Undergraduate computer science student Shreya Saxena was named UBC Okanagan's 2025 Co-op Student of the Year.
When Shreya Saxena moved from India to UBC Okanagan in 2021, she arrived to the campus with a clear goal: to immerse herself in the university’s research-driven environment. As a prospective undergraduate in computer science, she wasn’t just looking for a degree; she wanted opportunities to apply what she learned to real-world challenges.
Saxena’s path to being named Co-op Student of the Year in 2025 was built on a series of increasingly complex technical experiences. Along the way, she discovered that the true power of classroom knowledge emerges when it is tested against the demands and unpredictability of real-world systems.
To gain that hands-on experience, Saxena decided to turn to UBC Okanagan’s Co-op Office, seeing it as a bridge between academic learning and industry innovation.
Here, Saxena reviews the dashboard of a wildfire sensor project led by UBCO researcher Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais. Her work helped turn raw data into real-time insights for frontline responders.
The Snowball Effect: From local research to global scale
Saxena’s trajectory was like a snowball; where curiosity, technical skills and leadership combine to unlock more complex opportunities.
Her co-op journey began on campus, collaborating with Dr. Mathieu Bourbonnais on an environmental monitoring dashboard designed to support emergency response efforts. She integrated 5G connectivity with remote environmental sensors to provide first responders with real-time data on soil moisture and temperature—turning raw environmental data into a predictive tool for community safety.
The foundation in 5G proved to be a stepping stone into the global tech industry; soon after, Saxena joined Ericsson, a global leader in telecommunications. During her eight-month co-op term in Ottawa, Saxena worked at the intersection of AI and large-scale software systems.
During her time working with Dr. Bourbonnais on his wildfire sensors project, Saxena’s contributions included coding and refining metrics that could inform decisions in real-time.
By applying generative AI to automate parts of the code generation and testing pipeline, she improved framework efficiency by up to 80 per cent and helped accelerate software validation and deployment across engineering teams.
Beyond her technical contributions, Saxena stepped into the role of Co-op Captain, where she took ownership of the student experience by leading onboarding sessions, organizing team building activities, and mentoring incoming interns to help them navigate their first industry placements.
This momentum carried Saxena into a three-month co-op term at Amazon in Vancouver, where she worked on Tier 1 production systems. These are the “mission-critical” backbones of the company where a single error can disrupt global operations. Saxena’s focus was on “removing friction” within complex codebases, refining systems so that large, cross-functional teams could collaborate more effectively and deliver reliable services at global scale.
Saxena poses with Dr. Wayne Broughton, Associate Dean of Students (Undergraduate Recruitment, Services and Success) with the Faculty of Science.
Advice for prospective students
After three successful co-op terms, Saxena has the following advice for students thinking about joining the Co-op program:
- Don’t fear the “extra year”: Many students hesitate because co-op can extend your degree. Saxena views this as an investment, not a delay: “It’s an acceleration. You can find your professional direction before you even graduate.”
- Treat rejection as part of the process: Expect a learning curve. Saxena faced many rejections before landing her first interview. Her advice? “Take rejections with grace. Each application and interview builds resilience and prepares you for the real job market.”
- Focus on “removing friction”: In a professional environment, your value isn’t just about your technical skills—it’s about helping the team work more effectively. “A lot of impact is removing friction so other people can do their best work, too.”
- Communicate with clarity: Technical skills are only half the battle. To scale within a big company like Ericsson or Amazon, you have to communicate effectively. “Strong teams scale through clarity. You are responsible for giving that clarity to your team.”
- Join the community early: Saxena founded the AI Club and also joined the Student Union. Joining clubs and campus communities early builds the collaboration and networking skills that make co-op experiences stronger.
