Student of the Year Award

One award of $1,000 is offered to an outstanding co-op student in the Interdisciplinary Co-op Education Program, in recognition of outstanding achievement in all aspects of their performance, including academic standing, workplace performance, and professional/community involvement. This award is available to students based at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus. The award is made on the recommendation of the Award Adjudication Committee comprising of Program leadership, Co-op coordinators, and support staff. 

The recipient of the Interdisciplinary Co-op Student of the Year Award will have the opportunity to be considered as a nominee for the provincial ad national Co-operative Education awards through: 

• The Association for Co-operative and Work-Integrated Learning British Columbia/Yukon
• The Co-operative Education and Work Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL)

• The candidate must be a current UBCO Interdisciplinary Co-op Student, and be a registered full-time student in good standing at the time of receiving the award (January)
• The candidate must have a minimum cumulative GPA average of at least 72% and has not graduated before April 2025.
• The candidate must have completed at least one Co-op work term by the end of the current nomination year
• The nominating work term must have taken place within the current nomination year
• The candidate must not have previously won the award

Candidates are evaluated on their impact on the three key stakeholders of Co-operative Education , along with the quality of their resume. Full details are available in the nomination packages below. 

Key evaluation factors include: 

• Impact on the student (self): How did the Co-op/Work Integrated Learning experience impact the student?
• Impact on the employer and community: How did the student contribute to their workplace, partner organization, or community during the work term?
• Impact on the institution: How did the student impact their educational institution? 

Students are responsible for submitting information required for the nomination package. Please check your nomination document to ensure all required materials are included.

Personal Essay containing:

• Describe any outstanding contributions or achievements that you accomplished during your co-op work experience.
• How has the Interdisciplinary Co-op Education Program influenced your thinking about your academic and career plans and goals?
• How has your Co-op experience contributed to your program of study?
• How have you helped promote Interdisciplinary Co-op to peers or academic units?
• Describe how your co-op work experience has contributed to future opportunities for other students

Portfolio

• You may include items that help the selection committee understand who you are and demonstrate the importance of work-integrated learning to you.
  • Acceptable submissions include scanned copies of articles you were featured in, photos, previous employer evaluations, published work, research excerpts, awards, and recommendation letters.

Organization/ Employer Support Form

• Completion of all work term information requested in the form
• Examples of the student’s accomplishments, contributions, and outstanding achievement

All applicants must complete their Student of the Year Nomination Package through the provided Qualtrics Form: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_77Cua6or1yN7674

The deadline for the current nomination year is 11:59 pm on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. Only complete packages that meet the guidelines will be forwarded to the Interdisciplinary Co-op Awards Committee.

• 2023: Leah Plomp
• 2022: Hardikaa Balasubramaniam
• 2021: Lisvet Parra Montas