February 20, 2019
By Kate O’Neill
n November, Services for Transfer and Re-entry Students (STARS) recognized transfer students who are thoughtful and engaged leaders at UC Santa Cruz, including Chelcie Ndong, an international undergraduate student from Gabon.
Ndong was awarded the STARS certificate of transfer student excellence at the Change-Makers lecture series on Friday, Nov. 16. Each award recipient was nominated by faculty and staff for their outstanding contributions to undergraduate student leadership.
At UC Santa Cruz, Ndong serves as a global leader in the Division of Global Engagement. In this role, she serves as an orientation leader for International Student Orientation, supporting incoming international students, including transfer students, as they begin their collegiate careers in Santa Cruz.
Within the International Student Orientation team, Ndong is a leader. During the fall quarter, she began training newly hired orientation leaders to prepare for the upcoming year’s International Student Orientation.
“Her enthusiasm, willingness and ability to take charge of a group, and strong work ethic are what prompted us to invite her to join the global leader trainer team, where she will assist with training fellow global leaders,” said Keri Toma, global programs manager, in her nomination letter for Ndong.
Ndong’s enthusiasm for supporting her fellow students extends to her time as a student at Cabrillo College. At Cabrillo, Ndong engaged with the student population by sharing her experiences and providing tours to new students at international student orientations as they arrived in Santa Cruz.
Ndong, STARS certificate of transfer student excellence recipient
nternational student advisor, Vanessa Orey, who has worked with Ndong at Cabrillo and UC Santa Cruz, said: “Chelcie is a hard-working transfer student who deserves to be recognized for her leadership and impact in the international transfer community!”
Ndong’s involvement in and support of the campus community is what makes her a change maker at UCSC. She is an asset to our international community and a role model for other students.