When Brock University student Khoola Haroon started her co-op placement at General Motors Canada, she couldn’t have imagined the opportunities that would come her way.

From visiting dealerships across the country to presenting to the president of the company, the 24-year-old Goodman School of Business Master of Business Administration, International Student Pathway graduate learned that she’s capable of succeeding within a world-renowned organization.

But she’s quick to point out that success didn’t come without hard work and a few unforeseen obstacles.

Originally from Abu Dhabi, Haroon decided to complete her master’s studies in Canada. This change of scenery forced her to adjust to a different style of education than her undergrad in the United Arab Emirates — not least of which is having men in the same classes as women. She also found that studying at Brock can involve a high degree of invaluable experiential learning.

“There are more cases and real-life examples, instead of just book-based learning,” she said.

After a successful internship with General Motors Canada, Brock MBA student Khoola Haroon has begun a full-time position with the company as a district manager.

Beyond dealing with cultural change, Haroon also faced challenges in terms of securing her co-op placement. Her delayed arrival in Canada, due to factors beyond her control, created delays in the co-op recruitment process. But all of this only fuelled her determination to succeed, and she secured an interview — and then a placement — with General Motors.

Yet another surprise came when she arrived at GM and was assigned a larger, more complicated job than the one she had interviewed for. She took on a project for GM Canada’s vice-president of sales, service and marketing.

“We wanted to improve customer satisfaction while they are purchasing cars,” she said. “My challenge was to visit dealerships across the country and propose a solution.”

Every step of the way, Haroon persevered and succeeded. She has outstanding grades, plenty of friends from her program and some co-op advice to share with her peers.

“You need to prove yourself,” she said, in reference to the large amount of travel and work she completed to finish her project. “Your managers need to know your capabilities.”

After presenting the findings of her co-op project to the president of GM Canada, the changes Haroon suggested have been implemented nationwide and are now being pitched in the United States.

This has all led to a major opportunity for Haroon in the form of a full-time position as one of GM’s district managers — a remarkable achievement for someone who has just finished her MBA.

Haroon has no doubt that Brock’s co-op program helped position her for success.

“Co-op is like a bridge from your studies to the real world of big companies,” she said. “It helps you transfer to a managerial position quickly.”

With the end of her university career upon her, Haroon has worked tirelessly in her co-op studies to achieve a station in life that she could not have imagined only a few years ago.

“It’s like a dream come true. It has been tough, and there were lots of questions from my family. But I am established here, and I received a full-time job before I had even graduated.”