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Category: Student Spotlight

Student Spotlight: Lauren Palmer

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Second-year student Lauren Palmer chose Dalhousie because of its renowned Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program, accompanied by the immersive learning environment. With ambitions to major in Accounting and obtain a certificate in Quantitative Finance, she always knew she would be a Commerce student. “My mother is also a Commerce Co-op graduate, so you can kind of say it’s in my blood,” she comments. Lauren originally planned to obtain her degree before enrolling in law school, but she quickly realized her passion towards business, more specifically accounting, after her first semester in the program. She is proud of being able to manage her schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and her part-time job as a Research Assistant at Dalhousie.

Lauren will be starting her first of three co-ops in January 2023 as a Tax Analyst at Deloitte, and she credits networking with helping her land the role. Specifically, Lauren met another student who had already completed a co-op at Deloitte who was willing to give her an introduction. “After meeting my now good friend, co-president of the Dalhousie Accounting Society Lauren Johnson, at a first and second year networking event in September 2021, she presented me with the opportunity to meet with her manager at Deloitte and gave me the ability to get my foot in the door,” she says. “I am excited to be able to work in the tax field during the winter tax season. Although I know it will be busy, I also know the experience and knowledge I will gain will be unmatched.” In addition to networking within her society, she took advantage of Management Career Services’ resources to secure her first co-op. “If there is one thing that I associate with MCS, it’s networking. They really got it into my head that good networking skills are an asset to any resume.”

Lauren’s first-hand experience of the value of student societies inspired her to get involved at the executive level. She is currently the Assistant Vice President of Internal Affairs on the Dalhousie Accounting Society. Not only does she enjoy the role, but she is grateful that it allows her to give back and help those who were in her position last year.

Lauren says she is most eager to apply what she learned in her classes to real-world situations during her co-ops. She finds it surreal to think that questions she would answer in her first-year accounting courses may play an integral role in her occupation in the future. When asked for advice for other students, she replied, “Getting involved is one of the most important and influential things you can do in your first year. I was part of three societies, and even before I was able to secure my dream co-op with Deloitte, when I talked to recruiters they were always blown away by my extracurriculars. While grades are certainly important, showing that you are passionate about what you’re doing is a major selling point for anyone who is hiring. It demonstrates that you will show that same level of commitment to their firm.”

Student Spotlight: Sophie Heller-Marx

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Allured by her interest in sustainability, Sophie Heller-Marx chose Dalhousie to pursue an interdisciplinary degree. She enrolled in the Bachelor of Management program with a major Environment, Sustainability and Society and opted to complete the optional internship offered through the program.

Headshot of Sophie Heller-MarxSophie was hired for an 8-month internship at Hydro One Networks Inc., an electricity and utilities company in Ontario, as a Business Analyst in the distribution branch of the supply chain team. Working completely remotely, she also acted as a support to the category leads, doing research and helping prepare reports and spreadsheets for Request for Proposals (RFPs). As with every new experience, there were some challenges – one of her projects required the use of a coding language called VBA, and with no prior coding experience, she took the initiative to teach it to herself. “Although it wasn’t the most important project, I felt really accomplished because of the amount of effort I put into learning how to code.”

Sophie loved working at Hydro One, one reason being her supportive coworkers. “I had no experience working in supply chain and they were so patient with me and trusted me to work on major projects with them. Many of them were co-op students themselves earlier on in their careers, so they understood the value of welcoming a student to the team.” Sophie decided to propose extending her internship to 12 months, as she was gaining valuable experience and really enjoyed the company atmosphere, and her supervisor agreed to the extension. She wanted the opportunity to work a hybrid schedule – a combination of remote and in-office work – and felt she still had a lot to learn. “Being back in the office with my coworkers made it easier for me to collaborate and increased my productivity. If I hadn’t extended my internship, I don’t think I would have made the most of my experience.”

Sophie acknowledges her Career and Recruitment Specialist Jennifer Coombs’ support throughout the entire internship process. She highly recommends the Management Internship program, and doesn’t think enough people take advantage of it. “It’s an opportunity to graduate university with some work experience and meet people in your potential field. Having such valuable experience will make you stand out to employers among other candidates.”

