Spring 2020 Staff Award Recipients

YEN PHUN
Administrative Support Coordinator I
Department of Mathematics and Statistics

Yen Phun’s experience with Cal Poly Pomona started 20 years ago when she came to campus for her brother’s graduation. She liked what she saw, decided to apply for a job, and was hired.

She started as a temporary emergency hire, Administrative Support Assistant II in the College of Science Instructional Support Center, then moved to University Advancement Services as a Data Entry Clerk before being hired as a permanent employee, Administrative Support Assistant II in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. She was re-classified to Administrative Support Coordinator I after she absorbed some of the job duties from staff members who retired or separated from CPP.

Phun also helped with orientation over Zoom along with co-workers, Sabrina, Cidni and Ian. During spring registration, Phun and her co-workers staff a Zoom room from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. to answer student inquiries and provide permission numbers to students.

The department says that Phun helped make the transition to remote work a smooth one. “I think in some ways the virtual environment is more efficient in terms of sharing files,” Phun said.

In addition to maintaining a steady workload, she worked with the IT department to get Cisco Jabber set up.

The opportunity to interact with students and faculty is what Phun likes most about her job.

When she's not working, she enjoys going for walks, trying out new recipes, and listening to Chinese instrumental music and also 90’s music.  Nirvana and Pearl Jam are some of her favorite bands.

DESIREE TAX
Instructional Support Technician II
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Like about half of Cal Poly Pomona students, Desiree Tax is a first-generation college graduate. “I honestly never thought I would go. I heard my friend was taking her SAT’s and I said, ‘what’s that,’” Tax said.

Her friend encouraged her and also helped her to apply to college. She earned her BS from UC Santa Cruz and her MS from San Francisco State before coming to work for the College of Science.

Tax said, “I had a high school physics teacher who was so enthusiastic. He made learning fun. I knew I wanted to do something in science.” She initially majored in biology but found that chemistry suited her better.

“In chemistry, there seemed to be more certainty. The math behind it made it easier for me to grasp,” Tax said.

Tax sets up labs for the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Her responsibilities include supporting biochemistry, analytical, and quantitative chemistry. She also ensures that there are adequate supplies of chemicals.

The transition to virtual instruction means that much of her set up now involves setting up labs for faculty to shoot videos of experiments.

When in-person classes were in session she was assisted by student workers who helped transport some of the heavy chemicals and equipment and assisted with the checkout of glassware to students. She supports labs in all three science buildings.

It was a student worker who challenged Tax to participate in a Spartan Race. That led to a love of running. Tax has since participated in the Chicago marathon and runs three to four times a week, some days more than ten miles.

She likes the diversity of students at CPP and her favorite thing about the job is getting to see them progress through their academic careers.