STEM Career Awards

THREE-peat! Back to back to back national CEIA honors!

The College of STEM recognizes notable achievement and excellence by annually recognizing up to two outstanding students who have excelled in or made a significant impact in experiential learning.

2024 student Award Recipients

Intern of the year

Asher Chiwawa
Mechanical Engineering

Co-op of the year

Michelle Ani
Biology

Intern of the Year Bio

Asher Chiwawa is a Mechanical Engineering student at Youngstown State University and a recent intern with the Economic Action Group. 

During his internship, he contributed to community and economic development initiatives focused on revitalization, research, and public engagement. He strengthened his skills in teamwork, communication, and early-stage design while collaborating with mentors and local leaders.

His dedication and leadership earned him recognition within the organization, and he is honoured to receive the Intern of the Year Award.

CO-OP of the Year Bio

Michelle Ani is a senior biology major with a chemistry minor from Enugu, Nigeria. In summer 2025, she completed a competitive internship at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, working on "Assessment and Localization of Aortic Landmarks in Patients with Acute Aortic Syndrome." She analyzed CT imaging of aortic dissections and contributed to improved diagnostic workflows.

Her internship earned her the STEM Co-op of the Year award for 2025, her second time receiving this award. She previously won for research on calcium signaling in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at Washington University in St. Louis. Michelle has presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions and the YSU Honors Pre-Health Research Symposium, receiving the Most Outstanding Poster Presentation Award.

Currently applying to medical school, Michelle plans to become a physician-scientist. She founded the International Pre-Health Student Association, empowering international students pursuing healthcare careers.

Economic Action Group - Asher ChiwawaStanford Cardiovascular Institute - Michelle Ani

application information

Intern of the Year Award
  • Recognizes an outstanding student that has completed at least one semester of internship experience during Fall 2024, Spring 2025, or Summer 2025.
  • Nominated student must have registered the internship with STEM Careers, Internships & Co-ops.
  • This award may not be given if an insufficient number of students apply.
Co-op of the Year Award
  • Recognizes an outstanding student that has completed at least one semester of co-op experience during the Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025.
  • Nominated student must have registered the co-op with STEM Careers, Internships & Co-ops.
  • This award may not be given if an insufficient number of students apply.

A student must have registered the internship or co-op to be eligible for this award. The following information and supporting documents are required for a complete application for the Intern of the Year or Co-op of the Year Award. 
 

Resume

The judges will not be rating the resume, rather using it as a guide to gain a better understanding of the student and make potential suggestions for making the application stronger for potential submission to other awards!

Student Statement

The judges will be reviewing each nomination to see how well the student integrated the experiential learning experience into his/her academic and career pursuits.

  • 1000 word maximum
  • Emphasis on reflection and application vs. nature of work or industry where you participated
  • Examples and descriptions of insights you gleaned into company, industry and/or occupation/profession you would not have had without this specific experience
  • How did you grow from this experience?
  • Did the experience confirm or shift your intended career plans?
  • Any awards, achievements, and honors received during the experience
Employer Statement

The judges will be reviewing each nomination for details/examples of how the student’s work-related duties as well as both the quantity and quality of their work positively impacted the company/organization.

  • 1000 word maximum
  • Specific examples demonstrating the student’s initiative and creativity in approaching their assigned work tasks/projects
  • Commentary on student’s drive, professionalism or attitude
  • A detailed description of what makes this student outstanding
  • Any awards or recognition or extended offer to continue employment (internship/co-op/full-time) with company or organization

Application Deadline: October 10, 2025


 

A Selection Committee of 3 YSU College of STEM faculty and staff from various departments review all student award nomination packets for both awards. Each judge reviews each nomination and completes a standardized judging rubric*, adopted from CEIA, to determine his/her/their preferred candidate to be Award winner for each award. The results from the judging rubric of each judge are compiled to determine the winner for each award.

After each award winner has been selected, the Committee will review the two winners and will select his/her/their preferred candidate for nomination to the national CEIA Student Achievement Award.

  • You will be notified during mid-October 2025 whether your application was selected by the awards selection committee.
  • Both award recipients will receive a spotlight in the STEM newsletter and on the STEM webpage, and will receive their physical award at the Spring 2025 STEM Awards Diiner.
  • One award recipient, determined by the Selection Committee, will be nominated for the national CEIA Student Achievement Award.

 

Submission Deadline: October 10, 2025

Submit your application here!

Contact Information

Justin Kleemook

Assistant Director, STEM Careers, Internships & Co-ops
Direct: 330.941.2933
Fax: 330.941.1567
jjkleemook@ysu.edu