Andela Acic, a Bachelor of Science student majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Psychology, has been honored with an Honourable Mention for University Co-op Student of the Year by the Association for Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning (ACE-WIL) BC/Yukon.
Throughout her academic journey at UBC Okanagan, Andela completed three co-op terms with TD, Morgan Stanley, and Amazon, where she demonstrated exceptional technical expertise and leadership. At Amazon, she identified a critical inefficiency and developed a feature projected to save the company $250 million annually. Her proactive approach led her supervisor to note that she "far exceeded expectations for an intern by actively engaging with stakeholders beyond her team."
Beyond her professional accomplishments, Andela is deeply committed to mentorship and community engagement. She secured a $1,000 United Nations Foundation grant for the Girl Up Program, supporting STEM students in job application preparation. As a mentor in the UBCO Scholar to Scholar program, she guides fellow Computer Science scholarship students and frequently shares her co-op experiences at campus events, inspiring others to pursue experiential learning.
Andela's interdisciplinary approach, combining computer science with psychology, enables her to design user-centric applications that are both intuitive and accessible. Her co-op experiences have not only refined her technical skills but also shaped her career trajectory, culminating in a full-time offer as a Machine Learning Engineer at Amazon, where she will return after graduating in June 2025.