Camosun student Ben Lubberts has won the BC Association for Co-operative Education’s Co-op Student of the Year award. Lubberts’ win mark the seventh consecutive year that the award has been awarded to a Camosun student. The award, which also includes a cash prize of $500, is granted to the applicant most fitting, based on academic grades, community involvement, and letters of recommendation from Camosun and the co-op employer.
Lubberts, a Civil Engineering Technology student, was granted the award for his exceptional performance with the District of Saanich, where he worked as Student Engineering Technician. Lubberts impressed his colleagues with his dedication, reliability, and willingness to learn.
Lubberts takes little credit for his accomplishments, admitting that he worked hard but didn’t expect the award, which he attributes to the particular circumstances of his co-op placement. Lubberts also says that the award is really the result of the efforts of everyone around him, including a strong support network.
“It’s great to be recognized, but it’s really a reflection of the geniuses I surround myself with,” he says. “It takes the spotlight off me and really on to the people that I choose to be around.”
Lubberts applied for the job with Saanich despite missing a key qualification, which did not discourage him. Instead, Lubberts dedicated several days to learning the skills needed for the job on his own time. Lubberts says that part of what he laid out in his application was his experience of having to learn new skills just days before his placement.
“I applied with the anticipation that I would immerse myself at Camosun for a day or two of self-learning,” he says.
Lubberts’ timing was unique, as well. Lubberts applied for the position with Saanich while his wife was pregnant, becoming a father just days into the placement.
“I started work on Thursday and my baby was born on Saturday,” he says. Lubberts took just one day off and successfully balanced his new family with great performance at his new job over the rest of the summer.
Thinking back on the experience and how he managed to cope, Lubberts is nearly speechless. “It was the most unbelievable week of my life,” he says.
Lubberts also thanks Camosun’s Co-Operative Education department, who helped him find the opportunity in the first place. “This was not [a result of] my sole effort,” he says, “but a result of great help and contribution in the co-op department at Camosun to get me the job.”
Gloria Darroch, director of Co-operative Education at Camosun, says the win makes her proud of the students and the programs at Camosun.
“We have seven winners over the last seven years, and they represent a variety of programs at the college,” says Darroch. “It is always nice when it’s validated by outstanding contributions by students.”
Despite consecutive wins, Darroch says the co-op department knows that Camosun students like Lubberts face tough competition for awards.
“We are constantly delighted to get the recognition. All postsecondary in Canada does a good job, so look at the competition,” she says. “We don’t take it for granted at all.”
No Camosun student should take these wins for granted, says Darroch, and should be proud regardless of what program or campus they are in.
“When any student gets recognized,” she says, “all students see another positive reason that supports their decision to come here.”