Zoe Januszewski, a student in the Foisie School of Business Industrial Engineering program, is the Peer Learning Assistant (PLA) of the Year 2021.
In their nomination, faculty commended Zoe’s for her creative contributions in support of BUS 3020, Achieving Effective Operations. They described how she quickly changed from the clock lab to a simulation study of the COVID testing in Harrington, leading 20 student teams analyzing the process in real time. Zoe’s work with the WPI CERT team during the term lead to significant improvements in COVID testing on campus.
Zoe’s fellow PLAs described her enthusiasm and passion for teaching the lab. They noted how she made the labs exciting and interactive via Zoom. They praised Zoe’s organization skills, industrial knowledge and leadership roles on campus as President of WPI’s Institute of Industrial and System Engineers and CEO of Gompei Goat Cheese. Students appreciated how Zoe made a point of connecting with online students who had no experience with the testing system on campus. She helped students beyond the boundaries of class by reaching out about club events and opportunities to apply for assistant PLA positions in her department.
Each letter highlighted how Zoe gave her time to help students when they needed it most. There were many great candidates nominated, but the committee thought Zoe’s contributions and her positive impacts for our community were exceptional.
Please join us in Congratulating Zoe Januszewski as the WPI Peer Learning Assistant of the Year for the 2020-21 academic year!
This award has been presented by the Morgan Teaching and Learning Center annually since 2013, in recognition of the key role of peer assistants in supporting distinctive undergraduate education at WPI.