Each year, the faculties, their graduate studies offices and the co-op office select an outstanding co-op student from each faculty to receive a $500 prize. The co-op office also recognizes these students’ exceptional achievements by awarding three more prizes:
- First prize: $1,000
- Second prize: $500
- Third prize: $250
These prizes recognize the students’ outstanding work and contributions during their co-op placement.
And now, it’s our pleasure to introduce this year’s winners:
First place — Maggie Divok — Faculty of Health Sciences
Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Research Institute
Maggie, a fourth-year health sciences student, has earned uOttawa’s 2025 Co-op Student of the Year Award. During her eight months at the Berman Zebrafish Lab, Maggie conducted advanced biomedical research on inherited bone marrow failure syndromes. She investigated how cells grow and divide at the molecular level and tested therapeutic compounds to treat problems with blood cell production. Her contributions significantly advanced the lab’s understanding of this complex disorder.
Maggie has maintained a 9.76 CGPA throughout her degree and been on the Dean’s Honour List every term. Besides her professional success, she has an extensive record of community leadership and philanthropy. As co-president of the uOttawa Pre-Med Society and the Multiple Sclerosis Club, she led efforts that raised thousands of dollars for breast reconstruction awareness and MS research. She also volunteers as a “friendly visitor” at The Ottawa Hospital, Civic Campus, and as a note-taker to support students with academic accommodations.
“Maggie’s exceptional academic performance, impactful research contributions and active engagement in extracurricular activities make her an outstanding and well-rounded candidate who truly merits this recognition” — Jason Berman, CHEO Research Institute.
“Receiving the first-place award is a profound honour and a meaningful recognition of my commitment to my work, studies and extracurriculars.”
Maggie Divok
— Fourth-year health sciences student
Second place — Edwynn Turner — Faculty of Science
Health Canada
A fourth-year financial mathematics and economics student, Edwynn completed a series of research projects combining statistical modelling and social policy. During his placement with the Economic Analysis Division at Health Canada, Edwynn conducted a comprehensive analysis of socioeconomic and sociodemographic differences in air pollution exposure in Canada. His research used quantitative modelling to examine how environmental factors affect marginalized groups, including low-income households, immigrants and Indigenous people. The resulting 100-page report is now being prepared for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Soon, it will shape frameworks for evaluating environmental justice.
“It has been an experience which has brought out the best in me, allowed me to shine academically and professionally, and changed me for the better.”
Edwynn Turner
— Fourth-year financial mathematics and economics student
Edwynn has maintained a 9.86 CGPA throughout his double major and been pre-accepted into an MSc in financial economics. His professional experience includes four placements within the Government of Canada, including at the Privy Council Office; Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada; and Environment and Climate Change Canada. In these positions, he supported work ranging from private capital procurement to managing parliamentary issues.
“Edwynn demonstrated excellent knowledge and skills criteria expected for the co-op students. He produced high-quality summaries and did the job very timely. He has demonstrated exceptional motivation and hard work in leading the project. He is an excellent candidate for this award.” — Santosh Poudel, Health Canada.
Third place — Pouya Khodaee — Master’s programs
Nokia
Pouya has distinguished himself as a leader in artificial intelligence, using his graduate research to solve high-stakes technical challenges at Nokia. During his work term, he developed an AI-driven log analysis framework that revolutionized the team’s troubleshooting process. He also designed a specialized pipeline that shrunk data sizes by 57%, making system speeds much faster and reducing manual troubleshooting time by roughly 10 hours per week. This saves the company over 520 hours annually. His ability to build and deploy production-ready AI tools from scratch, by himself, showed a level of expertise rarely seen among students.
“These experiences not only delivered measurable business value but also strengthened my leadership, communication and problem-solving skills, reinforcing my commitment to continuous learning.”
Pouya Khodaee
— Master’s in Digital Transformation and Innovation Concentration in Applied Data Science
Pouya’s academic and community contributions are equally elite. While maintaining a near-perfect 9.86 CGPA, he has served as a mentor and teaching assistant for over 100 students in machine learning and data science. His commitment to social impact is best seen in his work with The Ottawa Hospital, where he developed an AI assistant to help 911 dispatchers identify cardiac arrests more accurately. With five published research papers and a focus on using deep learning to improve health-care outcomes, Pouya is at the forefront of the digital transformation movement. He’s bridging the gap between complex code and human-centric solutions.
“Pouya has demonstrated exceptional coding skills and outstanding teamwork. He independently developed an AI tool from scratch and successfully deployed it to production, an achievement expected to have a significant positive impact on our entire process.” — Bhavesh Bisht, Nokia.
Bowen Zhang — Faculty of Arts
Regional Mentoring Centre, uOttawa
Bowen, a fourth-year communications student, used theoretical frameworks to help over 500 incoming peers have an easier transition to university life. Over 16 months, Bowen applied communication theories to bridge systemic gaps for international students, designed bilingual resources and represented uOttawa as a delegate at the Ontario Universities Fair.
