The JoAnne Day Student of the Year Awards are presented by PennACE each year to recognize outstanding co-ops and interns enrolled at member institutions. Three awards of $500 each are given each year, one in a technical field, one in non-profit (includes government), and one in business.
2011 JoAnne Day Student of the Year Winners
AWARD STRUCTURE/CATEGORIES
Technical: To be eligible to apply for the Technical award, students must have completed an internship or co-op assignment in an engineering, computer science/information technology, or science area.
Non-Profit: Non-Profit award eligibility requires the student to have completed an internship or co-op assignment in an education, social science/service, humanities area (i.e., any area within the non-profit or government sector).
Business: To be eligible for the Business award, students must have completed an internship or co-op assignment in a for-profit business (i.e., any area that does not fall in the Technical or Non-Profit category).
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Student nominees must be enrolled or a current year graduate of a post-secondary educational institution in Pennsylvania that has a current PennACE membership. Nominations for the awards may be made by the employer or by the school, and multiple submissions for each category will be accepted (for example: ABC University may submit two nominees for the non-profit category.). Students must have completed an internship or co-op assignment during the academic year (including the summer semester or term) in which the award is given. For example, the 2012 award nominees must have completed an assignment during Fall 2011, Spring 2012, and/or Summer 2012. Nominees must have worked at their assignment a minimum of 120 hours. Students do not need to have obtained credit for the internship to be eligible for nomination.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Each nomination packet must include the following:
1. Completed and signed Nomination Form.
2. Current student resume. There must be no reference made to GPA. Students are encouraged to have their resume reviewed by their campus Career Center.
3. Student Statement. Two-page summary, typed, doubled spaced. Address the following topics: Where and when the internship/co-op occurred; Briefly describe your internship/co-op site; Describe projects worked on alone or in a team setting; new skills & abilities attained; Describe how your internship/co-op connected to your academic experience; Describe how your internship/co-op influenced college and future career plans/goals; self initiative, honors, contributions, and achievements to employer, school and community.
4. Employer Support Statement. Two-page summary, typed, doubled spaced. Employer statement MUST be on company letterhead. Address the following topics: student’s work related duties, quantity and quality of work; examples of the student’s initiative or creative or original work; examples of how the student was challenged, any published work or presentations made by the student; recognition or awards from the organization; student impact on the department or organization.
5. College/University Support Statement. Two-page summary, typed, doubled spaced. College/University statement MUST be on letterhead. Address the following topics: examples of the student’s initiative or creative/original work; how the internship/co-op experience connects with their academic experience; recognition received from the university or other organizations; involvement in/contributions to campus and/or in the community; the student’s character. Do not refer to GPA, address academic performance in general terms only.
All forms, resumes, and statements must be completed and submitted to the SOTY Award Committee Chairperson by the last Friday in October (October 26, 2012). The award recipients will be recognized at the spring PennACE Conference.
SELECTION PROCESS
All nominations received before 4:30 p.m. on the last Friday of October (October 26, 2012) will be reviewed and evaluated by the Selection Committee. Award recipients will be selected and announced in December.
JOANNE DAY STUDENT OF THE YEAR WINNERS
2011: Kenton Filipowicz, Lock Haven University (Business); Hana Yasaki, Grove City College (Non-Profit); Zachary Robinson, Penn State University (Technical)
2010: Rachit Tiwary, Dickinson College (Business); Leo McFarland, Franklin & Marshall College (Non-Profit); Alex Kossar, Muhlenberg College (Technical)
2009: Caitlin Miller, DeSales University (Business); Kaitlin Porter, Ursinus College (Non-Profit); Lindsey Draper, Juniata College (Technical)
2008: Sara DiNardo, The Pennsylvania State University (Technical) and Sarah Inskip, York College of Pennsylvania (Non-Technical)
2007: Nicholas Cimino, Juniata College (Technical) and Joseph Donohue, Shippensburg University (Non-Technical)
2006: Jack D. Flicker Penn State University (Technical) and Katherine T. Ringler, Ursinus College (Non-Technical)
2005: Donald Hackworth (Technical) and Kristina Tamny (Non-Technical)
2004: Angela Capece (Technical) and Ryan Richards (Non-Technical)