External awards 2022
Bourses Gilles Joncas 2022
Candidate: Sumaiya Abedin
More information about the award.
In her own words
“Concordia’s Institute for Co-operative Education has played an indirect role in building the type of person I am now. The mandatory training module (Career Fundamentals) provided me with sufficient resources and personnel to contact for help. I have greatly utilized these resources which were made available to me. Moreover, I did the Institute’s French training sessions to ace my interviews. Co-op showed me the path to my success, and I just had to work hard to reach that goal. I have changed a lot and learned a lot from my surroundings. I am trying to help people who are struggling like me and decided to be a Co-op mentor. I am currently mentoring an electrical engineering student. By this time, you now know how much I emphasize passion. I believe if you are not passionate about what you are doing in your life, you won’t be successful in the long run then.
I want to set myself as an example to others who are struggling like me, especially women who think engineering is not for them. If I can make it, anyone can make it. I believe failure is the pillar of success as it teaches you the true meaning of life. I am a successful person not in terms of materialistic gain but in terms of peace of mind as I am doing what I am passionate about.”
Candidate : Dina Khalesi
Dans ses mots
« Au cours de mes stages coop, j'ai pu apprendre toutes les facettes de ce que c'est d'être une ingénieure logicielle. Non seulement mes compétences techniques se sont améliorées, mais mes compétences générales aussi. J'ai appris à naviguer dans des projets ambigus en faisant preuve d'ingéniosité et grâce à la collaboration d'équipe. Je suis également devenue une meilleure décisionnaire, pesant toujours le pour et le contre derrière chaque décision.
En tant que femme en ingénierie, je sais à quel point c’est effrayant d'entrer dans le programme de génie logiciel, d'autant plus si tu n'as aucune expérience en programmation. Coop a été présent à chaque étape de mon parcours, de la rédaction de mon premier résumé professionnel à la fin de mon dernier stage chez un des géants de la technologie. Ceci est pourquoi je partage mon histoire avec le plus de femmes possibles pour qu'elles rejoignent le programme coop et ne laissent pas leurs peurs dicter leur avenir! »
Candidat : George Stamos
Dans ses mots
« L’Institut d’enseignement coopératif a joué un rôle de premier plan dans ma réussite scolaire. Mes stages coop m’ont permis d’acquérir de l’expérience dans différents domaines et de renforcer mes compétences en communication et mon esprit d’équipe.
J’ai décidé de faire du bénévolat en tant que mentor coop non seulement pour redonner au programme, mais aussi pour aider les étudiants comme moi à surmonter les obstacles dans leur cheminement. Je suis fier d’aider les étudiants coop à réussir et à contribuer au rayonnement de l’Institut d’enseignement coopératif. Depuis septembre 2021, je suis aussi membre de Management Consulting Concordia, une organisation dont la mission est de permettre aux étudiants de cultiver d’excellentes relations avec les employeurs. Enfin, en tant qu’ambassadeur pour SOS Tutoring, une organisation dont la mission est d’aider les étudiants de Concordia, j’ai la chance de rencontrer et d’épauler davantage d’étudiants coop dès le début de leur parcours. »
Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada Student of the Year Award 2022
More information about the award.
Nominee: William Robinson
William is an advocate for students pursuing higher education, such as himself. After his initial internship at Ubisoft Montreal, he was offered an extension due to his exceptional performance. During his second internship at Ubisoft Montreal, he took on the responsibility of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Front End Web Developer. He communicated and collaborated with other teams to align internal processes on a global scale and trained and oversaw the other intern at the time. After completing his second work term, he was offered a part-time contract with Ubisoft Montreal while he completes his studies full-time.
Employer perspective
“Will is extremely driven, motivated to both succeed in his work and continuously improve. Will is a trusted partner on our development team, and consistently asked for as ‘the dev’ people would like to have work on their customer sends. They know he will get the dev work for the sends done on time. He is considerate, kind, humble, and genuinely cares about the well-being of others. He brings a positive spirit and solutions-focused mindset to the table. His mentality is one that I’ve seen in top performers throughout my career.”
In his own words
“I strongly believe that all students should partake in the Co-op program if eligible. I truly believe the Co-op program is essential to a successful integration from education to working in the relative industry. I have volunteered for several Co-op activities and programs. As a Co-op Student Mentor for three terms, I helped students integrate into the program, prepare for their first internship and provide overall guidance. Lastly, in fall 2021, I was selected to be a student speaker panelist in the Institute Welcome Orientation. As a panelist, I spoke to students in depth about my personal experience, offered advice and spoke about key themes to success.”