UPEI Co-operative Education program announces award winners for 2023

Each year, the UPEI Co-operative Education Program recognizes its exceptional students and employers with the UPEI Co-op Awards. Winners of the 2023 awards were Roshna Roby, UPEI Science Co-op Student of the Year; Ruth Cano, UPEI Arts Co-op Student of the Year; Sev Thi, UPEI Business Co-op Student of the Year; and Pamela MacEachern, Pensions and Capital Management Division of the Government of PEI, Co-op Employer of the Year.

The awards were presented on March 21, 2024, at the Atlantic Veterinary College’s McCain Foundation Learning Commons with fellow students, faculty deans, and community members in attendance for the celebration.

Roby was nominated by her employer, Yvonne Terry of the Accessibility Team in the Application Management Directorate of Veteran Affairs Canada. She said Roby demonstrated four core competencies essential for all employees in the federal public service: demonstrating integrity and respect; thinking things through; working effectively with others; and showing initiative and being action-oriented.

“We are truly fortunate to have had Roshna for her co-op work term and now again for her part-time federal student work experience program work term. She is an amazing worker with unlimited potential. She is highly intelligent, respectful, humble, dedicated to and passionate about her work in IT accessibility, and a joy to have on our team,” said Terry.

Ruth Cano was nominated by her employer, Joy Shinn, Business Development Manager at BioFoodTech. Shinn noted that Cano’s impact within the company was significant, and she is grateful that she will continue to work for BioFoodTech throughout the summer work term.

“Many of our clients, including some with a solid social media presence, have asked Ruth to work with them, which is a strong testament to their impression of her capabilities,” said Shinn.

Julie Desmarais of Intact Insurance nominated business accounting student Sev Thi who was initially tasked with assisting the team with basic corporate tax returns. Later, Thi used her versatility to help in other tax silos such as international tax, mergers and acquisitions tax, and Canadian corporate compliance.

 “Sev is a co-op student that everyone remembers regardless of whether she helped them,” said Demarais. “Her daily presence alone gave the team motivation to show up and be dedicated to working together.”

Co-op student Erick Corona Garcia publicly thanked Co-op Employer of the Year winner Pamela MacEachern during the ceremony. Garcia is an actuarial science student who completed two work terms under MacEachern’s supervision and was especially thankful for the mentorship he received in a welcoming and supportive work environment.

The Co-op office is grateful to work with many outstanding students and employers. For more information about the program, visit upei.ca/co-op or upei.ca/hire-co-op.