Outstanding Contribution Award – 2021
Recipient Helen Prins, BC Campus
Helena has been contributing her time, energy, and ideas to the ACE-WIL Professional Development committee since 2017-2018. When Helena left her post at Royal Roads University and moved to BC Campus in 2019, she continued her involvement on the committee and brought BC Campus in as a new member institution to ACE-WIL. She suggested a new ACE-WIL initiative, a series of weekly virtual town halls, to promote co-op and work-integrated learning during co-op and WIL month in March 2019. She took on organizing speakers, promoting the series of webinars, and arranging the technology requirements. When the pandemic hit that month, she quickly shifted gears and suggested we use these booked times to communicate with our membership and host information and collaboration sessions, to provide up to date information from government and our national association and create space for people to discuss what is happening at their institutions and share best practices.
In the past two years Helena has been instrumental to helping our association pivot and respond in a time of tremendous challenge and upheaval. And she did so with grace, calm, and enthusiasm. Working more closely with Helena this has been incredibly rewarding and inspiring, and it is my utmost pleasure to nominate her for the outstanding contribution award.