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Learning by doing: A look at CEWIL month at DeGroote

April 17, 2026 ·

Contributed by: Angelica Babiera

In today’s changing job market, doing well in school is just one part of preparing for a successful career. Students also need to be curious, adaptable and ready to put their learning into action. At DeGroote, experiential education and work‑integrated learning give students the chance to do just that — combine what they learn in the classroom with hands‑on experience that builds confidence, practical skills and career readiness. 

Each March, Co‑operative Education and Work‑Integrated Learning (CEWIL) Canada celebrates these experiences through a national storytelling campaign that highlights student success and innovation. On CEWIL’s National Day of Work‑Integrated Learning, the DeGroote School of Business recognized our students who have completed co‑op placements and internships. We are also grateful to our employer partners who make these opportunities possible, supporting students as they grow into future business leaders and take the next step from the classroom into the workplace. 

Check out the celebration events hosted by the Career and Professional Development team for our students and employer partners: 

Employer partners and McMaster students networking at the Co-op and Internship Awards Celebration dinner.
The Co-op and Internship Awards Celebration dinner recognized employer partners across faculties, including DeGroote, Engineering, Humanities and Science.
From left to right (top to bottom): The DeGroote Co-op Supervisor of the Year 2025 went to Emily Cichonski, MA, CHE, CW OHT Manager, Integrated Health Systems, William Osler Health System, who was nominated by Hiyam Gedalia; the DeGroote Co-op Supervisor of the Year 2025 went to Luke Westfall, Managing Director and Practice Lead for Climate Services, Quinn+Partners, who was nominated by Aryan Munshi; the recipient of the DeGroote Co-op Supervisor of the Year 2025 was Elodie Li, Senior Manager MarTech Experience and Operations, Tangerine, who was nominated by Suzy Hamed; and the DeGroote Co-op Employer of the Year – Emerging 2025 recipient was Praxus Health, who was nominated by Arpita Sarker, MBA.
From left to right (top to bottom): The DeGroote Co-op Employer of the Year 2025 went to TELUS Agriculture & Consumer Goods, which was nominated by Kudzaishe Chitima and Yishu Zhang; Sanofi, which was nominated by Prasha Sivasundaram and Sushmitha Pallapothu, won the DeGroote Co-op Employer of the Year award for 2025; Alex Albertson from Canadian Tire Bank, who was nominated Sofia Malatesta, won the Internship Supervisor of the Year award for 2025; Reid Stieler from TFI International, who was nominated by Zachary Shifman, also won the Internship Supervisor of the Year award for 2025.
From left to right (top to bottom): The Internship Employer of the Year – Emerging 2025 went to Jan Kelley, which was nominated by Luke Pridgeon; Internship Supervisor of the Year for 2025 went to Colin Reynolds, Senior Sales Manager, Equipment Finance, TD Bank, who was nominated by Graydon Szego; Internship Employer of the Year for 2025 went to Fujifilm Canada, which was nominated by Jessica Su; Teranet also received the Internship Employer of the Year – Emerging 2025 award.
Staff, faculty and DeGroote students networking at the Co-op and Internship Awards Celebration breakfast.
The celebration breakfast recognized outstanding DeGroote Commerce and MBA students for exceptional performance during their co-op and internship experiences.
Euan Hayes, a 2025 DeGroote Co-op Student of the Year recipient, networking with Sofia Malatesta, a 2025 DeGroote Internship Student of the Year recipient and honourable mention in the CEWIL Student of the Year Awards.
From left to right (top to bottom): The student nominees for the DeGroote Co-op and Internship Student of the Year awards include Jessica Su, Fujifilm Canada; Eric Caravaggio, TFI International; Jacob Rashid, SC Johnson & Son; and Serena Sandhu, Bridge Medical Communications.
From left to right (top to bottom): The DeGroote Co-op and Internship Student of the Year award nominees include Camryn McCarville, Ross Professional Corporation; Josip Marsic, Scotiabank; Sofia Malatesta, Canadian Tire Bank, who was one of the 2025 DeGroote Internship Student of the Year recipients and received an honourable mention in the CEWIL Student of the Year Awards; and Ayden Notice, CAUSEWORX, who was a finalist for DeGroote’s Student of the Year and McMaster nominee for EWO.