2020 Student Recipients – Co-op Awards of Excellence
Fahimeh Karimi
Computer Engineering Technology – Computing Science student. Fahimeh graduated in December 2020 and is now employed full-time at Canada Revenue Agency, where she completed her co-op work terms.
Fahimeh on her Co-op Experience:
I received incredible support and guidance from my supervisor, Mr. Dan Moisa, Department Manager Ms. Sharon Ferguson, and enjoyed the help and presence of great teammates, I had excellent opportunities to learn and develop my skills through working on a wide array of IT projects. After my graduation, Dan offered me a CS1 IT analyst/Developer position and I enjoy working for the same team now.
Quote from Fahimeh’s Nomination:
“Fahimeh is very dependable and has excellent prioritization skills and knows immediately what’s of great importance and relevance. She is always well prepared and on time for work. She is confident and demonstrates great organizational skills. Her consistency and dedication to work is outstanding. Overall, Fahimeh is an excellent addition to the team and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her.”
– Dan Moisa, CRA (Canada Revenue Agency) | (Compliance Program Branch Query Repository) Team
Lin Gan
Computer Programming Student
Lin on her Co-op experience:
I worked as an IT developer at Canada Revenue Agency since June 2020. All my teammates are super supportive to me and they give me time to grow and learn. I have a mentor who showed me how to do each task and I take notes carefully for each of the steps. I am super grateful to my mentor and all the other teammates who helped me and are still helping me patiently.
Quote from Lin’s Nomination:
“Today she solves bugs on her helpdesk systems, manages our team migrations, performs the daily transmission statistics, and finds raw XML data for any client in need. I am confident that I am speaking for my whole team when I say we can’t wait to have her back full-time after she finishes her studies.”
– Sam Jahani, Co-op Mentor, CRA – ITB
Meaghan Browne
Bachelor of Commerce e-Supply Chain Management Program student. Meaghan will be graduating in August 2021.
Meaghan on her Co-op Experience:
I was extremely drawn to this program because of its relevance in the workforce (for example, the infamous toilet paper supply chain shortage of 2020!), but one of the things that really solidified my choice in this program was the co-op component.
I have been fortunate enough to work with the City of Ottawa in the Rail Construction Program for all three work terms. I work in a data/systems management capacity. At a high-level, I help to identify and develop technological solutions to business issues by liaising with the IT development teams and the business/functional teams. This role really blends together the technical skills and theoretical knowledge that I have learned in the Supply Chain program.
My manager has been really amazing in establishing opportunities for me to work directly with the other functional teams in as much as possible. I feel really fortunate to work with an extremely hard-working and intelligent team, and colleagues have always made a really concerted effort to relay their expertise and to answer any questions. The co-op component really helped attach more meaning to the information learned in class. I feel very privileged to have been chosen as one of the co-op students of the year, and I am so happy to be able to give back to a workplace that has given me so much in turn.
Quote from Meaghan’s Nomination:
“Where should I start with Meaghan Browne? She shows up with solutions and thinks about what the optimal and most efficient way is to proceed. She can do this because she’s smart, because she understands systems, and because she is curious. She has worked with peers, with superiors and with technical audiences and everyone appreciates the opportunity to engage with Meaghan.”
-Amna Basit, Meaghan’s Supervisor, City of Ottawa
Mélanie Bélanger
Computer Programming student. Mélanie will be graduating in April 2021.
Mélanie’s Co-op Experience:
I learned a lot about programming and the current industry standards. I was assigned tasks and challenges during my co-op placement that broadened my experience and knowledge as a programmer.
I was welcomed and integrated as part of the team by my manager and co-workers while everyone had the difficult task of adjusting to working remotely. Despite all of the changes to the work environment for my team, they made me feel welcomed and a valuable part of the team. My co-workers shared their knowledge and expertise while teaching me.
My co-op experience has prepared me immensely for the work force and I am grateful to have been able to work with such a great team at the CRA.
