Kathleen Genge (chemistry) jumped at the opportunity to do some travelling when she was given the chance to take a year-long co-operative education work term with the Tetley Group, Ltd. in the UK.

“Co-op is what makes UVic for me,” said Genge, who has completed five work terms but still plans to do more. She feels that participating in co-op has given her an enormous advantage over her classmates. “I really value that experience, the hands-on learning in the industry.”

Along with another employee and a supervisor, Kathleen ran the lab for the entire company. “We were incredibly busy. We were given the opportunity to tackle all kinds of projects,” she said. She worked full-time, but often felt like she had more than one job due to the number of projects she completed.

Living overseas was a challenge for Genge, and within the year she spent in the UK she had to move twice. However, she thought the experience was worthwhile because it forced her to learn quickly. “There was a big learning curve, but it allowed me to adapt to my new surroundings and learn some exciting new things,” said Genge.

She was also given the opportunity to travel—to Paris, Portugal, Berlin, Budapest, Prague, Stockholm and Scotland. Genge felt that this was one of the best perks of working overseas, and thinks travelling helped her grow as a person.

Learn more about our co-op program or the Department of Chemistry.