She also advises that students should not let an internship in another city deter them from applying. “An amazing bonus about working for Hydro One was that I got to explore Toronto, a city I had never lived in before,” she adds.

Student Spotlight: Damon Peters

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Damon Peters is a fourth-year student in the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program, majoring in Accounting. Originally from Ontario, Damon chose Dalhousie because he believed that it could offer him the best opportunities after graduation due to the mandatory co-op program.

Damon was hired by accounting firm KPMG for his first co-op on their Valuation Services team, where he worked completely remote. “As a new student entering the accounting workforce for the first time, it was important that I retained all information given to me and completed all work in a professional and timely manner,” he says. He then worked with Alliance World Transport, a local exporting company for his second co-op. Damon decided to use this opportunity to try a different role – he worked as an Export Coordinator, which allowed him to explore whether he wanted to pursue logistics in the future. Damon then completed his third co-op with Environment and Climate Change Canada as an Accounting and Finance Support Officer. “I was especially interested as it had plenty of room for growth, was with the government, and it concerned a really important issue for me – the environment and climate change.”

Damon realized that he enjoyed the work he was doing and the team that surrounded it, and was eager to ask about future work opportunities they may have. After his work term, he secured a part-time position with the organization. Investing in his growth as an individual, Environment and Climate Change Canada assisted him in signing up for various programs to help with future personal development. “I would like to thank Dalhousie and its Commerce Co-op program for such amazing experiences. Through these co-ops I have met so many fantastic colleagues, developed some incredible connections, and gained amazing hands-on experience.”

In addition to his co-op opportunities, Damon worked for Management Career Services as an Assistant Career and Recruitment Specialist (ACRS) during the Winter 2022 semester. The role involved providing one-on-one online peer coaching appointments and suggestions for improvement on cover letter and resume structure, formatting, and content, as well as practice interview responses and delivery. Damon says that he learned a lot about document structuring himself during his time in the part-time role, including key points to gain employer attention and when to include relevant experiences.  At first, he wasn’t sure what to expect from the position, which excited him. “But I knew it would be an incredible learning opportunity. Plus, it looks really good on a resume! There’s lots to talk about, including teamwork and mentorship,” he says. “The students were very cooperative and listened very well. I never had a problem with a student and they had amazing questions.” He also shares that the role has positively influenced his way of thinking. “My friend goes ‘I just got a job doing this’, and my response is ‘Wow, you have developed these skills doing that!’” The highlight of his experience as an ACRS was getting to meet a diverse group of students and learning about their experiences. As a result, he not only recommends, but hopes other students will apply for this position in the future.

Student Spotlight: Abby Desveaux

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Abby Desveaux is in her fourth and final year of the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program, majoring in Finance. Hailing from Miramichi, New Brunswick, she chose Dalhousie because she felt it would be a great and practical way to discover her career aspirations.

Abby completed her two most recent co-ops in Sales and Trading at TD Securities. “I had the opportunity to sit on three different teams throughout that time, two within Fixed Income – Money Markets and Credit, and one newly formed group called Senior Relationship Management,” explains Abby. “My role as an Associate in Money Markets and Credit were similar. I supported both sales and trading teams – booking trades, assisting clients, and preparing morning and end-of-day reports. My role as an Associate on the Senior Relationship Team was more project-based. I was challenged to unlock a deeper level of strategic thinking. The autonomy in my day-to-day allowed me to use my entrepreneurial spirit, which I really enjoyed!”

For her final co-op term this past summer, Abby was hired into the Global Markets Summer Associate program at TD Securities, which matches each student with a Sales and Trading team based on their interests and capabilities. At the beginning of the summer, she was placed on the Senior Relationship Management team. Several weeks later, there was a need for an associate on the Credit team. “Since program placements were already formalized, the managing director of Credit decided to ask me if I could fill the role. My SRM manager signed off on the dual-mandate and I began supporting both teams simultaneously,” Abby says.

