An accomplished student employed in The Workshop at VCU Libraries, Jayden Stanley, is one of three employees honored as VCU’s 2026 Student Employees of the Year. 

According to the selection committee, these awards celebrate VCU’s hardworking student staff who create immeasurable impact on campus, in the surrounding community and beyond. In addition to Stanley, honorees are Emma Biniyam Toggia from the Institute for  Contemporary Art and Danielle Hall of the Campus Learning Center. 

Stanley started in Spring 2024 as a service point Workshop Assistant, working at the front desk, providing orientations for studios and makerspace equipment and leading class tours. They also independently developed and led workshops on documenting work for professional portfolios that proved popular with students. Promoted this year to a new Technical Assistant role, she has focused on equipment repair and maintenance, updating  software and hardware and organizing various tools and spaces. This year, Stanley facilitated training student staff on use of new equipment and managed a significant backlog of new and old equipment that need organizing or repair. Finally, they solved some supply and storage issues with a huge reorganizational effort that made it easier for fellow student staff to find what they needed.  

Stanley is a VCUarts student majoring in craft and materials studies with a spring, 2026 graduation date. She presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research about her Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program project "Methods, materials, and machines: A craft-based investigation of creative technologies." The project investigated the ways creative technologies could support rather than replace traditional craft methods. The Workshop was the research site. 

 "As a supervisor, it has been especially meaningful to watch Jayden grow into an indispensable member of our team,” said interim department head of Creative Technologies and Scholarship Oscar Keyes, Ph.D. in the nomination for the award. “Their willingness to take initiative and support others has made a lasting impact on our department. 

“Jayden brings a rare combination of technical skill, curiosity and generosity that elevates the work of those around them. I have no doubt that the work ethic and values Jayden demonstrates as a student employee will continue to shape their future professional practice. The Workshop would not be what it is today without Jayden.”