March 21-25 is National Co-op Week, recognizing the value and importance of co-operative education at Canada's colleges and universities, and Conestoga College is marking the occasion by naming the recipients of its Co-op Student of the Year Award. The purpose of this award is to celebrate the hard work and dedication that these outstanding co-op students have displayed during their work terms. From the first step of creating and perfecting their resumes, to the last step of the completion of their co-op placements, the amount of effort that goes into the co-op process each year is remarkable and praiseworthy.
Conestoga currently has 22 co-op programs available. As opposed to selecting only two students, as was done in the past, this year Conestoga College decided to select two from each participating academic school. There are four recipients in all.
Students were evaluated based on their employers' statements of co-op achievement, their extracurricular activities, their resumes, their transcripts and a personal statement of what they felt they learned on their co-op work terms. Each selected recipient will receive $250 dollars and an award plaque at a special presentation on March 24 at Conestoga.
From the School of Business and Hospitality, Riaz Jiwa, a Business Administration - Materials and Operations Management student from Waterloo, was selected for his commitment to the assurance of sufficient materials to support the production schedule in a way that impressed his co-op supervisors at Kellogg Canada Inc. in London. The second School of Business and Hospitality recipient is Erin McAnulty of Guelph. Erin is a Business Administration - Marketing student, and her co-op employer at Homewood Health Centre in Guelph was very praiseworthy in commenting on how she accomplished her work with speed and accuracy, even in stressful situations.
From the School of Engineering and Information Technology, the recipients are Lauren Weber of Waterloo and Chris McLaren of Ayr. Lauren is in the Electronics Engineering Technology - Telecommunications Systems program and did his co-op placement at Research In Motion, a world leader in wireless communications technology based in Waterloo. Notable were his excellent teamwork skills and constant high-level efforts in carrying out tasks and assignments. Chris is a Woodworking Technology - Architectural Millwork student and was employed with Gillies Lumber, Staircase and Millwork in Cambridge. His co-op employer singled out Chris for his skills and the initiative that he displayed on a regular basis.
Co-operative education, which gives students the opportunity to work in paid employment related to their chosen fields of study, combining periods in college or university with real-world experiences and situations, has become a much-respected and highly valued form of practical higher education.
CONTACT: Mary Wright, Co-op and Career Services, 519-748-5220, ext. 3219, mwright@conestogac.on.ca