Ball State University, Photo Courtesy
Student employment can be intimidating, but Byron Ballard always offers friendly advice to students who need help.
Byron Ballard started working at the Ball State Career Center in 1996. For 21 years, he worked to improve the Career Center and accommodate both students and teachers.
Julie Short, assistant director of data operations and technology for the Career Center, said that Ballard has been the face of student employment on campus for years, and pushed his students to be successful both academically and professionally.
“He offered a warm, welcoming presence for students,” Short said. “He put them at ease and helped make the student employment process more understandable.”
Talking to nervous students was one of Ballard’s favorite parts of his job. He loved building relationships with them and helping them overcome challenges.
Two years ago, Ballard was able to reconnect with a student that he had mentored over a decade ago. She was from a small town and was intimidated by Ball State’s campus, so Ballard helped her feel more comfortable.
Both Ballard and the student were able to recognize each other and talk about everything that had happened in their lives since she had graduated. Listening to her story of finding a job and starting a family reminded Ballard that he wanted to form similar connections with every student he meets.
Even after several years, Ballard wants to be able to interact with students and find out where their career has taken them.
Ballard was also known to work beyond what his job title required, Short said. He trained both faculty and students to be more professional in their fields, offering generational advice such as how to interact with people from different generations.
“He took customer service to the next level to meet community needs,” Short said. “He saw a void and filled it out of his own initiative; the role is now elevated.”
Along with all of his other responsibilities, Ballard also took the time to help student employees such as Kaia Thompson, senior communication studies major and former career assistant, work with other students.
“He offered me a lot of career advice, encouragement and support, both professionally and personally,” Thompson said. “He made the operations easier for workers and more efficient.”
While Ballard enjoys meeting students and forming relationships with strangers, he has decided to move on to study adult and community education as a graduate student at Ball State.
“I want to further my education for more opportunities to contribute to society,” Ballard said.
Looking back at his time at the Career Center, Ballard hopes to have made an impact on the students that he has met and wants people to see that student employment matters.
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