Originally published on the Arts Co-op Program website
Each year, the Arts Co-op Program recognizes a UBC iSchool Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) co-op student for outstanding achievement in all aspects of student performance, including academics, the workplace, contributions to co-operative education, and extra-curricular activities. This year’s winner, Cecilia Rose, was honoured for her work term with the UBC Student Academic System Initiative (SASI) as the Information System Project Librarian. According to her supervisor, Cecilia left an impeccable impression with the SASI UX Team.
Cecilia’s phenomenal grades, commitment to personal, academic, and career development, and her outstanding performance evaluation by her supervisor illustrate why she deserves the distinction of iSchool MLIS Co-op Student of the Year.
Excellence in the Workplace
Cecilia was the first co-op student at SASI and she was given a broad range of responsibilities including planning, analysis, and prototyping. Cecilia’s supervisor noted that she was an active and enthusiastic member of the team, who was unafraid to stretch her boundaries and learn new skills. Cecilia contributed to many SASI projects, from UX testing and information architecture development, to writing a final recommendations report. Cecilia’s supervisor stated that she was reliable, adaptable, and confident in her role, and her diligence paid off in all aspects of her work.
Cecilia’s time at SASI allowed her to apply the knowledge and skills gained through her studies at the iSchool@UBC to the workplace. She noted that she learned “how to work within an academic organization, incorporate and advocate for user experience design, and apply efficient and effective management principles.” Cecilia cited classes on Resource Description and Access, Cataloguing, and Information Design – Systems as being particularly helpful.
In order to overcome the “steep learning curve” that came with her position, Cecilia “kept [her] eyes and ears open and observed the organization in terms of people, process, content, and technology.” She added, “I read a lot about information architecture…and asked questions and sought guidance where appropriate.” Cecilia’s commitment to learning in the role paid off, and she had a very successful work term. Cecilia strengthened her research and analysis skills, ability to collaborate, and ability to quickly learn new information during her work term. Cecilia plans to graduate in May 2016, and feels that these skills “are definitely transferable.” She notes, “my goal upon graduation is to apply them with an academic, digital, corporate, research library or archival organization.”
