Peter Lartey (MBE ’26) first heard about Brock University when representatives visited his high school in Ghana.

Years later, he decided to pursue graduate studies abroad after completing a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Statistics at the University of Ghana.

That decision was the first step on a path that ended with a walk across the stage on Wednesday, June 10 during Brock’s 119th Convocation.

Lartey chose Brock’s Master of Business Economics program because of its co-op component, which allowed him to study and gain professional experience.

“Economics is basically about how to manage the economy to benefit the citizens or to make sure the citizens are doing well. If you are not able to manage the economy or the available resources and there is scarcity or issues with not being able to satisfy the current people, that means you are mismanaging the resources available,” he says. “I was motivated to go into Economics and use knowledge I gain from learning economic models to be able to give advice on how to manage the economy well.”

Lartey says navigating co-op as an international student posed some logistical challenges, especially while completing a major research paper on the labour impact of immigrants to Canada and Canadians in the periods preceding, including and following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Working closely with Graduate Program Director Jean-François Lamarche and Professor Tomson Ogwang in the Department of Economics, Lartey compared wage differences and analyzed data pertaining to age, gender, education and employment sector to track patterns.

He noted, for example, that immigrants were less likely to be able to transition to remote work at the onset of the pandemic, with many working in manual labour fields losing their jobs due to public health restrictions.

All the while, Lartey refined his interview skills and targeted his resume in the hopes of securing a co-op role in government.

His persistence paid off when he secured two work terms with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, where he learned about project management and expand his data analysis skills.

Lartey credits the experience with helping him land his current job as a Forest Research Intern with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources.

“The role I’m in right now will require my economic knowledge in support of research related to forest carbon,” he says. “I’m helping my supervisors, who are research analysts, with the economic models that are being used to analyze their data.”

Lartey says he is grateful for the encouragement he received from faculty members to persist through challenges and the expert coaching he received from Brock’s

Co-op, Career and Experiential Education (CCEE) team. He believes the support he was given helped him secure the footing he needed to launch his career.

“Growing up, I wanted to be able to give advice on how a policy might work for an economy,” he says. “My goal now is to work in the government sector, targeting a career path of being a policy advisor or a policy analyst.”

Simone Lammers, Manager of Student Talent Coaching and Engagement, says she was impressed by the persistence and strong work ethic Lartey displayed while applying to co-op roles.

“Peter showed resilience as he navigated the competitive nature of the job search process, never losing sight of his goals,” says Lammers. “We are incredibly proud of all that he has achieved and the dedication he has shown in achieving this milestone.”