Quote from Mélanie’s Nomination:
“To sum up, Melanie was an outstanding co-op student, quick learner, productive, good team player, hardworking , adaptable, had good communication skills, and was a pleasure to have on our team. She was so good we have kept her on part-time as she has returned to school for her final semester.”
-Christopher McPherson, Mélanie’s Supervisor, CRA
Travis Crew
Bachelor of Commerce Student. Travis will be graduating in April 2021.
Travis’ Co-op Experience:
This co-op was my first opportunity working within my industry, so I went in with a learning mentality and an open mind. I asked questions where I could and went the extra mile when I saw the opportunity and ended up trying many different things because of it. Each individual person on my team had a variety of areas of focus so helping each one of them taught me different methods of approaching tasks and problems.
I’ve gained countless soft skills and hard skills while working with the Department of National Defence. I’ve also learned how to navigate many different functions within SAP in the PM Module. One of the most important things I’ve gained are connections to many hardworking and collaborative people who are a pleasure to work with.
A quote from Travis’ Nomination:
“At the culmination of each semester, he continues to amaze me with his progress and insight on how to better improve deficiencies that he identifies. Since his first days, Travis has seamlessly integrated with my team and doesn’t hesitate to offer unique solutions to challenging problems. He always goes above and beyond my expectations for students and willingly puts in additional time to enhance his knowledge of our solution and landscape.”
-Luke Hall, Travis’ Supervisor, Department of National Defence
Wenbo Ge
Computer Programming student. Wenbo will be graduating in August 2021.
Wenbo’s Co-op Experience:
Through 8 months of co-op with the Funding Analytics Team at Canadian Institutes of Health Research, I was not only able to consolidated the coding language (SQL) I learnt in school but also learnt new coding language (R). These coding skills are commonly used in the data analysis industry which makes me ready future related jobs. Furthermore, experiences in these languages are also transferable to other programming related jobs which gives me more possibilities in future job market.
Beside coding skills I improved, experiencing working culture is another gain for me, I cultivated professional business manners and good work habits.
Quote from Wenbo’s Nomination:
“What impresses me the most is his capacity for providing insightful comments and coming up with solutions. He never waives on the research he is asked to perform, and never gives up even when it seems impossible. He keeps looking. All this with a smile! In many more occasions, Wenbo acted proactively to support our initiatives, and showed a great appreciation for the importance of this work.”
-James Waring, Wenbo’s Supervisor at Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Zayed Elghalayini
Zayed is a second-year computer engineering student who completed his co-op work term at Canada Revenue Agency. He will be graduating in Winter 2022.
Zayed’s Co-op Experience:
My co-op experience at the CRA has been exciting. I was happy when I received my job offer because they have been selected as one of the top 100 employers in Canada. Attending the coop preparation courses, participating in study groups and attending the Computer Engineering Club meetings at Algonquin helped me feel prepared.
The pandemic added uncertainty to my co-op placement. Luckily, my co-op coordinator, Glenn Macdonald, made every effort to make it happen for me. Thank you, Glenn, for your advocacy and hard efforts. I now get to work every day in a field that interests me with an excellent team that is invested in my education. I now have the confidence that I will be successful in my field. My gratitude goes out to all my team members who spent many hours coaching, mentoring, and sharing their expertise and being supportive. A special thanks to Hans Raffelt, my Team Leader, who went above and beyond to help me succeed and grow as a student.
Quote from Zayed’s nomination:
“A team player, he is always eager to collaborate and learn via various team members’ coaching and mentoring activities. When assigned challenges or when asked for assistance or to contribute, he has been very resourceful. My experience with Algonquin’s co-op program and our co-op student Zayed has been nothing short of inspiring and educational in that Zayed came on board with a mindset, knowledge and skill set which enabled him to commit to the training and tasks assigned to him with ferver and with very little direction and correction. This is both telling of Algonquin College’s curriculum and instructors, and of its well-prepared students.”
-Zayed’s Supervisor at Canada Revenue Agency, Data and Business Intelligence Directorate (DBID)