Kaye Mao, a student in Sheridan’s Honours Bachelor of Interaction Design program, has been named Co-op Student of the Year by the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE). This is the fifth year in a row in which a Sheridan student has been honoured by CAFCE, with four Co-op Student of the Year Awards and one Honourable Mention since 2013.
“It really is such a big honour. I know how many students here at Sheridan are really exceptional, so to be honoured with this just speaks to the support that I’ve had and the people who believed in me,” says Mao.
As the first Sheridan student to ever be selected for a Co-op work term with Google in New York City, Kaye’s strength as a leader quickly became evident in her work as a project manager with Google.
“It was such an incredible learning experience. It is something that I am still reflecting on and ruminating on today. I had the chance to work on the Cloud Team, and they trusted me with a lot of responsibility and that helped me grow a lot as a designer, because I was really in charge of a project and I learned on top of hard skills, how to work with people and how to coordinate between various stakeholders. That was really invaluable to me,” says Mao.
Kaye’s advanced leadership is also demonstrated by her founding the Sheridan Interaction Design Association (IxDa). As a volunteer, she mentors her colleagues in finding paid internships and has represented her program as a Sheridan Ambassador. Kaye also divides her time between a personal blog to promote the co-op program and the association, and social media marketing using Twitter and Facebook.
“Kaye is an outstanding example of the exceptional students we attract to Sheridan,” says Cory Latimer, Manager of Co-operative Education. “The employers who hire our students tell us that they enter their work terms ready to hit the ground running, and they make a positive impact from day one.”
In addition to receiving a $500 cash award from CAFCE and a certificate to commemorate her achievement, Mao will also receive the $500 Emery-Dufault Award. Each year, CAFCE recognizes outstanding co-op student achievement at both the College and University level. Currently there are 85 CAFCE member institutions across Canada and the U.S., representing more than 80,000 students.