According to Dr. Michele Bennett, associate professor of occupational therapy, Martha Rinella ’19 brings unique contributions to the Division of Occupational Therapy (OT).
“She is creative in designing bulletin boards, uses initiative to add special touches to requests, and problem-solves on her own before seeking answers,” says Dr. Bennett. “She ensures her work gets done in a quality manner, and with a great deal of positivity, thought and creativity—all with a smile.”
Among Martha’s responsibilities are assisting the OT division office in running smoothly, as well as meeting the needs of students, faculty and staff. The job also entails general office work, development and maintenance of bulletin boards, and cleaning and ensuring there are enough supplies in lab spaces.
It is for these reasons, among others, that Dr. Bennett nominated Martha, an occupational science major from Marion, for Keuka College’s Student Employee of the Year award. The award recognizes student-employees for their hard work and contributions.
“Martha always completes work tasks on time and without hesitation,” says Dr. Bennett. “She is quick with her work, but provides quality work, too. Even if she is unsure of a process to complete a task, she usually problem-solves and seeks information from other resources before asking questions.”
That initiative has translated to the other student-worker in the office, whom Martha has helped train and mentor.
“Martha is always willing to go above and beyond to make sure work gets completed, and has excellent communication skills with the other student-worker,” says Dr. Bennett. “They communicate needs with one another and ensure jobs assigned get done. She has shown the student all that is involved in running the OT office, and has done such a good job that new student never has any questions for others.”
And Dr. Bennett says Martha does it all with a smile and a positive “I’ve got this” attitude.
“The impact Martha has made on the OT division has been insurmountable,” says Dr. Bennett. “This office is very busy and can appear to be a stressful environment at different times throughout the year. Martha is always willing to help anyone with any task or project. She adds creativity to many projects and it is evident she will make a wonderful OT in her future.”