AC Co-op honours the best of the best students and employers

Posted on Friday, May 15th, 2020

AC Co-op students“I would definitely recommend co-op to another employer. It’s definitely the smartest way to hire young people.”

These were the comments of Lynn Ferron, a Principal with architectural firm HOK and a recent recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Algonquin College Cooperative Education Award.

Ferron, an Interiors practice leader at HOK’s Ottawa studio, is one of five Ottawa-area employers to receive the award this year. As well, five students have been honoured with The Cooperative Education Student Achievement Award. You can check out their profiles here.

The Co-op Department hosts the Cooperative Education Awards of Excellence each year to recognize the contributions of co-op employers and learners. This year, however, the annual celebration and awards ceremony had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 crisis. Nonetheless, the department is still pleased to announce the names of the award winners and offer highlights of their experience with the co-op program.

Both employers and students laud Algonquin’s Co-op program and their co-op terms.

“Their skills were more elevated than what I’ve seen before,” Ferron says of the co-op students who worked for HOK. “They’ve come in here with an open mind and just an amazing attitude.”

“It’s a win-win for both co-op students and the employer,” says Raija Pearce, SW Development Manager, Application Server, Ribbon Communications, noting that the company has been hiring students for a number of years. “The work they do is incorporated into our products and is meaningful. . . . They get to refine and practise the skills they’ve learned in their education, and they’re able to build their networks and develop leadership skills.”

Student award winners are equally thankful.

“I couldn’t have wished for a better place to have as my first employer,” says Anastasia Kurbakovskya, a Geographic Information Systems student who completed her co-op terms with the Ottawa Police Service.

“It really showed me what I can be capable of in the workplace when I’m applying the knowledge I learned from Algonquin and the program,” says Kevin Garrahan, who completed his Bachelor of Building Science (Honours) degree with co-op terms at RND Construction.

“It was a great experience working at the Mint,” says Ragav Mahajan, who satisfied the requirements of a Bachelor of Commerce (e-Supply Chain Management) degree with a co-op term at the Royal Canadian Mint. “They always treated me as a part of the team. … I would definitely recommend the co-op experience.”

The employers who received the Outstanding Contribution to Algonquin College Cooperative Education Award are:

  • Lynn Ferron, HOK;
  • Christine Gan, Bishop Water Technologies;
  • Raija Pearce, Ribbon Communications;
  • Chulaka Ailapperuma and Ranjan Bannerjee, Canada Border Services Agency; and
  • Gaetan Pierre Chartier, Canadian Coast Guard.

The Co-op students who earned The Cooperative Education Student Achievement Award are:

  • Anastasia Kurbakovskaya, Geographic Information Systems program graduate;
  • Kevin Garrahan, Bachelor of Building Science (Honours) graduate;
  • Ragav Mahajan, Bachelor of Commerce (e-Supply Chain Management) graduate;
  • Alexandra (Allie) Timotheou, Interactive Media Design graduate; and
  • Felipe M.S. da Silva, Computer Programmer graduate.

Want to learn more about Algonquin College Co-op? Check it out their web page to learn how you can get involved.


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