The CO-OP experience is unique for every student, but some concerns are common, like the uncertainty of being matched with an employer for a placement. For Angeline Pink, a dedicated biomedicine student, this became a genuine challenge.
Angeline, a fifth-year biomedical science student, is completing her third and final CO-OP work term. Students who study biomedicine often go on to medical school. However, Angeline wanted to explore career paths in advance, so she chose to participate in the CO-OP program.
In second year — when academics and work shifted online due to COVID-19 — she applied for CO-OP. Her first work term was supposed to be in the winter of third year, but she hadn’t secured a match for any positions, not having any interviews scheduled in the first round of placements and falling ill during the second round.
So Angeline took a moment to contemplate her next steps. Although her work-study sequence didn’t start off according to plan, she still had goals with regards to the CO-OP program. So she stayed and tried again for her next planned work term.
Angeline would like to experience different work opportunities to have a better idea of what path to take after her studies.
In her first placement, she was able to participate in the SynBio Canada’s BioExperience Program as the bioeconomic development team’s lead, partnering with Bleu Nordique to create sustainable bioproducts, including a lotion bar. In her next placement, at the Bruyère Research Institute, she was a member of the Multi-Stakeholder Engagement (MuSE) Project, working on interview guides, project screening and guideline development.
Because of her CO-OP placements, Angeline was able to develop various uOCompetencies, expanding her worldview by being faced with health equity concerns globally, particularly in low to middle income countries. She enhanced her attention to detail and her qualitative analysis skills, becoming familiar with systematic reviews and research articles.
Angeline is completing her last placement at Health Canada, the organization she was hoping to be matched with from the very beginning. She believes that a key virtue that helped her get to where she is now is resilience.
“Resilience is the act of getting back up after you’ve taken a fall. It’s similar to perseverance, but resilience is more like how much you bounce back. That’s how I would describe my CO-OP experience.”
Angeline Pink
Angeline’s future is bright and we look forward to seeing her succeed in her CO-OP journey.
Her advice to students planning to participate in CO-OP:
“Don't stress and just trust the process!”
Angeline Pink