Co-op Awards
Every year, Co-operative Education recognizes our employers and students with Co-op Student and Employer of the Year Awards. Students can nominate their employer for the co-op awards. Employers can nominate any Carleton co-op student who worked for them over the past year.
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Nomination Guidelines
Nomination Guidelines for Co-op Student of the Year
Nomination Guidelines for Co-op Employer of the Year
2024 Co-op Award Winners
The Co-operative Education office is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Carleton University Co-op Student and Employer of the Year Awards! The Co-op Awards are presented each year to recognize the outstanding achievements, contributions, and performances of our co-op students and their employers. The Co-op office would like to congratulate and thank all Co-op Awards winners and nominees for their contributions to Carleton University’s Co-op program.
Undergraduate Co-op Student of the Year”Her success as Assistant Project Manager has demonstrated the value that a skilled, proactive co-op student can bring to Crown projects.”
Audrey Johnston, Winner of Carleton University’s 2024 Undergraduate Co-op Student of the Year Award.
Audrey Johnston is a fourth-year student in Architectural Studies and Winner of Carleton’s 2024 Undergraduate Co-op Student of the Year Award. She is currently completing her second work term as an Assistant Project Manager with the National Capital Area Project Delivery department at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). In this role, she has played a central role in two major projects in this team’s portfolio: the Lester B. Pearson Major Rehabilitation ($700M+) and the Global Affairs Canada Warehouse Expansion Project ($9.2M).
In her nomination, Katherine Hassan-Legault, Project Manager at Public Services and Procurement Canada, said that Johnston has contributed significantly to these high-profile projects and displayed exceptional skills that have made a tangible impact on their operations and the stewardship of Crown resources.
When Johnston began her fall 2024 work term, she had no prior experience in contract and finance management, yet quickly mastered the intricacies of public procurement processes, cost management, and contract administration. In less than two months, said Hassan-Legault, Johnston demonstrated excellent competence, organization, and attention to detail, and became the lead for the Lester B. Pearson Phase 2 Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment procurement and contract management, becoming responsible for 34 contracts totaling $3.1M in value.
Johnston’s ability to learn rapidly, integrate feedback, and analyze complex systems has been invaluable. Said Hassan-Legault, “Her ability to take on complex tasks…has far exceeded what we expected from a co-op student.”
Johnston is consistently meticulous in her work and has developed tools that have streamlined and improved processes. For instance, despite starting with limited experience in Excel, Johnston took the initiative to learn advanced Excel functions. This allowed her to develop a new tool that was both more user-friendly and comprehensive in comparison to the tool currently used by the department. This new tool has been shared across other teams, contributing to better data capture for future decision-making and reporting for governance.
Said Hassan-Legault, “Ms. Johnston’s contributions have been so valuable that we have relied on her expertise for several key areas of governance, procurement management, and financial oversight, and we believe she would be an excellent long-term addition to any organization. [Her] exceptional performance has undoubtedly influenced our decision to hire additional Carleton University co-op students in the future. Her success as Assistant Project Manager has demonstrated the value that a skilled, proactive co-op student can bring to Crown projects, and we are eager to bring more students into the team to continue building on the positive impact that Ms. Johnston has made.”
Graduate Co-op Student of the Year
Francis Obeso, Winner of Carleton University’s 2024 Graduate Co-op Student of the Year Award.
Currently completing a Master of Arts, International Affairs, Francis Obeso is the Winner of the Graduate Co-op Student of the Year Award. Obeso was nominated by Ibrahim Diallo, Manager at Employment and Social Development Canada. Obeso did two co-op work terms in the Programme Management Office.
Said Diallo in his nomination, “Francis has made significant contributions to our Risk and Issue Function, supporting both programme- and project-level activities. His exemplary work ethic, innovative thinking, and commitment to excellence have positively impacted our organization, our team, and the stakeholders we serve. Early in his first co-op term, he demonstrated strong analytical skills by improving our risk assessment framework. His efforts enabled the team to identify potential challenges more efficiently and develop robust mitigation strategies, directly reducing project delays and enhancing the quality of our deliverables.”
During his second co-op term, Obeso played a pivotal role in supporting the BDM (Benefits Delivery Modernization) Programme Risk and Issue Function during its transition from a consultant-driven team to full-time public service oversight, saving the organization both time and resources. His approachability and ability to simplify complex information ensured that every team member, regardless of their role, felt empowered to contribute to risk management discussions.
Diallo highlighted that Obeso’s impact extended beyond his technical contributions: “His positive attitude, inclusivity, and collaborative mindset have strengthened our team dynamic. He consistently fostered open dialogue, encouraging all team members to voice their perspectives. This inclusive approach has made risk management feel more accessible across all levels of the programme. His efforts to engage diverse stakeholders—including program managers, project leads, and cross-functional teams—helped create a shared understanding of risks and issues, significantly improving decision-making processes and fostering a collaborative environment.”
Obeso impressed Diallo with his professionalism and initiative, which far exceeded the organization’s expectations. Said Diallo, “The quality of his work rivals that of seasoned professionals, and his insights have enriched not only our processes but also our perspective on the value of student contributions. Francis’s achievements during his two co-op terms have underscored the immense value of engaging talented students. His exceptional performance has encouraged us to continue hiring co-op students, specifically from Carleton University. His work has not only benefited our organization but has also inspired his colleagues, showcasing the immense potential that lies within the next generation of professionals.”
Sébastien Ouellet, Winner of Carleton University’s 2024 Co-op Employer of the Year Award.
Sébastien Ouellet is a Machine Learning Developer at Kinaxis and Winner of the Co-op Employer of the Year Award. Ouellet was nominated by Oz Kilic, a Master of Computer Science student (Specialization in Data Science).
Kilic has been working as a Co-op Machine Learning Developer at Kinaxis in the Machine Learning Solutions team. Kilic nominated his manager, Ouellet, for his combination of exceptional technical competence, people management skills, professionalism, and mentorship.
During Kilic’s work term, Ouellet offered opportunities to support ongoing development efforts, but co-op students were also free to work on projects that they found interesting from a large pool of ideas or pitch new ideas. Kilic pitched a “crazy idea” he had to Ouellet about making demand forecasts for new products that had no demand history, which was different from Kinaxis’s current approach. Said Kilic, “Not only did [Ouellet] support pursuing my complex idea, but he also believed in my ability to execute it and guided me throughout the project in every possible way. The result of my project was a deep contrastive representation learning model that completely automates a process that normally requires domain expertise and manual labor, while also having comparable overall results and especially improving forecasting accuracy by 58% for high-demand item groups. Using this invention, my employer and I have applied for a U.S. patent.”
Kilic said Ouellet’s contribution to his personal and professional growth was invaluable because he was able to truly experience an industrial research environment where cutting-edge technologies are being studied and productionized. “[Ouellet] played a pivotal role in bridging the gap between my academic experience and industry practices, offering guidance grounded in his extensive technical and domain expertise. He also guided me related to the inner workings of the company [and] the industry and provided emotional support. Whenever I felt stuck or demotivated, he offered fresh perspectives and kept me motivated with his encouragement.”
Ouellet’s approach to work helped foster an innovative and friendly environment for his team that made going to work enjoyable.
Said Kilic, “I truly believe working with Sébastien Ouellet at Kinaxis is one of the best possible co-op experiences (if not the best) for Computer Science students who are interested in machine learning and data science. Considering the relatively limited number of co-op opportunities in Ottawa that have machine learning focus, access to cutting-edge technologies, and interesting business problems, I consider myself very lucky to have worked at Kinaxis with Sébastien Ouellet.”