As a second-year Digital Technologies student at York’s Markham Campus and a Dev Degree intern at Shopify, Brianna Nguyen has distinguished herself through initiative, persistence, and a commitment to community impact. She is York University's 2025 Work-Integrated Learning Student of the Year and provincially recognized as Work-Integrated Learning Student of the Year by Experiential & Work-Integrated Learning (EWO) Ontario.

Brianna’s academic, professional and creative pursuits all demonstrate her deep engagement and advocacy for work-integrated learning as a tool for empowerment, innovation and growth. In York University’s fully work-integrated Digital Technologies program at Markham Campus, Brianna dedicates 80% of her time to working full-time at Shopify, and 20% to completing her academic courses in intensive five-day blocks. 

Balancing full-time work with year-round independent study, she has spent the past several months contributing to meaningful technical projects within Shopify’s Activation team. Her work helps support new merchants as they onboard and begin to use the platform. 

Early in her internship, she helped build backend functionality for Shopify’s new Retail Yearly subscription, gaining foundational experience in shipping production code. 

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"I have gained a newfound confidence that defines me today. I feel empowered that my work positively impacted my peers and community members."

With more experience, skill and confidence Brianna was able to move to more complex challenges involving artificial intelligence. As a highlight, she is proud to have contributed to the backend for Shopify’s AI-powered voice assistant. She also independently owned the development of a new tool that enables non-developers to quickly test prompts across AI models, significantly reducing iteration time and improving workflows. Brianna was recently recognized by her supervisor as performing at the level of an entry-level full-time developer, despite being a first-year intern.

Brianna is not only dedicated to maximizing her own impact and learning; she is equally passionate about shaping a culture of inclusion in the tech industry and creating space for others to thrive. She has helped to create an inclusive environment for all interns at Shopify by hosting a Lightning Talk session, an event open for all employees to hear interns’ reflections and learning highlights. Inspired by Lightnight Talks' impact, Brianna decided to deliver one of her own, where she shared her experiences overcoming imposter syndrome and using vulnerability as a strength. She continues to be a mentor to the new Dev Degree cohort.

“Brianna has consistently shown a strong sense of responsibility and professionalism, managing her time between work and studies remarkably well, staying actively engaged in class, and clearly standing out as one of the most motivated and top-performing students in the cohort,” says Larry Yueli Zhang, Digital Technologies Undergraduate Program Coordinator. 

Across her incredible accomplishments, Brianna represents the exceptional impact of student talent.

Jenny Peach-Squibb, Professional Skills Coach, Employer & Educational Partnerships, Markham Campus supported Brianna's nomination and notes, "Brianna’s success at York and Shopify demonstrates the transformative impact of work-integrated learning, empowering students with the confidence, practical skills and experience needed to make meaningful contributions early in their careers."

Brianna is proudly recognized by York as an advocate for inclusive work-integrated learning that empowers others to see themselves reflected in industry.