"I love talking to people, answering questions, and listening to others’ stories,” says Lockie. “I realized right away that I’m not looking for a career in a laboratory—I need to be out meeting people!”

Before joining the co-op program, Lockie wasn’t sure what to do with her biology degree. She knew presentation skills would be an asset in many potential careers, so she took a public speaking course from UVic’s theatre department—only to discover she was a natural. To continue building her speaking skills, she spent her first co-op work term as one of nine coastal naturalists aboard BC Ferries, giving interpretive half-hour presentations to groups of up to 200 passengers. “There were no scripts, so we were each forced to discover our personal presenting style,” she says. “It worked!”

Lockie spent her third and fourth work terms back-to-back as a student recruitment and admissions liaison for UVic Student Recruitment. As part of UVic’s recruitment team, she road-tripped all over BC to give recruitment presentations, and also worked with other team members to organize recruitment events on campus. In such a fast-paced environment, Lockie discovered the true value of teamwork.

“No matter how busy we were, the recruitment team made time to check in with me and answer my questions,” she says. “In turn, whenever I could, I’d ask who needed backup and jump in to help out. Having the support of a strong, vibrant team is hugely beneficial, so I always tried to provide that same support right back.”

Looking back on her time as an undergrad, Lockie recognizes the true scope of what she learned through co-op. “I’ve learned I need a fast-paced, busy, challenging environment that includes lots of social interaction,” she says. “And I’ve learned I want to work as a part of a team, knowing that there is that support structure and that we’re working towards common goals.” She predicts teamwork will be a large part of her future and something she’ll continue to work on. “To be a strong team member, I always want to strive to improve,” she says.

Lockie performed so well in her co-op position that after graduation, she landed a permanent job with UVic Student Recruitment. She isn’t sure exactly what her future holds, but she’s open to more schooling and to new options as she discovers them. “Now that I’ve graduated,” she says, “I’m so thankful that I took advantage of the co-op program to carry my skills and experiences into a future career—whatever that may be!”