Co-op students of the year 2012

In late November 2012, three outstanding students were named Co-op Students of the Year by their respective co-op program areas.

Jason Deglint (electrical engineering) is Co-op Student of the Year for Engineering, Computer Science and Math. Deglint has worked with Research in Motion and recently completed an international work term with aerospace company NLR Amsterdam, a placement he initiated himself, as a first-generation Dutch-Canadian, out of his desire to work in The Netherlands. “Jason quickly adapted to The Netherlands and the NLR organization, showed initiative in his work ethic and executed his project within the limited timeframe,” says supervisor Gerald Poppinga. “His project resulted in many recommendations that will contribute to future work at NLR.”

Jenna Ries (biochemistry) is Co-op Student of the Year for Optional and Professional Programs. She has completed work terms with the National Research Council of Canada and the BC Cancer Agency Deeley Research Centre, where she worked on a project investigating novel drug combinations for targeted therapy of ovarian cancer and co-authored two papers in the peer-reviewed scientific journals Autophagy (Landes Bioscience) and The Journal of Pathology (Wiley Publishing). “Jenna’s work made it possible for us to publish our findings in a short period of time, which undoubtedly helped to raise the profile of our research both regionally and internationally,” says supervisor Dr. Julian J. Lum of the BC Cancer Agency. “I would rank her performance, productivity and contribution in the top 5 per cent of all students at her career stage.” In early April, Ries was also named Association of Co-operative Education student of the year for BC-Yukon.

Wyle Baoween (MBA) is Co-op Student of the Year for Business. During his summer 2012 co-op work term as a strategy analyst with Seaspan Marine Corporation, he worked to restructure the company’s pricing strategy. “Wyle was able to create an understandable ‘story’ of where we are, and presented his findings to the Seaspan management team thoughtfully and professionally, earning tremendous respect from all in the boardroom,” says supervisor Steve Roth. “His contribution to a critical component of our strategic plan will have a positive impact for years to come.”

Co-op Students of the Year are nominated by their employers and supervisors. The winners will be recognized at the Co-op and Career Employer Appreciation Reception on Feb. 26 in Victoria, and a video showcasing their experiences will be published on our YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8BrgxmkQ3g&feature=em-subs_digest.