable contributions to the Financial Aid Preliminary Award project. Nominated by Hak Lee, SIS Operations and Support Manager, Nan has significantly enhanced the efficiency and accuracy of financial aid processing for UCR.

Federal changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form eliminated questions necessary to administer accurate housing financial aid for students. As a result, the Financial Aid Office required the completion of a project by the start of the 2024-2025 Academic Year to process housing status for UCR students.

Nan's exceptional customer service and adaptability are evident in her dedication to meeting the needs of the Financial Aid Office. As Hak Lee mentioned in his nomination:

Nan has shown an incredible level of customer service to Financial Aid through her positive attitude [and] willingness to pivot shifting priorities, [as well as] working long hours and showing an amazing level of patience.

Nan's collaborative spirit has been a cornerstone of her success. She maintained seamless communication through email, Slack, and Zoom meetings, working closely with Financial Aid and ITS stakeholders. "Nan is extremely responsive to all forms of communications, and has worked closely with stakeholders in Financial Aid and other colleagues within ITS to accomplish the completion of a project that Financial Aid desperately needed," Hak noted. Her effective teamwork ensured the timely completion of a critical project for the 2024-2025 Academic Year.

Despite having no experience working with Financial Aid systems, Nan tackled the Financial Aid Preliminary Award project with determination and efficiency. She delivered outstanding results within a tight two-month deadline. Her focus on customer success and meticulous attention to detail were pivotal in overcoming numerous challenges.

"Nan was given a Business Requirements Document with over 25 business requirements and two integration points in an area she had no prior experience with," Hak shared. She immediately got to work and successfully completed the project within the timeline set.

Nan's technical innovation was instrumental in empowering the Financial Aid team. By minimizing hard coding and giving the customer the ability to update static values independently, she reduced the need for ITS involvement in minor changes. Her detailed documentation and demonstrations were invaluable in equipping the customer to maintain their own year-over-year updates.

Nan's contributions have profoundly impacted the Financial Aid process, allowing the office to estimate aid for over 22,000 incoming undergraduates and process housing status for more than 1,700 students. Her efforts have brought much-needed efficiency and clarity during a challenging time of federal changes and vendor delays. Hak commended Nan in his nomination:

This new 2024-2025 award year has been one of the most difficult years for Financial Aid due to so many changes from the federal government, prompting numerous business process changes and multiple defects and delays from our vendor. But through all of the headaches and heartaches, Nan has [been] a ray of sunshine [during] one of the most stressful times for Financial Aid. Thank you Nan for your exemplary work!”

Nan’s skills, dedication to customer success, and collaborative spirit were instrumental in innovating applications and optimizing internal processes. Congratulations, Nan, on this well-deserved recognition!

Do you have colleagues who deserve recognition for their hard work and dedication? Nominate them for one of ITS’ Employee Recognition Programs!

Staff members can be nominated for Employee of the Month or Team of the Quarter. Use our form to submit your nomination for the next Employee of the Month.