The Association for Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning BC / Yukon is pleased to announce the recipients of the Co-op/WIL Student of the Year Awards for 2023. These awards recognize BC or Yukon students who demonstrate an outstanding level of achievement in their co-operative education or work-integrated learning experience; combined with a strong academic record, volunteer activities, and significant contributions to promoting co-operative education in their school and in the community.
Jessica Tran, University of British Columbia
Jessica Tran (she/they) is a sixth-year undergraduate student studying biomedical engineering with a specialization in biomechanics and a minor in human geography at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Jess’ academic journey has been largely motivated by her aspirations of making positive social change and goals of intersecting science and technology with the humanities.
Through Jess’ work-integrated learning experiences, her current interests and projects are within the field of engineering education research, and in particular, understanding the barriers youth face in accessing informal STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) education.
Jess will be pursuing a Master’s degree at UBC this upcoming September where she will be continuing her work in this area to explore justice-centered pedagogies that take place in informal STEM education spaces.