His work was defined by a commitment to advocacy. Bowen worked with international student associations to ensure University policies aligned with student realities. This led to a more inclusive onboarding process for the Chinese international community.
While taking part in a rigorous academic exchange at the University of Mannheim, in Germany, Bowen produced digital content to guide future exchange students and volunteered at the uOttawa Free Store to promote campus sustainability.
“Bowen was an outstanding co-op student whose dedication, empathy and innovative thinking have made a significant impact on our team and the broader uOttawa community.” — Karen D’Souza, Student Affairs, uOttawa.
“Receiving this award is a meaningful recognition of my efforts in integrating academic knowledge, professional responsibility and community engagement.”
Bowen Zhang
— Fourth-year communications student
David Rosocha — Faculty of Engineering
Telesat
David reached for the stars during his term at Telesat, contributing to the Lightspeed satellite constellation that’s set to launch in 2026. Despite being an electrical engineering and computing technology student, he quickly mastered complex aerospace concepts like orbital mechanics and satellite thermal analysis. His standout achievement was fixing a major data bottleneck. He redesigned a critical simulation tool to be 300% faster, allowing engineers to model over 1,400 satellites with ease. By the end of his term, David wasn’t just a student — he was leading technical reviews alongside senior engineers with decades of experience.
“This co-op term represented the convergence of my academic preparation, professional drive and community leadership.”
David Rosocha
— Fourth-year electrical engineering and computing technology student
David has a near-perfect 9.85 CGPA, and his brilliance in the classroom is matched only by his drive to help others. Noticing a gap in hands-on resources at uOttawa, he co-founded the uOttawa Digital Design Club, the University’s first club for specialized hardware programming. In just eight months, David grew it to over 120 members and secured partnerships with major tech firms to help his peers land future jobs. Whether he’s optimizing massive datasets or building new student communities, David exemplifies the relentless pursuit of excellence that defines a top-tier engineer.
“What David learned in four months usually takes new grads about a year. We were completely impressed with how sharp and quick David was learning new things.… I would re-hire him in an instant.” — Nader Yared, Telesat.
Nikita Serikov — Faculty of Social Sciences
Global Affairs Canada
During a remarkable triple-term stretch, Nikita supported high-stakes work across the federal government, including overseeing supply-managed trade worth over $1 billion annually at Global Affairs Canada. At Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, he played a key role in preparing briefing materials for the minister’s diplomatic mission to China. He navigates complex international relations with help from his language talents, having represented Canada at the international Chinese Bridge competition in Beijing and spent a year studying abroad in Japan.
“In the future, I will continue to seek out new, enriching experiences, in the hopes of slowly but surely making my own positive impact on the world.”
Nikita Serikov
— Fourth-year international studies and modern languages student
Nikita’s impact extends far beyond government offices and into the realm of global humanitarianism. In 2025, he went to the United Nations Headquarters to serve as a representative at the Commission for Social Development. Currently, he volunteers his time teaching literature to women and girls in Afghanistan through an underground online school. Although they’ve lost access to formal education, he’s helping them pursue their dreams of higher learning.
“Nikita was a valued member of our team, known for his collaborative spirit and strong communication skills. He reliably completed all assigned tasks not only on time but often ahead of schedule, showcasing a strong work ethic and commitment to quality. His contributions were deeply appreciated, and his departure is felt across the team — he will be greatly missed” — Irma Bala, Global Affairs Canada.
Kristina Milijevic — Telfer School of Management
Nestlé Nespresso
Kristina, a fourth-year commerce student with a double option in international management and marketing, completed her placement at Nestlé Nespresso, where she supported both online and in-store trade marketing campaigns. She collaborated with design, sales and brand teams to adapt promotional materials for various retailers. Following her co-op term, she continues to work part-time with the team, focusing on online trade marketing initiatives.
Kristina’s professional drive is matched by her deep commitment to leadership within the Telfer community and support for the wider University community. Beyond her academic and professional work, Kristina has held multiple executive roles in the Women in Management Network at uOttawa, including as co-president. In these roles, she organized workshops, networking sessions and professional development events while leading a 30+ member executive team. Her academic excellence has earned her over $10,000 in scholarships. And she kept up that performance while on an international exchange at the prestigious ESSEC Business School in Paris.
“Kristina has demonstrated exceptional potential and has proven to be a valuable asset to our team. Her dedication, enthusiasm and willingness to learn have not gone unnoticed. Her positive attitude and willingness to collaborate have greatly contributed to the team dynamic.” — Sarah Claude, Nestlé Nespresso.
“These experiences have shaped my leadership approach and reinforced the importance of contributing to the University community.”
Kristina Milijevic
— Fourth-year international management and marketing student