Less than two years ago, Evan Frank was a student in the Information Support and Networking Systems program at Meridian Technology Center. Now, he’s Stillwater Medical Center’s 2018 Employee of the Year.

Frank works as a Support Specialist for the hospital’s Information Technology department. In this role, he splits his time assisting personnel at Stillwater Medical Center and in the regional clinics the hospital operates. For him, this award was an affirmation that he’s doing his job by making it easier for other people to do theirs.

“Great patient care is the cornerstone of Stillwater Medical Center,” Frank said. “I may not work directly with patients, but in my role, I feel like I do have an impact on the patient experience by providing support to those who do. I really try to focus on the customer service element of the IT department.”

Frank became eligible for the award after being named Employee of the Month in November. In December, he, along with eleven other top employees, were considered for the Employee of the Year award.

“The Employee of the Year is an award that is entirely staff driven,” said Jennifer Nicholson, Human Resource Information System Analyst at Stillwater Medical Center. “People are nominated for Employee of the Month by their peers. A committee of former Employees of the Year selects an Employee of the Month. At the end of the year, the entire Stillwater Medical Center staff has an opportunity to vote on which Employee of the Month will be named Employee of the Year.”

In addition to earning the top title, Frank received a gift certificate for dinner for four, a Wal-Mart gift card, a plaque and an Employee of the Year pin to wear on his badge. He will also be able to help select future Employees of the Year.

Frank’s commitment to excellence was evident while he was a student at Meridian. In addition to his classroom training, he worked as a student intern in Meridian’s Information Systems department. For a semester, he spent two days in the classroom and three days gaining hands-on experience working with the schools’ IT staff.

He was a member of Business Professionals of America (BPA) and SkillsUSA, two CareerTech Student Organizations associated with his studies. In 2017, Frank participated in skills contests in both organizations. He won first place in BPA’s post-secondary Network Design Team contest and won third place in the BPA state Financial Math & Analysis Concepts open contest as well as the PC Servicing and Troubleshooting contest. In SkillsUSA, he won second place in the Information Technology Service skills contest.

Frank completed his career training at Meridian in May 2017 and began working at Stillwater Medical Center one month later.

For more information on Meridian’s Information Support and Networking Systems program or the other 20 plus career training options visit meridiantech.edu/programs.  To enroll visit www.meridiantech.edu or contact a career counselor by phone at (405) 377-3333 or toll-free at (888) 607-2509.

High school, homeschool and virtual school students who live in Agra, Carney, Glencoe, Guthrie, Morrison, Mulhall-Orlando, Pawnee, Perkins-Tryon, Perry and Stillwater school districts can attend Meridian tuition-free during their junior and senior years. Sophomores can enroll for afternoon programs when space is available. The Biomedical Sciences and Pre-Engineering STEM Academies are open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Applications are now being accepted for high school students. Adult enrollment opens April 1.

Meridian Technology Center has been a driver of economic development since 1975. With a mission to educate, enrich lives and secure economic futures, Meridian offers full-time career training programs, short courses, Business and Industry services and entrepreneurial support to residents from the Agra, Carney, Glencoe, Guthrie, Morrison, Mulhall-Orlando, Pawnee, Perkins-Tryon, Perry and Stillwater school districts.