Co-op Week Coffee Break brews high-octane interest
Five million dollars in work terms is something to celebrate
March 26, 2013
|
National Co-operative Education Week is a pretty big deal at Concordia's Institute for Co-operative Education.
![Janet Kar, marketing co-op student volunteer, enumerating the advantages of co-op. | All photos by Concordia University](co-op-week-coffee-break-brews-high-octane-interest/_jcr_content/images/image_jpg_0.img.jpg)
Janet Kar, marketing co-op student volunteer, enumerating the advantages of co-op. | All photos by Concordia University
Approximately 1,300 students are currently enrolled in co-op programs at Concordia, and the work terms they do earn them more than a total of $5,000,000 per year. That, plus the on-the-job experience and knowledge they take back to class are all great reasons to celebrate.
The Co-op Week Coffee Break was open to all members of the Concordia community. Some came for a bite of cake and some for the coffee. Everyone was interested in the Student Showcase poster display, and no one left without taking the time to chat with co-op student volunteers, staff and faculty.
![Ollivier Dyens cuts the celebratory cake as Gerry Hughes, Frederick Francis, Natalie Roper and Janet Kar look on.](co-op-week-coffee-break-brews-high-octane-interest/_jcr_content/images/image_jpg_1.img.jpg)
Ollivier Dyens cuts the celebratory cake as Gerry Hughes, Frederick Francis, Natalie Roper and Janet Kar look on.
Henry Hong, academic program director for the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering co-op programs, agrees. “Our students really mature during their work terms. They go out into the real world and a real work environment.”
Civil engineering student Ahmed Youssef enjoyed the social aspect of the event and said, “I like socializing. I connected with some of the advisors and got to know them a little better. I was also glad to learn more about their experiences.” Youssef is in the industrial experience option and will be participating in a special program in Washington, D.C. this summer. His plan is to finish his engineering degree and tackle an MBA.
Sara Samie from the actuarial mathematics co-op joked that she came for the food. In fact, this senior student volunteered for the event, is a co-op mentor, and will start her fourth and final work term in May. Samie said, “I enjoyed my work term experiences. Now I know what I like, and what I don’t like.”
Other student volunteers, all of them members of the co-op mentorship program, included Janet Kar, Shama Khalid and Nara Van Rossum. Volunteers Alice Xun and Jing Jing Yan were mentors, student showcase participants and alumni.
![Alex Fournier, senior electrical engineering student, reminiscing with Frederick Francis, Ollivier Dyens and Nadine Benjamin.](co-op-week-coffee-break-brews-high-octane-interest/_jcr_content/images/image_jpg_2.img.jpg)
Alex Fournier, senior electrical engineering student, reminiscing with Frederick Francis, Ollivier Dyens and Nadine Benjamin.
Gerry Hughes, director of the Institute for Co-operative Education, summed up his view of the event. “The whole point of today was to bring our co-op and Concordia community together. I am really thrilled with the turnout. I’ve talked with co-op students, non-co-op students, representatives from our academic programs, visitors from other departments, and I’ve had the chance to answer a lot of questions. The word is getting around.”
Related links: