The StFX Co-op Education Program is excited to share this year’s recipients of our student and employer awards.
The Student Achievement Award recognizes a co-op student who has acted as an ambassador for co-op education, has contributed to the program, and has displayed exceptional personal and professional attitude throughout the co-op program, in their academics, and community. This year’s recipient is Hariprasad Sivapatham Anand, Master of Applied Computer Science with Co-op Education. Hariprasad completed his studies in December 2024 and graduated in May 2025. Hariprasad was nominated for this award because he has been a strong ambassador for the Co-op program, throughout his time at St FX. He volunteered his time to help students one on one and in group settings and attended events to help promote the Co-op program and share his experience. Throughout his Co-op journey he remained positive, dedicated, and resilient while supporting any students that needed it. Hariprasad exemplifies the qualities that are required to succeed in the Co-op program.
Employer’s Choice Award for Excellence in Co-operative Education
This award is given to a student with the best nomination submitted by a direct reporting supervisor from the student’s co-op employer. Students nominated for this award demonstrated exceptional work ethic, leadership, personal accountability, integrity, and professionalism on the job. The student received excellent employer evaluations and has also gone above and beyond the required duties of the position should be nominated for their performance. The recipient of this year’s award was Cameron MacNeil, Post Baccalaureate in Enterprise IT Management with Co-op Education. He was nominated by his employer, Brent Sullivan with Blaikies Dodge Chrysler Ltd. In a quote from the employer's nomination "Cameron truly fits in with our culture and values. To say he had an impact is an understatement. He provided us with a way to look at our business through a different light. His work ethic was on point. He asked questions, found the answers, and definitely the results. I cannot stress enough the impact this has had on my business operations in used cars. Understanding my investment has never been clearer. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to recognize Cameron and his impact on our business and thank you for involving our business in your Co-op program."
The Co-op Education Program is also excited to recognize our employer partners.
The Students’ Choice – Outstanding Co-op Supervisor Award allows a co-op student the opportunity to recognize a supervisor who has been an exceptional mentor who went beyond normal expectations to ensure that the student had a quality work term. Marshall Hamilton, Manager, Cloud Centre of Excellence with Sobeys, was nominated for the Outstanding Co-op Supervisor Award by Deepak Prashanth. Deepak is a Master of Applied Computer Science Co-op Student who graduated in May 2025 and completed a four-month Co-op work term with Marshall and his team at Sobeys. Deepak described Marshall's mentorship as follows: "Marshall was more than just a supervisor—he was a mentor in every sense of the word. He took a personal interest in my growth, always making time to answer my questions, provide constructive feedback, and guide me through challenges. His leadership style emphasized open communication and approachability, creating an environment where I felt comfortable seeking guidance without hesitation. One of the most remarkable aspects of his mentorship was his ability to tailor guidance based on my career aspirations. Knowing my background in full-stack development, he helped me explore how these skills could be integrated into cloud computing. He connected me with relevant projects and encouraged me to take on challenges that aligned with my interests, allowing me to grow in areas that would be beneficial to my long-term career goals."
Finally, the Employer Engagement Award. The Co-op Education Program recognizes Pictou County Partnership, New Glasgow, NS. This employer has provided exceptional co-op work term experiences to our co-op students. The work terms have added to students’ learning experience on the job and back in class and have overall provided high-caliber and relevant work term experience that exceeds students’ initial expectations. They continue to commit to supporting Co-op programs and Co-op students – a true partner of Co-op through professional development, mentorship opportunities, etc.
The Co-op Office would like to congratulate our 2025 recipients and thank everyone who took the time to nominate, and to our Co-op Award Review Team, Prof. Dave Mattie and Prof. Man Lin.
