Celebrating Staff Achievement: Honoring our first cohort of the ABSO Certificate Program

On March 19, 2025, in a heartfelt ceremony, we proudly recognized five exceptional staff members who completed the foundational track of the ABSO Certificate Program, Pathway to Employee Excellence. Launched in Fall 2023, this professional development initiative aims to refresh, strengthen, and teach new skills to staff employees within Academic Affairs.

Since its inception, the program has offered three comprehensive courses focusing on basic personnel management, basic budget and financial management, and event planning. With approximately 100 Academic Affairs staff participating in at least one course, these five individuals demonstrated remarkable persistence by completing all three courses, which included assignments and quizzes.

Congratulations to:

• Nima Abrishamkar, Senior Analyst, Programs and Operations, Applied Data Science
• Sarah Kam, Senior College Resource Analyst, COSS Dean’s Office
• Kristina Luna, Administrative Services Specialist, School of Information
• Lydie Rashel, Administrative Analyst, Mechanical Engineering
• Mahasti Tayebi, Administrative Support Coordinator, Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

During the ceremony, Provost Vincent Del Casino and AVP Sami Monsur presented certificates of completion, joined by colleagues, directors, and deans who came to celebrate and support their staff’s professional growth. The honorees can proudly showcase their ABSO training badge in their professional portfolios, highlighting their achievements and skills.

Honoree Highlights:

“I love communicating and being in touch with students…I love the training.” — Nima Abrishamkar
“I’m grateful for this training… it gave me exposure to how the university works.” — Sarah Kam
“I love my job. I grow and learn every day… this training was wonderful.” — Mahasti Tayebi
“The better I am, the better our faculty and students can focus on their work.” — Lydie Rashel
“I’ve learned in each module… it’s necessary to stay fresh.” — Kristina Luna

Leadership Reflections:

AVP Monsur encouraged participants to see this as a stepping stone: “These trainings show that the campus is open to you — even beyond our division — as growth opportunities arise.” The program seeks to empower employees through knowledge. 

Provost Del Casino applauded the dedication shown: “This is above and beyond your day-to-day work. It’s inspiring to see people invest in each other and build community. Congratulations to everyone!”

What’s Next?

We’re excited to announce new courses in the exploratory track this summer: Fundamentals of Enrollment Management and Intro to Change Management (ADKAR Method). We’re also offering Introduction to Courses & Class Scheduling as part of the foundational track. Stay tuned for more details!

Again, congratulations to our first cohort for their dedication and achievement. We look forward to seeing more staff continue to grow and thrive through this impactful program.