When Paige Quinn first moved to Vancouver Island to start her undergraduate degree, she intended on becoming an elementary school teacher. She had always loved working with children and grew up with a mother who taught grade one. But taking one of UVic's Exercise Science, Physical Health and Education classes hooked her on the program. She graduates this month.
A unique exchange that connects UVic with Thomas More University of Applied Sciences in Belgium is helping students develop solutions for people with diverse abilities.
Engineering student Simon Park's Caboost invention—a trailer which converts any bicycle into an e-bike—helped him stand out to co-op recruiters at Tesla. Park is one of 44 UVic students who have secured co-ops with the energy and automobile technology company.
A network of artisans is the fabric of business for Dara Jarallah, a Master of Global Business student (pictured above), who launched her social start-up Shoppinglee two years ago and is currently completing a co-op term in Jordan.
UVic Indigenous studies student Kevin Perkins is wrapping up three co-op work terms with a First Nations-run Crown Corporation that supports the revitalization of Indigenous languages, culture and heritage in BC. He’s also part of the cohort of students who pushed UVic’s co-op and career program past 85,000 co-op term placements since 1976.
As an Indigenous student, Kevin Perkins wanted related work experience that aligned with his heritage and career goals and to give back to the community. He found that blend of academics and paid, culturally relevant work through the world’s only dedicated Indigenous co-op program.
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What compels someone to study art history? It could be a passion for the life and work of a certain artist, like Frida Kahlo, or a fascination with a specific period of visual history, like the Renaissance. But for Josie Greenhill, graduating this month with a BA Honours in Art History and Visual Studies (AHVS), her inspiration came from a movie about Jack and Rose.
There’s nothing quite like looking across the ocean and feeling the fresh salty air filing your lungs as you ride your bike along Dallas Road. And Carson Sage, who graduates with a MA in Kinesiology this month, has been offering senior citizens in Victoria and beyond the opportunity to reconnect with nature through free bike rides, via the Cycling Without Age program.
When Tia Sojonky arrived at UVic from her hometown of Regina, Saskatchewan to study engineering, she realized she'd underestimated how much hard work it was going to be. Sojonky, who's graduating in June with an honor’s degree in biomedical engineering, says she did take advantage of the many resources available for assistance but what made the biggest difference for her was doing a co-op work term in Stephanie Willerth’s biomedical engineering lab.
For the past three years, UVic has raised more than any other Canadian post-secondary as part of the World Partnership Walk to eradicate global poverty—this year’s walk is no exception.
Hot coffee and cool science make the perfect pair for fifth-year chemistry student Hannah Charnock. As the co-owner of local coffee roaster Smoke & Mirrors, she’s applying knowledge gained through co-op work terms in the beer and wine industries to create the perfect cup of coffee.
Collaborative, innovative and driven to make a positive impact—these are qualities shared by the three 2017 Co-op Students of the Year: Miaoxin (Cheryl) Cui (business), Brianna Carrels (biomedical engineering) and Gabrielle (Ga) Grant (law).
Kristina Frolova graduates this November with a degree in civil engineering, the same degree as her parents, uncles, aunts and grandmother. "Civil engineering must be in my genes," says the international student who came to Canada from Russia when she was 18. "I think it's embedded in me in some way."
UVic's intercultural training helps our students make positive contributions to diverse workplaces and develop intercultural competencies through studying and working abroad--with the next workshop taking place in time for International Education Week (Nov. 13 to 17).
Cheyenne Smith is determined to do her part to improve the health of Canada’s Indigenous populations, especially HIV/AIDS rates, after she graduates this month with an undergraduate degree in anthropology and a minor in French.
