Rooney gets SDSU employee honor

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BROOKINGS – Whether it was scooping ice cream for a large group of visitors or moving buckets in a freezer, Sarah Rooney enjoys recalling her time working at the South Dakota State University Dairy Bar in high school.

“My favorite part was seeing the faces of the customers as they were amazed they had so many flavor choices to choose from and their amazement that it was all made right here on campus,” Rooney said.

That happiness at work and can-do attitude have allowed Rooney to be South Dakota State University’s Civil Service Employee of the Month for January. Her reception will now start at 2:45 p.m. Feb. 21 in room 104 of Morrill Hall. The event was originally scheduled for Jan. 30 but was postponed due to the university’s closure that day.

Rooney, a native of Volga, was a high school sophomore when she started in the SDSU Dairy Bar. After graduating from Dakota State, Rooney started as a full-time employee in loan collections and now works as a financial program assistant in accounting.

Nominators praised her personality and her willingness to take on any project.

“Sarah’s warm and kindhearted personality shines through to all,” said Pam Iverson, an accounting assistant. “There is always a smile on her face and she is more than ready to assist others when her time allows. Sarah took on a much larger role shortly after coming to accounting. She began working as our financial program assistant and faced the situation of having to do much cleanup to get the P-cards in order as well as learning the ins and outs of scheduling the SDSU airplane, which is no small task. Sarah tackled these tasks with enthusiasm, determination and a positive attitude – even when it got frustrating. Sarah’s smile, sense of humor and upbeat personality make her a great co-worker.”

Rooney and her husband, Dan, live in Brookings and they enjoy camping and attending Jackrabbits athletics events.

“I love my job and all of the wonderful people I get to work with on a daily basis,” Rooney said. “I enjoy helping others and am very passionate about what I do and about SDSU.”