Student Employee of the Year Denis Aleman (left) and supervisor Jonathan Klepper

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Center for Reading Research intern, Denis Aleman, has received the 2019 Florida State University Student Employee of the Year Vires Award. The award, given to the student employee who has gone above and beyond in taking initiative in their role, was presented at a special ceremony held on April 8, 2019, in the Oglesby Union Ballroom. “This award was such a monumental milestone in my academic journey. It’s moments like these that reminds me I’m working in my passion, and that student interns can always make an impact if they work hard,” Aleman stated.

Aleman, a senior psychology major with a minor in Sociology, was selected from a pool of over 100 nominees. His supervisor, Associate in Research Jonathan Klepper stated, “Beginning on his first day, he set himself apart from the other undergraduate employees. His interest in the work of FCRR and the Preschool Research Group, as well as his willingness to learn catapulted him to roles not originally expected for a first-semester intern.”

Aleman was originally drawn to working at FCRR through his enrollment in a course taught by FCRR Associate Director, Dr. Chris Lonigan. He was one of four undergraduates hired in 2018 to work on Dr. Lonigan’s projects through the InternFSU program. The program, funded through the Office of the Provost, provides half of the funding for a paid semester internship. FCRR Director, Dr. Don Compton, allocated the remaining funds.

Aleman sees a bright future ahead of him after completing his undergraduate coursework. “I’d like to take the opportunity to combine the research skills and intervention techniques I’ve gained at FCRR and implement them in my journey towards a Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis. After finishing my Bachelor’s degree this Spring, I plan on gaining direct experience with kids on the autism spectrum so I can be well-prepared for graduate school.”

Learn more about the InternFSU program at https://career.fsu.edu/students/gain-experience/landing-an-internship/InternFSU.

The Florida Center for Reading Research is a multidisciplinary research center at Florida State University that explores all aspects of reading research — basic research into literacy-related skills for typically developing readers and those who struggle, studies of effective prevention and intervention, and psychometric work on formative assessment. For more information, please contact Nathan Archer at narcher@fcrr.org.