U of G’s co-operative education programs give students real-world work experience that will benefit them in their future careers. And it’s not just students who benefit from our co-op programs. Employers choose University of Guelph co-op students for their skills, creativity and work ethic.
Each year, U of G celebrates the best and brightest of our co-op students with an award ceremony. This year’s recipients were honoured at the Co-op Awards reception on March 5. Please note: all photos in this article were taken on March 5 before physical distancing measures were put in place.
Congratulations to this year’s winners!
Ali Darling, Psychology
Co-op Student of the Year (Commerce, Applied Science and Arts)
During her time as a Junior Programmer at St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph, Ali Darling provided clients with meaningful engagement and interaction. She confidently led and supported practicum students and other staff when she observed them struggling with a client. According to her employer, her achievements have redefined the standards of co-op student performance potential at St. Joseph’s.
Shannon Fenwick, Biomedical Engineering
Co-op Student of the Year (Engineering)
Over her eight-month co-op term, Shannon Fenwick made numerous and significant contributions at Siemens Canada. Fenwick worked on a regional initiative that resulted in over 5M Euro in reported savings. She developed on-time delivery reporting for the company’s largest key client in Canada and identified process deficiencies in data collection and documentation. The corrective action she presented improved on-time delivery metrics for client-specific reporting by 10 per cent.
Morgan McLellan, Software Engineering
Ian Pavlinic Memorial Award for Innovation – Co-op Student of the Year in Computing
During her work terms with Magnet, Morgan McLellan represented the organization at external events, including speaking with numerous high school students and their parents about her experiences in the high-tech industry. After impressing her employer, she was chosen to assist with training a new tester.
Megan Farkas, Biological and Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Co-op Student of the Year (Biological, Physical and Environmental Science)
As a technical writer at Johnson & Johnson, Megan Farkas was assigned the role of scribing for an auditor. The role had never been assigned to a student before and Farkas efficiently assisted in executing the successful audit. Farkas was also the sole technical writer for a cost improvement project that resulted in a $12,000 savings for the company.
Matthew Bebis, Software Engineering
Collin Cureatz Memorial Award for Co-op Student Involvement
Matt Bebis, a software engineering co-op student, worked as a career services peer helper at the University of Guelph. He enthusiastically represented the co-op program to employers and prospective students at events, helped promote Experiential Learning Hub services to new students, and developed resources to support student job search and networking skills.
Ecobee
National Co-op Employer of the Year Award
Nominated for their dedication towards fostering co-op student knowledge and individual growth, Ecobee views its co-op students as vital members of the company. Their supportive approach empowers the younger generation with tools to succeed.
McLaughlin Library, University of Guelph
Guelph Co-op Employer of the Year Award
Since 2013, the McLaughlin Library at the University of Guelph has provided 22 co-op work terms where students have experienced excellent training, supervision and mentorship.
More details on each winner’s accomplishments are available on the Co-operative Education and Career Services website.
Learn more about co-operative education at the University of Guelph at www.uoguelph.ca/coop.