Two Sheridan students receive Co-op Student of the Year honours
STORY AND PHOTOS BY DANA BOYINGTON
Sheridan College has had numerous student success stories throughout the years and this year is no exception.
Kristen Metz and Hargurdeep Singh, are being recognized for their academic performance, contributions to society, support of cooperative education and are earning the praise of their co-op supervisors.
Metz, with a GPA of 3.99, has been named the Canadian Association for Co-op Education (CAFCE) Co-op Student of the Year winner. She has received this honour for her work in the Computer Systems Technology- Software Development and Network Engineering co-op program here at Sheridan.
Metz, 23, lost her sight due to illness, but rose above the adversity.
“I originally wanted to do something with biology, but when I lost my sight, I fell back on my hobby [web design, computer development],” Metz says.
Metz completed her co-op program with Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) in web development, being a productive member of the staff and contributing many ideas.
“I feel so honoured,” says Metz about her award.
“She was close to crying,” laughs her fiancé, Renos Louca.
She is also being recognized for her many extra-curricular involvements including volunteering at an animal hospital, women’s shelter and is an active member of KNOW IT (the Knowledge Network of Women of IT), an organization supporting women’s rights.
Metz hopes to pursue web development and to one day start making websites for the blind.
“I want to find a way to make websites more accessible to the blind,” Metz says.
Co-op advisor of Trafalgar Campus, Cory Latimer, believes it is a great honour to have not one but two students of Sheridan recognized for their achievements.
“What has impressed me is the strength of these individuals,” Latimer says. “It’s great to see them recognized.”
Singh, in 2nd year Mechanical Engineering of Technology, received the Education at Work of Ontario (EWO) for the provincial Co-op Student of the Year award. He has received this honour after completion of his co-op placement at the Centre of Advanced Manufacturing and Design Technologies (CAMDT) as a product designer.
“I loved that every day I went to my workplace, we were always doing something new,” says Singh.
CAMDT is a research facility at the Sheridan Davis campus where Singh used some of the newest technology, studied manufacturing and was product developer in advanced 3D printing.
“We were the first people to play with these tools in Canada,” says Singh.
He became an expert with the technology and applied his knowledge in that of design and 3D production and used those skills to create assisted devices for students with disabilities.
Singh recommends students get involved with extra curricular activities to “upgrade knowledge.”
Singh is the founder of Sheridan’s Engineering Association that quickly became a success within the school with more than 200 student members.
“I feel I am Sheridan College,” Singh says.
Singh hopes to continue his studies and is looking to start his own business one day to provide opportunities to Sheridan graduates.
Watch for Singh’s first published piece of work coming this November on 3D printing prototypes.
