Student Life Achievement Awards | 2021

10 2021 NOMINEES FOR Staff Person of the Year Cavell Vassell—College of Psychology Cavell Vassell has worked in the College of Psychology since 2017. She has been part of the NSU community since 2010. She also worked at Yale University. With her 27 years in academia, the NSU core values have always been an integral part of her work ethics. She best exemplifies these values through interpersonal relations with others and understanding the importance of disseminating accurate information and tailoring it to meet the needs of a diverse population. Vassell ensures the integrity of the information by researching appropriate resources. The most rewarding aspect of her current position is helping to minimize the stressors affecting students. NSU is special to her because of its constant technology improvements, especially with cybersecurity, and its adaptability with changing times. The COVID-19 pandemic definitely showed off the university’s flexibility. Jessica Bermudez—Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences Jessica Bermudez joined the PA program at NSU Fort Lauderdale in January 2018 as the clinical support coordinator. She manages clinical rotations for senior PA students. Bermudez grew up in Colombia and moved to the United States in 1999. She earned her Associate of Science in Graphic Design at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, where she graduated as a Magna Cum-Laude and was nominated for Best Portfolio. Currently, she is a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Health Science degree with a concentration in Health Care Administration at NSU’s Dr. Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences. Her biggest motivations are her husband and three kids. Her hobbies include Pilates, watersports, and painting. She also loves cooking for family and friends. Fun fact: Her family volunteers for the YATC Cool Wheels Car Show every year. Daisy De La Rosa, M.I.L.S.—NSU Libraries Daisy De La Rosa has been a reference and instruction librarian at the Martin and Gail Press Health Professions Division Library (Press HPD Library) since 2017. From 2013–2015, she also worked at the Press HPD Library as a serials library assistant while pursuing her degree in library and information studies. De La Rosa provides reference and research assistance and delivers instruction on topics such as literature searching, orientation to library resources, and other information literacy concepts. NSU has always provided her with the opportunities to grow personally and professionally. She finds working with her colleagues and assisting students and faculty and staff members to be the most rewarding aspect of her position. She also enjoys the opportunities to learn something new every day. Reyhan Lyles, M.S.—NSU Tampa Bay Regional Campus Reyhan Lyles has served as an admissions counselor at the Tampa Bay Regional Campus for the Health Professions Division Admissions office since 2018. Lyles has a master’s degree in counselor education with an emphasis in student services in higher education. She has been involved with committees at the Chamber of Commerce as well as volunteering with professional organizations in higher education. Nova Southeastern University’s Core Values and dedicated faculty and staff members make it a special place to work. Having the opportunity to assist applicants with starting their journey toward becoming health care professionals is very rewarding. It is her goal to be student centered and offer excellent customer service to applicants and students. Wendy Meyers—Office of Innovation and Information Technology Wendy Meyers has worked at Nova Southeastern University for 20 years, starting at what was then the Fischler School of Education, where she began as a secretary, then worked herself up to manager. After that, she became the IZone administrator of course management before moving to OIIT as an application administrator. Meyers has moved up and acquired a lot of knowledge and skills on her journey with NSU. Along the way, she got her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the university, as well as acquiring an A.S. in Paralegal from Miami Dade College. Meyers enjoys troubleshooting issues and assisting staff members and students with OIIT applications. One of the most rewarding aspects of her job is that she is able to work with and help others in all departments and roles, seeing student success and the fruition of our programs, the NSU Vision, and university achievements. She is glad to be a part of NSU and what it has to offer, feeling that it gives everyone a chance/opportunity to succeed, as well as better the community.