Lunch was served with a side of co-op success at a recent celebration in Pond Inlet.

Brock’s Co-op Education team welcomed more than 100 employers, students and community members to the first-ever Co-op Recognition and Celebration Luncheon on Thursday, March 22.

The packed event paid tribute to the commitment of numerous outstanding co-op supervisors, as well as the accomplishments of Co-op Students of the Term, Meghan Birbeck and Jake Berec, and Alumni Co-op Award-winner, Fred Barzyk.

For Julia Zhu, Brock’s Associate Director of Co-op Education, the importance of celebrating the many outstanding employers that the department works with could not be overstated.

“We are very grateful to have so many employers here with us today,” she said. “Without their commitment to our program, our students would not be able to experience the life-changing opportunities that co-op work terms can bring.”

Having been invited to receive recognition themselves, several employers highlighted the excellence of the co-op staff and students they work alongside.

“The service really stands out and the responsiveness of Brock’s co-op staff is stellar,” said Kavitha Vincent, senior employment specialist at FedEx Express Canada. “Brock students bring a humble attitude and are hard working because of it.”

Lindsay Dierick, workforce information analyst at the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, had similar praise for the important roles co-op students play within her organization.

“They let us see a new perspective and always bring innovative ideas,” she said. “They help us to complete projects we may not have otherwise had time to do.”

With outstanding co-op supervisors for the Fall and Spring/Summer work terms (listed below) receiving recognition based on student nominations, Vincent felt the honour reflected positively on the entire organization.

“We are very proud and it means we are distinguished,” she said.

The Co-op Recognition and Celebration Luncheon was part of Brock’s National Co-op and WIL Week from March 19 to 23, which also included mock interviews, social media contests and business card draws.

Outstanding co-op supervisors, Fall 2017 term:

Ron Chow, RBC — nominated by Rachel Van Herk, Math co-op

Carrie Beatty, Town of Lincoln — nominated by Meghan Birbeck, SSAS co-op

Andrew Lum, Akelius Canada Ltd. — nominated by Zhen (Jane) Wang, MAcc co-op

Margaret Murphy, Regional Municipality of Niagara — nominated by Alex Rotundo, BAcc co-op

Jeff Pettit, General Motors — nominated by Ahmed Jawa, BBA co-op

Erik Rogerson, General Motors — nominated by Christine Sirignano, BBA co-op

Jeffrey Chi, TurnerMoore LLP — nominated by Xiaozhou (Stefan) Chen, MAcc co-op

Susan Course, ShadeFX Canopies Inc. — nominated by Steven Simons, BBA co-op

Trudy Burnside, Dynacare Inc. — nominated by Asad Jalib, BBA co-op

Jason Etherington, Canadian Tire Financial Services — nominated by Scott Schram, BBE co-op

Marmelyn Wong, Exp Services — nominated by Dania Farrokh, BAcc co-op

Kayla Bachynski, VistaPrint — nominated by Sathyajit Prakash, MBA ISP co-op

Outstanding co-op supervisors, Spring/Summer 2017 term:

Doug Hamilton, Canada Summer Games Niagara Region — nominated by Rachelle Roy, HLSC co-op

Daniel Caplan, RBC — nominated by Jake Berec, BBA co-op

Michael Carroll, Michael J. Carroll — nominated by Yee Lie, BAcc co-op

Lynn Wilson, FedEx Canada — nominated by Arpita Gannavarapu, MBA ISP co-op

Stacey Hachigian, Johnson & Johnson — nominated by Shanen D’Souza, BBA co-op

Jessica DiCarlantonio, Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours — nominated by Mary Lefebvre, BBA Dual degree co-op