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Meghan Monaghan promoted a teacher survey she created during her co-op work term at analytics firm rel8ed.to, which aimed to find out how the company\u2019s programs could be useful to teachers.<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cI helped launch a pilot program where we prepared a five-week internship for students to use our analytics software, and I was also responsible for developing lesson plans,\u201d she said. \u201cIt allowed me to work with students and see how I can make mathematics more relevant and meaningful in the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monaghan was also able to grow her teaching skills while working with adult learners during a work term in an administrative role with the Ministry of Transportation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to do more indirect teaching with my co-workers, showing them how to use Excel and acting as the donation lead on the office\u2019s United Way campaign,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Co-op Employer Development Manager Jason Peng said Monaghan\u2019s willingness to pursue work terms in two different environments while still focusing on her career aspirations set a great example for how to get the most out of Brock\u2019s co-op programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThough she had one direction, she didn\u2019t close any doors,\u201d said Peng. \u201cSuccess can be seen in so many ways. For Meghan, it\u2019s becoming a teacher. But she could also be a data scientist, a statistician or work in finance. She has had the chance to try out lots of different roles and take full advantage of the opportunities she is qualified to pursue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monaghan said Peng and other members of the co-op team prepared her for some of the additional steps that will be necessary when she applies for teaching jobs in a few years.<\/p>\n
\u201cCo-op seminars helped me to develop a professional resum\u00e9 with result-based bullet points and to gain the experience I needed through mock interviews,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Although she maintained jobs as a tutor and research assistant during her studies, Monaghan also received a financial boost through her paid co-op works terms.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy co-ops were really well compensated and allowed me to contribute to my savings, which will help me pay off my OSAP,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
With her Brock experience continuing next year in Hamilton, Monaghan said she will need to adjust to a new surroundings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will miss my math family,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are a big part of my life and are now moving on to so many different things.<\/p>\n
\u201cJ-Block feels like a second home, but I\u2019m ready to start the next chapter of my life as a teacher, and I already have a base knowledge of what I can do thanks to my co-ops.\u201d<\/p>\n
Monaghan hopes that other students will follow her lead and enrol in the co-op program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should absolutely do it,\u201d she said. \u201cIt gives you experience, you make money and you develop as a person while getting a peek into what is out there in the working world.\u201d<\/p>\n