Co-op and careers

Katie Yakovleva, English and Slavic studies

A passion for literature and language didn’t just lead Katie Yakovleva to do a double major in English and Slavic Studies; it also compelled her to pursue a co-operative education position in the marketing department for international online bookseller AbeBooks.

Esther Walsh, philosophy and history

Co-op led philosophy and history student Esther Walsh to Vietnam where she spent three months working with disadvantaged youth at KOTO (Know One, Teach One), a hospitality training program, where young people from the streets or from low-income families are given room and board, restaurant training, work experience and life coaching.

Greek and Roman studies student Emily Golumbia

Greek and Roman studies student Emily Golumbia says the UVic Co-operative Education Program (co-op) has been “instrumental” in helping her launch a career in the museum sector. Emily has spent three co-op terms working in museums: one as an interpreter at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff, and two as a curatorial assistant at the Haida Gwaii Museum.

Jennifer Polack, Professional Communications

A series of co-op placements has allowed Professional Communications student Jennifer Polack to kick-start a career in communications and build a network of contacts in the Indigenous community. An Indigenous student herself, Jennifer is particularly interested in lending her skills to Indigenous-led businesses and projects.

Co-op helps you start building your career while you're still at university. It's designed to work around your academic courses, so you'll complement what you're learning in class with practical workplace experience.

Co-op enables you to try out a range of jobs before you graduate; gain work experience and skills; and make connections with employers. And you get paid for the experience! 

 

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Meet our alumni

Will Chaster

Will Chaster

History and environmental studies
ElectroRecycle; Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt
Graduate Will Chaster worked for ElectroRecycle as an ambassador, travelling across the province to raise awareness of the organization. He is now completing a work term as a communications writer at the Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt.
Rowan Meredith

Rowan Meredith

Slavic Studies
Student curator, Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum
When Rowan Meredith came to UVic several years ago, she knew she had a unique opportunity to explore her passions. Her path to law school could follow any route that would allow her to excel.
Riley Vlooswyk

Riley Vlooswyk

Professional communications
Environmental researcher and podcast producer
Professional Communication student Riley Vlooswyk recently completed a co-op term working for award-winning writer and environmentalist Mark Leiren-Young, author of The Killer Whale Who Changed the World. During his co-op term, Riley helped develop Skaana, Leiren-Young’s new podcast about orcas, oceans, and the environment.
Lexi Mills

Lexi Mills

French
BC Legislature; AbeBooks; Western Digital Thailand
French major Lexi Mills knows that it’s never too late to join the co-op program at UVic. After completing the coursework for her degree in four years, Lexi went on to do twelve months of back-to-back co-op work terms that have taken her from the BC Legislature to international bookseller AbeBooks to Western Digital Thailand.

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