2018 Co-op Student of the Year Award recipients

Group photo of the 2018 Co-op Student of the Year Award recipients
Award winner Lauren McLennan

Lauren McLennan

Public Health, Faculty of Health

Employer: FullSoul Canada

  • Worked as International Consultant - Project Manager, where she developed the Midwives Meeting Minutes initiative.
  • Improved awareness of FullSoul's purpose and program by 50% in hospitals in Uganda.
  • Increased the percentage of midwives formally trained to use donated equipment from 40% to 75%
  • Coordinated and facilitated FullSoul's annual fundraising trip to Uganda for donors and supporters - raising $13,000 USD
  • Volunteers with on-campus programs Move your Mind and Not Just Tourists.

Award winner Krista Duncan

Krista Duncan

Speech Communication, Faculty of Arts

Employer: Wealthsimple

  • Trusted to help with performance reviews, employee development plans and compensation strategy.
  • Encourage Wealthsimple to increase the amount of co-op students they hire, resulting in the company's largest group of Engineering co-op students to date.
  • Worked closely with engineering directors and CTO to build out new recruiting processes.
  • Hired to work part-time at Wealthsimple after completing her work term. 
  • Served as treasurer for the Thyroid Foundation of Canada, raising over $100,000.

Award winner Nathan Duarte

Nathan Duarte

Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

Employer: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University

  • Served as Wyss Institute Visiting Undergraduate Student.
  • Helped develop bioink to improve cell proliferation and phenotype in vascularized tissue on 3D printed kidney models, decreasing cell proliferation rates from 21 days to three to five days.
  • Co-founded the University of Waterloo's Biotechnology an Bioengineering Conference.
  • Aspires to create wearable consumer devices that will shape healthcare.
  • Awarded the Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada 2018 Co-op Student of the Year Award.

Award winner James Schnarr

James Schnarr

Environment and Business, Faculty of Environment

Employer: Microsoft Corporation

  • Served as Xbox Marketing Associate.
  • Created a digital content series for Xbox's Canada Day promotion, becoming Xbox Canada's most successful organic campaign to date.
  • Led the 'Xbox Mystery Box' program, educating 2,000 retail staff to drive promotion and sale of Xbox products.
  • Co-developed Microsoft 'Tech Empowerment Day' to offer access to technology and workshops for underprivileged youth.
  • Aspires to continue a career in marketing with environmental sustainability in mind.

Award winner Yutong Wu

Yutong Wu

Computer Science, Faculty of Mathematics

Employer: Aetion Inc.

  • Served as a Full Stack Engineering student.
  • Took ownership over the Histogram Plot project, rewriting the code used to generate histogram bins and label sizes.
  • Solved longstanding issues around Schoenfeld and Pyramid plots.
  • Helped develop a new feature in the Aetion Evidence Platform to capture drug usage and switching patterns, allowing scientists to distinguish the effects of different drugs.
  • Volunteers for Feds Student Food Bank, where she helps organize marketing campaigns and events.

Award winner Stephanie Chan

Stephanie Chan

Biochemistry, Faculty of Science

Employer: Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

  • Served as a Clinical Research Assistant.
  • Studied the safety and efficiency of an ultrasound device in its first in-human trial for treating fibroids, creating new processes to decrease the time required to manage the study by 20%.
  • Studied the prevalence and predictors of shortness of breath in patients at palliative radiotherapy clinic, allowing physicians to approach symptom management in a holistic way.
  • Helped patients complete symptom screens, provide physicians with summaries of patient cases, and collaborate to improve patient flow.
  • Active member of AIESEC Waterloo.