Kyin (Jenny) Thi is October Employee of the Month

Kyin (Jenny) Thi has been a vital part of George Mason University’s Office of the Provost since October 2019. For her commitment to her work as personnel operations analyst and her resolute determination to help others, Thi has been recognized as October Employee of the Month.

According to Mike Laskofski, associate vice president of research services, the core Mason values that Thi most embodies are: we thrive together, and we are careful stewards.

“Jenny is a pleasure to work with and provides exceptional support to the Office of Research Services,” said Laskofski. “In her role, she is often asked to provide a quick response to complex HR actions, and she always delivers.”

“Our team’s duties require good stewardship of the information that we work with,” said Kimberly Ford, director of personnel operations. “Jenny takes this responsibility seriously, and she provides an example to our team as well as everyone that she works with.”

Renate Guilford, vice provost for academic administration said, “Jenny is thoughtful, detail oriented, and supportive of our colleagues. Many have pulled me aside to tell me how wonderful it is to work with Jenny.”

“Jenny makes an incredibly positive impact on the entire university community with her amazing organizational skills, proactive communication, and unflaggingly positive and helpful attitude,” said Teresa Finn, associate director of strategic engagement and communications. “She exemplifies what it means to be a Patriot.”

How did you come to Mason:

George Mason University is my first workplace since I immigrated to the United States in 2019. After 16 years of dedicated service, and my highest-level contributions to the U.S Embassy in Myanmar, I was awarded a Special Immigrant Visa. In August 2019, I immigrated to the United States with my family.

Having worked in the field for nearly 16 years, I have a deep love for the human resources role. When I found the opening in the Office of the Provost, I was so excited as I knew that was my dream job. I started working [at Mason] in October 2019.

Best day on the job:

I would say that every day is the best day on the job. Since my job is working as a liaison between Human Resources, the provost budget team, the vice provost and the main hiring departments, it is a very challenging job to bring satisfaction to all parties. But I try my best every day to provide the best service.

What do you like best about working at Mason:

I really like the nature of my job because I can help others in so many ways; especially when I can share my knowledge with other colleagues. From Mason, I have learned a lot and am still learning. In terms of the best benefit, during the two-week winter break we enjoy traveling as a family to visit historic and natural places in this beautiful state and neighboring ones.

What do you like to do when you’re not working:

I have a dream of spending part of the year in my home country to assist people with their education using the knowledge I learned throughout my life. However, with my country’s current situation, I cannot make a safe visit to Myanmar. So I am thinking about utilizing technologies to share my knowledge. And in the rest of the year, I’ll volunteer in some organizations in the United States so that I can help our community in some way.