Though Truchi Patel and Monique Badiola were drawn to Brock for its high rate of graduate employment after Convocation, their experience in the University’s co-op program helped them to accomplish their goals before even crossing the stage.

The soon-to-be graduates have each secured a full-time role in their field of study, well in advance of their Convocation taking place next week.

Patel, who will receive her Bachelor of Business Administration degree on Thursday, June 16, says her two co-op work terms and the experience they provided gave her an edge when she secured her current job as a recruitment advisor at Deloitte.

“People are applying everywhere in the virtual environment the pandemic has created,” she said. “Thankfully, the experience I had from co-ops at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario and at Brock helped me talk about tangible skills I had acquired, which made me stand out.”

Badiola, who will receive her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in Public Administration on Tuesday, June 14, says the lessons she learned throughout her time in co-op have helped her to turn her final work term at Public Health Agency of Canada into a full-time career.

“When I started at Brock, I was not very confident, I was nervous and I was not sure what was out there for me,” she said. “Now, I feel 10 times more confident in who I am in the working realm, what my skill set is and my capabilities as a worker, and my ability to sell myself.”

Along with the lessons each student took in on their work terms, Patel said much of the early career success the co-op program delivers comes from the people administering it.

“Co-op staff took the time to sit down and get to know me personally,” she said. “The whole process was smooth, and they were always there to answer questions or share advice. Having such a supportive team led me to that success.”

While she is still in the earliest stages of her career, Badiola says co-op will continue to have an influence on her professionally going forward.

“I would definitely hire co-op students in the future. They are an excellent addition to any industry or organization, whether it be their contribution of fresh ideas or their new ways of solving problems,” she said. I’m definitely also going to tell my future kids to do co-op.”

As Patel prepares to celebrate her in-person Convocation, she will miss the community Brock provides.

“I’ll miss the students, staff and faculty who make Brock so special, as well as the Guernsey Market burritos,” she quipped.

For Badiola, the transition will be bittersweet. The promise of her new career will also mean leaving behind activities like the Live4Dance club and the campus she has come to love.

“I’m looking forward to receiving my degree and making my family proud,” said Badiola. “I’m ecstatic to celebrate my five years of hard work, but it’s a bit sad that I will no longer be an undergraduate student at Brock University.”

More information about co-op programming at Brock can be found on the Co-op, Career and Experiential Education website.