Thoughtful. Articulate. Supportive. Meaningful relationships. These are the words used over and over to describe Shannon Rooney, a youth apprentice at Tolmar who was awarded an Outstanding Apprentice Award at the Colorado Apprenticeship Awards hosted by Apprenticeship Colorado.

As a youth apprentice, Shannon stood out as a 16-year old for being wise beyond her years with the maturity of a seasoned employee. When she first started at Tolmar, she joined as an apprentice in the manufacturing department and was quickly spotlighted as a potential apprentice for another role in Quality Assurance.

It was Shannon’s ability to adapt to a fully remote schedule and her communication skills that made her stand out to those at Tolmar. As she continued to work hard and grow into a mature employee, she decided to continue her apprenticeship while enrolling in Colorado State University as a Human Resources major.

The path she chose helped Tolmar figure out what position to utilize Shannon best within the company. She was hired as the Apprentice Program Coordinator in a part-time position so she can gain experience for her intended career while also attending college.

“Shannon quickly became indispensable as a coordinator and forged meaningful and supportive relationships with all the apprentices at Tolmar,” said Sylvia Robinson, who nominated Shannon for the Outstanding Apprentice Award, “Soon, she’ll start a regular part-time position — to accommodate her college schedule — at Tolmar in Patient Safety.”

The flexibility to continue with the company she has been with since she was 16 while also attending college was important to her and an added benefit from the apprenticeship she completed. Tolmar, knowing how terrific Shannon is as an employee and how strong of a leader she is, is keeping an eye on her graduation date for any potential Human Resources positions that would utilize all of her skills.