Even for the most seasoned student, job interviews can be a harrowing experience-that's why UVic Co-op and Career launched an expanded series of mock interview clinics for co-op students this year. Beginning in 2014-15, all co-op students will compl…
University of Victoria students will benefit from a new scholarship program to help shape the next generation of global leaders. The Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives and the Co-operative Education Program and Career Services have both received funding from the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship program—a joint initiative of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), the Community Foundations of Canada and the Rideau Hall Foundation.
Each year, we bestow three Co-op Student of the Year awards to recognize students' outstanding achievements in all aspects of performance, including academic achievement, workplace performance, and extracurricular, community and co-op involvement. One winning student is selected from each of our three major program areas.
Life for a university student isn’t just essays, exams and ramen noodles—although those are a big part of it. There are also yoga raves, nights of uninterrupted Netflix marathons, awkward icebreakers and friendships that will last a lifetime. Whether you're a high school student wondering what's like to be an undergraduate student at UVic or a current student looking to share in your classmates’ experiences, you’ll find something new in a blogging project that spotlights student life at UVic.
Makenzie Zouboules, third-year UVic honours political science and writing co-op student, is something of a celebrity in her hometown of Yellowknife, NWT. Last month, along with FOXY co-founders Candice Lys and Nancy MacNeill, Zouboules accepted a $1-million Arctic Inspiration Prize for their work with northern youth. Originally part of Lys’ PhD dissertation on public health promotion, FOXY (Fostering Open eXpression among Youth) is a participatory research project aimed at talking with young people about sexual health, sexuality and relationships across the three northern Canadian territories.
One of the focal points of UVic’s new Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities (CARSA) is getting a new name even before it opens. Peninsula Co-op was announced as the first corporate partner for CARSA on Nov. 4, sponsoring the colorful 16-metre climbing wall that will now be known as the Peninsula Co-op Climbing Wall.
For recent grad Darcie Scollard (English), the co-operative education program has made her future a lot less daunting—and helped her pocket a contract with the provincial government to carry her into post-grad life. “As a humanities student, I was particularly worried about life after university,” Scollard says. “Since I became a co-op student, a lot of stress around finding a job after graduation has been lifted off my shoulders.”
The university, thanks to support from Peninsula Co-op, is one step closer to fulfilling its vision for its Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities. The climbing tower at CARSA is officially named the Pensinsula Co-op Climbing Wall.
It’s probably not on many graduates’ lists of what to do after convocation, but it’s at the top of Chelsea Falconer’s: she’s going to get cracking on the post-apocalyptic novel she’s had in her head for almost as long as she’s been at UVic.
Victoria-based RevenueWire prides itself on helping companies grow their online business, so it's no surprise that this global e-commerce facilitator also fosters opportunities for learning in the workplace. RevenueWire regularly hires UVic co-op students in a wide range of roles—with great results.
As recipient of the Jubilee Medal for the Faculty of Science, Liyuan (Leslie) Ren is finishing top of her faculty. Despite earning a near-perfect 9.0 grade average, for Ren, the university experience was about more than just academics. “It was a pretty challenging last five years,” she admits with a smile. “I wasn’t even aware there was an award, so I’m actually pleasantly surprised!” After completing high school in her native China, Ren was determined to move to Canada, learn English and get a university education. She chose UVic for the climate, beauty and size, and because it was a research-based university. “It was the best decision I ever made,” she says confidently.
Many people associate municipal planning with large urbanized communities. For geography and environmental studies grad Richard T. Buchan, however, some of Vancouver Island’s smaller communities offered much larger opportunities. Living, studying and completing co-op work terms in Port Hardy, Campbell River, and North Cowichan gave Buchan great opportunities for hands-on learning in community planning. “I think every student should take the co-op option and apply for work in small towns,” says Buchan, “you gain work experience and often have more responsibilities in a smaller community.”
UVic Co-op and Career’s international CANEU-COOP exchange program has been named a Global Best Award winner by the International education business Partnership Network (IPN).
It takes a very special co-op employer to stand out from the nearly 1,000 employer organizations that hired UVic co-op students in 2013, since each and every organization has provided outstanding learning opportunities to our amazing co-op students. So it’s with great excitement that Co-op and Career has named Teck, Canada’s largest diversified resource company, as our 2013 UVic Co-op Employer of the Year.
They may study disparate subjects, but Connor Bildfell, Angus Rittenburg, and Ross Prager have something in common: they’ve all been named UVic Co-op Student of the Year by their respective co-op programs.
Students who are graduating this June can find everything they need to transition to the workplace during Gear up to Graduate, launching Feb 1 at www.uvic.ca/coopandcareer/grad. Co-op and Career is offering workshops, one-on-one career development support, resources, job postings and more.
