March 4, 2008
McCain wins Co-op Student of the Year
Augusta, Ga. – Providing testing services in the engineering department at E-Z-Go Textron turns out to be exactly the direction Danny McCain is headed in his career. The cooperative education program he started there in the fall of last year helped the sophomore physics major at Augusta State University solidify his career goals. But it also got him recognition in the form of ASU’s Jack Mangham Award, given to the Co-op Student of the Year.
“I was just shocked. I didn’t know my essay was going to be enough to get that award,” says Mr. McCain. “It shows I didn’t try to just meet expectations. It shows that I tried to go above and beyond.”
It was that inclination to surpass expectations that led his supervisors to nominate him for the award in the first place.
“Danny McCain was nominated for the Jack Mangham Award because he has consistently demonstrated a desire and ability to use experiential learning opportunities to apply his college studies in real world experiences,” says Melissa Hudson, assistant director and co-op manager at Augusta State University’s Career Center. “Chosen as Augusta State University’s Co-op Student of the Year, Danny earned the honor by exceeding the career center’s expectations for academic and professional performance. His demonstration of resourcefulness, tenacity, and conscientious hard work serves as a model for future co-op students at Augusta State University.”
When entering college, Mr. McCain originally thought he wanted to concentrate his studies in the pre-engineering track and later move on to earn an engineering degree.
“He is one of these guys who came in and stood out because he had a real clear idea of what he wanted to do,” says Andy Hauger, chair of ASU’s Department of Chemistry and Physics.
In addition to mapping out his career path early on, Mr. McCain also decided that the co-op program at ASU was the best way to make the journey successful.
“The greatest component of my college education thus far has been cooperative education. From cooperative education, I have exposure to my career field, acquire practical knowledge, and receive great mentorship,” Mr. McCain writes in his entry essay. “Acquiring practical knowledge while still in college has given me a leading edge in the future over graduates who did not engage in cooperative education. Not only am I gaining experience, I am acquiring training that corresponds with classes that I will take in the future.”
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