By Kristin Canning

Christina Walker ’12 is not your average student employee.

After working for four years for Wartburg College’s Technical Productions Department, the student manager and assistant technical director was first named Wartburg’s Student Employee of the Year and then was cited as the top Iowa student worker by the Midwest Association of Student Employment Administrators.

“I was absolutely surprised about getting the award,” Walker said, “but I am also proud and excited to be able to represent Wartburg at the state level.”  

Hans Pregler, production manager for Technical Productions, nominated her for the Wartburg award.

 “I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award and recognition than Christina. The list of her accomplishments goes on and on,” Pregler wrote in his nomination. “I very rarely have a student as dedicated to her job as Christina has been.”

This year, Walker, a social work major from Aurora, Colo., was the stage manager for Christmas with Wartburg, a position that involved more than 200 cues for lighting, flame, movement and sound effects, while also directing the flow of information between conductors and the technical crew.

“The stage manager is the key person holding the integrity of the performance together. Christina has worked with faculty, staff, and administration to advance the design and creativity of the performance to new levels in the past three years,” Pregler wrote.

“I became interested in theatre when I was an actress in high school and was curious to learn about the technical, behind the scenes aspect of the theatre,” Walker said. “Working in Neumann has been fantastic all four years, but the best parts of the job are the large load-ins we do occasionally. I’ve also really enjoyed working in Des Moines for Christmas with Wartburg and in The W for commencement.”  

While most student managers are assigned to a specific campus group to coordinate the logistical progression of an event, Walker has worked with several groups, including ETK, International Club, Alliance and Homecoming Committee.

She has held the highest position a student can have on the Technical Productions staff. Pregler has worked with her since her freshman year.

“Right away I could tell that Christina would take natural leadership in our 15-person crew, and that she would be a dedicated, passionate worker,” Pregler wrote.

Walker has helped interview and hire new students to the crew, and she works with on-campus clients as well as community members in setting up and operating technical needs for events.

Pregler wrote that Walker’s “unique, professional demeanor” makes her a great representative for Technical Productions and Wartburg.

Walker works with a number of different and sometimes difficult personalities, answering questions and managing needs through emails and phone calls. Last summer she created a wireless database, which helps campus staff manage the college’s wireless frequencies in order to meet FCC requirements.

“If you ask departments around campus about Christina, you will see how widespread her impact at Wartburg has been in just four years,” Pregler wrote. “I will greatly miss her loyal management and commitment to our work.”

Walkers will work on her master’s degree in social work at graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis. Her goal is to become a Licensed Independent Social Worker helping trauma victims.

Student Employment Coordinator Abbie Kottke stated the award “highlights the tremendous bond our supervisors and student-employees have with each other. The mentoring aspect of our student employment program is truly what makes our student employment program stand out among other colleges.”