Recipients – 2021 Co-op Awards of Excellence
Carolyn Telewiak, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Quote from nomination:
“I was so lucky to be able to join this incredible team. The work environment is so friendly and welcoming. I got great training and started my independent role 2 weeks after joining and I had the chance to put my learning knowledge into practice. I tried to work hard and my supervisor recognized it, so it leads for me to join the team under a casual contract. I really appreciate all of Carolyn’s support and everything she thought me.”
– Samira Tazikeh, Co-op Student, Project Management
Jason W. Dubois and Nora Doerr-MacEwan, Health Canada
Quote from nomination:
“Algonquin College and co-op at Health Canada significantly changed my life by providing me opportunities to gain work experience in the government, improve my communication skills and expand my network; and finally helped me to find my current dream job as a scientific evaluator. Nora assigned me to different working groups to understand how teamwork is conducted in the government and to help me to expand my network. Jason also encouraged me to attend different meetings, such as meeting with the director-general to familiarize myself with the management system in government. After I got my current job, he continues to support me.”
– Reza Salehi Karashk, Co-op Student, Regulatory Affairs (Sciences)
Katey Gervais, The Herb Garden
Quote from nomination:
“My learning experience with The Herb Garden was outstanding, I could not have asked for a better opportunity to learn practical horticultural skills and find career-building inspiration. I had my sights set on this placement from the beginning of the program. I learned so much from Katey’s work ethic, business management and creativity.”
– Frances MacDonald, Co-op Student, Horticulture Industries
Matthew Ronning, Solace
Quote from nomination:
“Solace has gone above and beyond the traditional means of being an employer by making you feel you’re an actual employee instead of just a student. Solace went above and beyond by having a dedicated Slack channel for co-op students where HR hosted fun games and free lunches on them through Microsoft Teams meetings. Overall, Solace has left an impressive impact on me as it will be tough finding another company post-graduation that makes you feel as included and “at home” as Solace did.”
– Nick Voltis, Co-op Student, Computer Systems Technician
Pauline Kuo, Department of National Defence
Quote from nomination:
“Continuous learning and sharing are emphasized in our team. Even though we have been working remotely, my supervisor offered me many opportunities for training, workshops, and meetings to explore SAP and boost my knowledge about SAP. My co-workers are smart and hard-working, they like sharing and when I have questions they help me out and provide me with answers.”
– Si Lin, Co-op Student, Computer Programming
Sharon Lewinson, RideShark
Quote from nomination:
“RideShark surpassed all of my expectations by hiring me as a marketing assistant and guiding me through various projects that can be put on my resume, like attending conferences and the creation of a video that is now on the Government of Canada website. This experience has had an incredible impact on my personal and professional development. With a passion for entrepreneurship myself, working alongside such accomplished business owners like Sharon and Tom has been an invaluable experience and has already been beneficial to my studies.”
– Logan Hill, Co-op Student, Business Admin General
Spinder Hundal, Canadian Border Services Agency
Quote from nomination:
“Overall, this experience at CBSA changed me as a person. It was a great place to kick off my career and gain valuable work experience. As a person, I learned how to take responsibility. I also learned valuable public speaking skills. I was always encouraged to participate, and it was even expected of me. If I could change anything about this coop, I simply wouldn’t.”
– Martin Weaver, Co-op Student, Computer Engineering Technology
Annabel Geng
Business Intelligence System Infrastructure Co-op Student
Junior Project Officer, Canada Revenue Agency
Quote from nomination:
“Annabel continues to reflect the excellence of Algonquin College. She was able to take the modern concepts and best practices she learned during her studies at Algonquin College and apply them proficiently to the many different technologies and business use cases at CRA.”
– Rodney Favereau, The Canada Revenue Agency’s Collection and Verification Branch – Resource Allocation and Monitoring Division
Claire Winmill
Interactive Media Design Co-op student
Junior Graphic Designer, Department of National Defence
Quote from nomination:
“Claire continuously went above and beyond expectations in terms of her proficiencies in creating and developing infographics, icons, and other vector graphics. She was able to meet quick turnaround times, while still maintaining a high-quality standard and attention to detail.”
– Kim Jones, Department of National Defence
Elie Saliba
Office Administration – Executive Co-op Student
Executive and Administrative Assistant, Canadian Association of Graduate Studies
Quote from nomination:
“Elie joined our team and right away started making a difference. Elie’s strengths are in his ability to learn new things very quickly and his eagerness to take on new challenges. Over the course of his work term, Elie excelled in every task that I assigned to him, and he consistently went above and beyond his core duties to help others in the office who needed it.”
– Ian Wereley, Canadian Association for Graduate Studies
Jessica Joubarne
Environment Management and Assessment Co-op Student
Jr. Environmental Health and Safety Technician, Buller Crichton Environmental
Quote from nomination:
“Jessica impressed the entire BCE team right from the beginning with her eagerness to learn, taking on all assignments with enthusiasm and professionalism, and offering help to those that needed it.”
– Erin Schonbacher, Buller Crichton Environmental
Noah McPherson
Technical Writer Co-op Student
Assistant Training Content Developer, Employment and Social Development Canada
Quote from nomination:
“Noah always enjoyed contributing to the best of his ability, not just following others, but taking the lead and demonstrating initiative when he could. Of course, his desire to perform and meet high standards drove him a long way and will always guide him further on the path of success. He was always willing to offer a hand, contribute to the team effort. Because of this positive experience, we are willing to hire more students from the Algonquin College Technical Writer Program. He is always professional with everyone but also knows when to bring in the sunshine!”
– Lynda Gingras, ESDC
Takashi Toyooka
Geographic Information Systems Co-op Student
Developer – GIS/Remote Sensing, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Quote from nomination:
“Takashi’s work during his eight-month co-op work term at National Wildlife Research Centre in Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) Geomatics Lab, resulted in developing cloud-based solutions for monitoring and mapping wetlands across Canada. Takashi’s performance is beyond expectations.”
–Amir Behnamian, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Thalia Lin
Computer Programming Co-op Student
Assistant Web Publisher, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Quote from nomination:
“Thalia is an absolute joy to work with! Since the very beginning, she has been a valuable asset to the team; her unique perspective has made us take a second look at many pre-existing procedures, and has often led to useful discussions and organizational improvements on the status quo.”
–Aaron Lowry, CRTC