Joshua Carroccia, a third-year student of electrical engineering, received the Co-op Rising Star Award for the Winter 2021 term.

He was selected from among 78 students in co-operative education or internship programs nominated by their employers for “making a unique contribution in the workplace and doing an exemplary job of representing the Co-operative Education and Workplace Partnerships department within the broader community.”

Offering the award each term rather than past practice of annually, allows the department to showcase the value contributed by the students, says manager Kristen Morris.

“Our team is always delighted to review the employer nominations and see how the students made an impact,” she says. “We are so proud of how, despite the lockdowns that occurred during the Winter term due to COVID-19, both the employer partners and students once again persevered.”

Carroccia served as a power distribution analyst for Entegrus, which distributes electricity and water services to more than 58,000 customers in southwestern Ontario and during his work term created a model to simulate the condition of utility poles, and worked to develop a program using geographic information to make line crews more efficient.

“I loved that I felt important at Entegrus by completing larger projects that would be implemented immediately in the company,” he says. “Using the knowledge gained from Entegrus, I know I will have the skills to be a successful electrical engineer.”