Students of the Year
If you’re a Lassonde co-op/internship student, then apply now! Each year, two recipients will be selected based on their achievements.
The Co-op/Internship Student of the Year recognizes two students and their exceptional contribution to their respective co-op/internship employer and involvement in the Lassonde community.
The winners of Co-op/Internship Students of the year will receive a certificate and $500 York University Gift Card.
2024-2025 Co-op Students of the Year
Zaina Awad
3rd year Digital Media student, Digital Marketing Co-op, Proax Technologies Inc.
“Zaina’s exceptional performance, creativity and willingness to learn made her an asset to our team. Given her measurable results, combined with her proactive attitude, she was an ideal candidate for this award.”
— Hakan Orunlu, Marketing Manager, Proax Technologies
Luca Mazzo
3rd year Electrical Engineering student, DNRU4 TG Project Support, Ontario Power Generation
“In my time at OPG, I have never seen a student call vendors, successfully challenge engineers and come up with compelling, industry-changing ideas like Luca has. When Luca is working on an assignment, I can rest assured that it will be completed on time and with quality in hand. He makes my job easier every single day and I look forward to bringing him back to OPG once he graduates”
— George Manuel, Manager Projects, Ontario Power Generation
What You Win
The two Students of the Year winners receive a certificate and a $500 York University Bookstore gift card from the Lassonde Co-op Program to recognize their achievements. All nominated students can request a letter/certificate of recognition for their nomination after the winners have been announced.
Our Selection Criteria
The Lassonde Co-op & Internship team will review applications and present the top applicants to the Co-op & Internship Faculty Advisory Committee for a final vote and selection of the two Students of the Year winners. The selection criteria for this award includes:
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Student Personal Statement on how you went above and beyond in your co-op/internship work term(s), including your impact on the employer, self and institution
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Supervisor’s Statement
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Satisfactory completion of the Co-op/Internship courses
The decision of the selection committee is final and may not be appealed.
Forms & Guidelines
Lassonde Co-op/Internship would like to recognize the contributions of Nascent Digital to the Lassonde Student of the Year Award. We would like to thank them for their acknowledgement of the success of our two students through their annual $1000 donation from 2018 – 2023.
“Xinyi Pang has been a shining star during her internship, consistently exceeding expectations and making a tangible difference in our team’s operations. We are grateful for her contributions and eagerly anticipate her continued success as she takes on new challenges and continues to drive positive change in our organization””
Nikhil Varma, Sr. Pricing Analyst, Forecasting & Pricing,
MHI RJ Aviation
“Ali Rezaie’s tenure has been marked by exceptional initiative, technical skills, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, making a significant impact on our organization”
James Newton, Computer Engineer, Government of Canada
Fatemeh Hosseinisianaki
James Kobialka, Space Engineering
Sarthak Sahai, Space Engineering
“Yanni Wang is a valuable member of our team who we can rely on, regardless of the difficulty of the tasks or the novelty of the challenge. Her combination of intelligence, commitment, perseverance and a compassionate character will certainly make her a valuable member of any academic program or challenging position in the industry.”
Hogan Chen, PhD, PEng, Senior Technical Consultant
CIBC
“Mohaimen Hassan has introduced me to several practices that have benefitted both my home and work life and has helped me to grow as a manager. He did not shy away from difficult problems and brought me in to help him along the way.”
Nigel Maynard
Engineering Lead
Deloitte
Yusra Sani, Civil Engineering
Cathrin Christo Sagayarajan, Computer Science
Ziad Ahmed Mechanical Engineering
“Thalia Godbout was an exceptional co-op student, and will certainly be an asset to any team she joins in her future.”
Erika Hartog
Senior Accessibility Technology Analyst
Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services
“Adrian Fagarasanu showed great motivation to solve the challenges presented when dealing with the given topic and worked highly independently. His knowledge and competencies in computer science prepared him well for the tasks.”
Nicole Neis
Mission Data Systems Engineer
ESA
Hiba Jaleel, Software Engineering
Jatin Chhabra, Mechanical Engineering
“From the moment that Ignacio Isola joined our team, he has been an invaluable employee, participating and contributing to our work at a level that is years ahead of what would be expected from an undergraduate student. Over the past 5 years, I have worked with dozens of interns at Canadensys Aerospace. Several of these have been exceptional, but I would rank Ignacio at the top of even this elite group.”
Luke Stras
Electrical Team Lead
Canadensys Aerospace
“DecisivEdge has opened the doors for Julia Paglia whether as an intern next summer or a regular employee after graduation for we know she will be an asset to our company or any company she will join.”
Michael Pongan
Lead Software Engineer
DecisivEdge
Han Sun, Mechanical Engineering
Neharika Puri, Software Engineering
Pegah Fallah, Computer Science
Mohammed Nasif Haque, Computer Science
Alvin Chan, Computer Engineering
“I found Aryeh Weinberger to be an exceptionally talented engineering student in all areas, and a pleasure to work with. In my opinion, after mentoring many co-op students from across the province, … I believe that Aryeh would be an ideal candidate for this co-op student award.”
Jason Young, B.E.Sc., M.A.Sc., P.Eng.
Founder & President,
Advantage Forensics Inc.
“Antonia Pennella has made major contributions to the establishment of my research group and laboratory. I have been thoroughly impressed by Antonia’s interest in research & I firmly believe that she has a bright future in both research and engineering.”
Garett Melenka, PhD
Assistant Professor,
Mechanical Engineering Department,
York University
Can Unlusoy, Mechanical Engineering
Olivia Gigliotti, Mechanical Engineering
Andres Rojas, Computer Science
Sohaib Asim, Computer Science
Neharika Puri, Software Engineering
Paul Pronio, Electrical Engineering
Brandon Loy, Electrical Engineering and Sonia Kodgule, Mechanical Engineering
Can Unlusoy Mechanical Engineering
Chirag Sardana Computer Engineering
Dan Colvin Mechanical Engineering
Joshua Abraham Computer Engineering
Moamenbellah Moustafa Civil Engineering
Mohammad Syed Electrical Engineering
Ziad Ahmed Mechanical Engineering
Hunter Schofield, Space Engineering and Maheen Saini, Civil Engineering
Pictured with Shawn Konopinsky, Partner and CEO of Nascent Digital