Sheridan Coop Student Earns Provincial Honours with EWO Award

Sheridan College is excited to announce that a student in Sheridan’s Computer Systems Technology – Systems Analyst Co-op program has been named the winner of the provincial Education at Work Ontario Student of the Year Award.  Catharine Poehlman has proven that academic achievements can be matched with professional, personal and community achievements. 

“Winning this award is absolutely astounding; the provincial competition is fierce and it's a great honour,” said Poehlman.

“Catharine’s success is the result of her confidence, leadership and a boundless willingness to help others,” said Cory Latimer, Manager of Sheridan’s Cooperative Education department.  “She has demonstrated true leadership in the classroom, around the Sheridan campus, in the workplace and in the community. She has been a mentor to many students and will be a wonderful role model for many more. We are proud of her accomplishments and anticipate more to come throughout her career!”

Poehlman is a shining example of what Sheridan’s Cooperative Education can do for a student’s self confidence. Not only has Catharine overcome personal anxiety to become a self-starter who founded a club specifically for young women hoping to work in the math and engineering sectors, but she also led a team of students in developing an IT project that commanded a first-place finish by a panel of judges. All of this, while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA in her program.

“Attending Sheridan for the last 3 years has prepared me for the demands of working in the information technology sector,” said Poehlman. “The co-op program allowed me to gain industry experience that has helped me begin my career in a strong direction.”

“I would recommend the program at Sheridan to anyone wanting to pursue work in IT.”

Poehlman’s co-op term for PointClickCare resulted in the development of an impressive tool to improve efficiency within the company, while her promotion of Co-op at Sheridan resulted in a new posting.  She has also been hired as a full-time employee with PointClickCare.

“We strive to create co-op opportunities where students can be independent team members, and Catharine seized that opportunity with enthusiasm and made the most of it,” said Matt Kersnik, Manager, Corporate Systems, PointClickCare.  “Her contributions left a lasting impact on our team and our peers throughout the organization. When Catharine’s term concluded, we received wonderful feedback from those she worked with, many of whom never realized she was a co-op student. We were ecstatic to have Catharine rejoin the team as a full-time member after graduation, and are absolutely thrilled to learn of her win! Congratulations Catharine!” 

“My last co-op at PointClickCare was a great combination of new learning opportunities and a great environment,” said Poehlman.  “PointClickCare does amazing work, focusing on enriching the lives of seniors and helping improve care delivery, which makes going in to work feel so rewarding. It has been a great way to harness technology and use it to help people in everyday life. My Manager, Matt Kersnik, was supportive and helpful in allowing me to explore my interests and take on project work to create a directory for the whole company.”

The Co-op Student of the Year Award is presented to one student attending a university and one student attending a college, who have showcased exceptional job achievement, extra-curricular involvement, academic achievement and a strong contribution to Co-operative Education. Sheridan has won the award in three out of the past four years—taking home the honour in 2013, 2014, and now 2016.  The winning student receives an award of $750. 

 “Every year I’m thrilled to review the amazing accomplishments of our Sheridan Co-op Students,” said Latimer.  “Co-op and Internship students across all faculties are representing Sheridan with pride and professionalism.”