What is your academic program?
I am in the Microbiology program
Where did you work?
The co-op I am in right now, which is my final one, is in the Boraston lab at UVic under the supervision of Dr. Joanne Hobbs and I am looking at the genes responsible for antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus.
My first co-op was at Agriculture and Agrifood Canada in Saskatoon, SK. My project there was looking at the functional groups in wax in the leaves of canola plants.
My previous co-op was an 8-month co-op at the BC Cancer Centre in Victoria and I was in the Histology Lab there. So that was more immunology focused, working with human tissue and trying to develop immune-fluorescent staining protocols for different types of tissue.
Why did you join co-op?
Part of the reason why I originally joined co-op was because both my parents did co-op and they had really good things to say about it and they thought it really helped them get jobs in science. I thought it was a unique way to get job experience in my field; because it is quite hard to get into a lab without having co-op and I really wanted to have that experience.
How did co-op meet your expectations?
I have loved all the jobs I have had, and been given a lot of responsibilities and freedoms and done some really cool stuff in all my various positions so it has met my expectations.
What have been your favourite aspects of your co-op experiences?
I really really loved the team I worked with in Saskatoon, I met some great friends. It was a very good work environment, and they gave me lots of freedom and responsibility. They gave me this project and I had to read papers and figure out what experiments I wanted to do; I kind of had complete control, which was a really unique experience, especially for someone who was only in second year.
I really love the job I am doing right now; it is exactly the job I want to be doing which is working with pathogenic bacteria. My boss invited me to keep working with her over the summer, so it is really rewarding knowing that the work you are doing is being valued. And working at BC Cancer is obviously a very prestigious place to work.
Especially in the Histology lab, you are being sent real patient samples and you have to develop the staining plan and stain them. So knowing what you are doing is going straight to someone’s hands and they are going to use that data to help themselves, that was really cool.
What does professionalism mean to you and has your concept of professionalism changed through your co-op experiences?
All of my labs have been quite different but the sense of community in all the labs I have worked in has been a big thing. Communication, understanding each other, getting along and having a good flow to the work environment has been just as important as the work you are putting out.
Do you have any advice for future co-op students?
My advice for people applying, especially for your first couple co-ops, is not to limit yourself to staying in Victoria. I know everyone wants to stay in Victoria but I found success in my first one by being willing to move somewhere else. And you might have a really great experience too because I had a really fun summer!
Try to apply for things that do not necessarily sound like your dream job but you will probably still learn a lot from them, and then you can make your second or third co-op your dream job. For your first one, just get some experience under your belt.
For the first couple weeks of the job I would say just make sure you ask a lot of questions, be really engaged. Be curious about what you are doing and the background of it as well as the future goals of the project. Make sure you are eager to put in extra work, take initiative, go above and beyond the work you are tasked with. Make that good impression!