Fall Convocation at Brock<\/a>, the two Thorold natives have used their co-op studies to fast track the experiences needed to take the next step in their academic journeys.<\/p>\nFor Bell, who just received her Bachelor of Political Science degree, that meant zeroing in on the co-op program early and trusting that each of her work terms would progressively increase the experience she would need to get into law school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember going to the Ontario Universities\u2019 Fair in Toronto and chatting with someone from Brock about how great their co-op program was,\u201d she said. \u201cThey told me I could get real-world experience, and that stuck out to me, as I only had retail experience and I wanted to build myself up.\u201d<\/p>\n
To do this, Bell embarked on three different co-op work terms, which each helped her develop skills and confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my first work term, working in customer service, I learned how to accept constructive feedback,\u201d she said. \u201cIn my second work term, where I worked in Brock\u2019s Co-op Education office, I learned how to communicate my needs better to produce the best quality work as part of a team. And in my final work term, at Global Affairs Canada, I honed in on my research skills and learned to present in front of people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Upon completion of her final work term, Bell tied all the skills together to secure admission into law school at the University of Ottawa.<\/p>\n
\u201cCo-op prepared me for my law degree and also encouraged me to think about how I could use that degree to help others,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
McNeill, who graduated with a Bachelor of Public Health, said that she too was drawn to the advantages of co-op when she first learned about the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt that the Public Health program including co-op would help level up my degree, and it definitely has,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Through two work terms with Niagara Health and one in Brock\u2019s Psychology Department, McNeill said she was able to focus her career aspirations.<\/p>\n
\u201cCo-op helped me discover what I really enjoy,\u201d she said. \u201cPublic health experiences are few and far between, and getting experiences in the back end of the health system and patient relationships was super helpful. Those experiences gave me the skills to get in and succeed in my master\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having begun her master\u2019s studies in Global Health at McMaster University, McNeill was also thankful for the lessons the co-op program and its staff taught her about perseverance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was not the most confident in myself coming into my program, and the first job search was hard while also balancing my first-year studies,\u201d she said. \u201cI had to improve my interview skills and learn how to study. Through all of those lessons, co-op kept me accountable and my master\u2019s studies haven\u2019t felt overwhelming at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both graduates said they were also thankful for the support of co-op staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey taught me to trust the process. They were super helpful, responsive and always there to listen,\u201d said McNeill.<\/p>\n
Bell said the support of the department taught her to never doubt her abilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone was always available when I needed help, and they taught me to relate every question I receive to how I can succeed going forward,\u201d she said. \u201cThat advice will stay with me forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
As they continue their graduate studies, the pair are delighted to be charting the path they had envisioned. Although her education journey has taken her elsewhere, McNeill said she will never forget Brock.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like the atmosphere was always great and the instructors were always very supportive of my learning and goals,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Bell said a piece of Brock will remain with her wherever she ends up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe Convocation has already finished,\u201d she said. \u201cFour years have come and gone quickly. It feels good that it was my amazing experiences at Brock and in co-op that have allowed me to take these next steps.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dayna McNeill and Maddie Bell both chose to stay close to home when they picked Brock for their undergraduate studies, but thanks to their participation in the co-op stream of their respective degree programs, they are now ready for a world of possibilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":74714,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[119,36,1,4,38],"tags":[10841,7488,522,10842],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74713"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74713"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74737,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74713\/revisions\/74737"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}