Experience can make all the difference.

A group of McMaster students who spent time this year putting the skills they learned in the classroom to work in a professional setting would likely agree.

Every year, McMaster students get the chance to gain real-life work experience through placements, co-ops and internships. This year, nine students at Mac have been nominated or have won awards for the contributions they made through their workplace placements.

“Students’ participation in beyond the classroom experiential learning allows them to enhance their skills further, develop their professional network, and connect their academic knowledge to the workplace,” says Arlene Fajutrao Dosen, McMaster’s director, Student Success, Student Affairs.

“Beyond co-op and internships, McMaster students have engaged in various experiential learning opportunities through programs such as Career Treks and Experience Ventures. Growth in these experiential learning opportunities has enabled McMaster University to leverage 200K in wage subsidies and employer funding in the past year to support over 450 student placements across all Faculties.”

“In addition, McMaster facilitates more than 3,600 co-op and internship placements for undergraduate students annually,” says Dosen.

The Faculty of Humanities has recently joined other faculties in launching an internship program to help students develop employability skills, explore career options and integrate their academic learning in a professional setting.

Here are the McMaster students who have won awards or have been recognized for the contributions they made during their co-op placement. 

Rameen Jamil

Rameen Jamil, a fourth-year Biochemistry student in the Faculty of Science, has been named Ontario’s top co-op university student for her work under the supervision of McMaster’s Manali Mukherjee, a respiratory scientist and immunologist.

Jamil also won a Co-op Student of the Year Award from the McMaster Science Career & Cooperative Education.

Mukherjee, an assistant professor of medicine in the Faculty of Health Sciences, says Jamil’s hard work and detail-oriented approach to the two COVID-related research projects she worked on last year left everyone in the research group impressed.

Jamil is staying on in the lab to work on her undergraduate fourth-year thesis project under Mukherjee’s continued supervision.

“Dr. Mukherjee took a chance and gave me an opportunity when I had zero experience and basically no lab skills,” says Jamil. “I barely knew how to pipette but she still gave me a shot and I will be forever grateful.”

Aurora Selim 

Aurora Selim’s work ethic, driven mindset and her interest in the product journey impressed her colleagues at Thermo Fisher Scientific (TFS), an American supplier of scientific instrumentation, reagents and consumables, and software services.

The undergraduate student is one of this year’s McMaster Engineering Co-op Student of the Year Award winners.

When asked how her co-op experience has helped her develop a career plan, Selim says it helped her see the potential paths available to her.

“I thought I could only land in a lab. I encourage everyone to apply anywhere and everywhere. Because of this, I learned that I like the lab and project management. And now, I finally have an answer to the ‘where you want to be in five years’ question!”

Daniel Wise

Daniel Wise, one of this year’s McMaster Engineering Co-op Student of the Year Award winners, says his time as a research and development intern at ATG Pharma allowed him to gain confidence in the skills he acquired at McMaster.

Wise put his skills to work on projects that included designing and producing robotic instruments.

The undergraduate engineering student’s initiative for solving problems and enthusiasm for the work was noted by his supervisor, and the experience was a positive one for both parties.

“The confidence gain I had in my skills. I was able to take what I was learning in school and apply it in the job, creating this positive feedback loop,” says Wise.

Sahar Asgari 

Faculty of Engineering graduate student Sahar Asgari’s  work as a data scientist co-op student for the Ministry of Health has resulted in her being named one of this year’s McMaster Engineering Co-op Student of the Year Award winners.

Asgari’s main task during her co-op was automating the deliverance of COVID-19 analyses to clients. She also worked on improving the accuracy of a model used to predict undetected COVID-19 cases. Asgari has since been hired on by the Ministry of Health.

Her advice for other students looking for co-ops?

“I encourage you to apply for different positions, especially on OscarPlus. Remember, never get disappointed. Be sure to ask for different instructors’ guidance, as I had great experience using instructors to help with cover letters and resumes. Engineering Co-op & Career Services (ECCS) was also helpful in expanding my network.”

Erin Sarfi

Erin Sarfi, a DeGroote School of Business MBA candidate, is a Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL) Student of the Year Nominee.

Sarfi worked at a community care support services organization focused on delivering health care services.  While there, Sarfi helped with strategic priorities, compiled leadership reports and was responsible for designing the return to workplace strategy.

The award nominee says she was grateful for the learnings the opportunity afforded her.

“Work-integrated learning provides learners with a safe space to stumble, make mistakes, and learn from them in ways that will only serve them and their professional development moving forward,” says Erin.

Pawan Pannu

Pawan Pannu’s supervisor during her co-op at TELUS says she her hard work, adaptability and dedication has set a new standard for future co-op students.

The MBA candidate’s work in designing a return to workplace strategy report became a foundational component of TELUS’ corporate-wide return to office strategy.

Pannu says she appreciates the opportunities she was given while working as a co-op student.

“I am so grateful to have been a part of such an amazing culture at TELUS where I was given so many incredible opportunities and support from my team that allowed me to make the impact that I did. This challenged me to build confidence in my own abilities over such a short period of time,” says Pannu.

Pannu has been named a Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL) Student of the Year Nominee.

Simran Chhatwal

Bachelor of Commerce student Simran Chhatwal took on a position normally filled by a permanent, full-time employee during her time as a co-op student at L3Harris, a global aerospace and defense technology company.

Her high attention to detail and work in implementing a Learning Management System for employees prompted the company to offer Chhatwal a job.

“This internship experience at L3Harris allowed for career doors to be opened and to expand outside of my comfort zone. This opportunity challenged me and further advanced my skills,” says Chhatwal.

Chhatwal has received an Honourable Mention in the CEWIL Student of the Year awards.

Christina Dominic

Christina Dominic, a Bachelor of Commerce student in the DeGroote School of Business, liaised with contacts in the U.S. and U.K. to support Jaguar Land Rover’s sale revenue and net profit objectives during her time there as a co-op student.

Dominic later covered the three-month paternity leave of a member of the management team, taking over day-to-day management of significant programs.

“This opportunity gave me more experience than I could have imagined in a wide variety of disciplines.”

“This allowed me to develop a sense of direction for my future,” says Dominic.

Dominic is a CEWIL Student of the Year nominee.

Michaela Doherty

Michaela Doherty took on several roles during her time at defence company L3Harris Wescam, working to develop time-saving process improvements and later supporting senior buyers.

Based on her professionalism and ability to go beyond expectations, Doherty was transferred to the role of Electronics Component Buyer, a role historically held by a full-time buyer. The move meant Doherty became the youngest buyer in the company.

“In addition to the confidence I gained through solidifying my communication skills, I also gained confidence in my work performance and abilities,” says Doherty.

Doherty, a Bachelor of Commerce student in the DeGroote School of Business, is a CEWIL Student of the Year nominee.