What originally appeared to be an unexpected combination – credit and SRM – turned out to be a very constructive one. “I was able to support both teams, and in the process, gain a greater sense of the holistic structure and goals of the organization. Realizing this, my managers wanted to make this job a permanent one. They even asked me to help them pitch the idea to Human Resources! Being a part of a positive change to the program felt like a huge accomplishment.”

Abby credits securing her two consecutive co-ops with TD Securities to her involvement in the Dalhousie Investment Society (DALIS) as Vice President. Former DALIS President Stefan Wippel, who was also recommended to TD Securities by another former DALIS president, helped Abby get a foot in the door and has been her mentor for the last two years. She shares that MCS helped her develop a strong resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile, which are all necessities in a highly competitive environment such as Sales and Trading.

Abby advises students to get involved in extra-curriculars pertaining to your desired field and reach out to Dalhousie students and alumni who have worked in positions you are interested in. “And try to find a healthy balance between school work and enjoying your time as a student, as four years flies by!”

Student Spotlight: Kiarah Seon

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Kiarah Seon, a fourth-year Commerce Co-op student from Bermuda, is using her passion for artificial nail extension design to start and run her own company, Divine Nail Care, while she’s still in school. Kiarah took advantage of the opportunity to complete an entrepreneurial work term to grow her new business venture.

Divine Nail Care (DNC) is a start-up business providing goods for nail care, nail enhancements, and nail technology. Kiarah introduced DNC’s first product, the ‘Net Nails N3 Smart Nail Chip’ or Net Nails for short, in February 2022. It is a radio inductive fingernail chip that utilizes near-field communication (NFC) to share links and files with mobile users. Simply tap your fingernail on the NFC-inducing area of the cellphone to unveil the unlimited information-sharing options.

Kiarah considers developing an infrastructure that her company can grow on, forming constructive business relationships within her industry, and making sales to be her biggest achievements during her entrepreneurial work term. “Start-ups require a great deal of consistency, patience, and self-governing. Considering this, every small milestone feels like a big accomplishment,” she says. She thoroughly enjoyed how often her daily activities would change and being in control of her own learning experience and professional development while driving her own business venture. Kiarah says entrepreneurship has taught her to adapt and follow through. “My business mentor and family were a great support in decision-making when I hit an obstacle. It is important to ask questions, not only from those you know but also from those you have ‘yet’ to know,” she says.

Since Kiarah was young, her dream has always been to be a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. She aspires to work for herself and eventually help others, specifically friends and family, in creating the life they desire most. “I feel equipped with the knowledge necessary to start taking on this lifestyle,” she says. As she began her entrepreneurial work term, she was looking forward to the unexpected. Although she created SMART goals and forecasted potential growth, she couldn’t predict how her work term would have impacted her business, which made every new day exciting and interesting. She thanks her professor and business mentor Albert James and her Career and Recruitment Specialist for helping her during the process and being ready to support her whenever she had questions.

Kiarah has some advice to share with her fellow students: “You must believe in yourself and be willing to take risks. When you’re building a company from the ground up, the top of the mountain looks a lot further away. You must be determined to persevere and understand there will be lows along with the highs. Know who you are and trust in your ability to make your vision a reality.”

Student Spotlight: Maral Porretta

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Maral Porretta worked in the fashion and beauty industry for 10 years before joining Dalhousie’s Corporate Residency MBA program. Attracted by the 8-month paid work term and courses such as the elective offered by Creative Destruction Lab for those looking to start their own ventures, the Mongolian-born Ottawan chose Dalhousie to pursue an MBA. She is using her time in the program to work toward her dream of becoming a fashion editor and having her own fashion and beauty line.

Maral recently completed her Corporate Residency at The 7 Virtues Beauty Inc., a beauty social enterprise that sells organic and sustainable perfumes made with ingredients sourced from nations rebuilding after war or strife. She worked as a Marketing and Merchandising Lead. “My biggest accomplishment was being able to help increase sales across multiple Sephora stores in Ontario and Atlantic Canada through facilitating education about the brand and its products,” she says. She shares that she also thoroughly enjoyed developing relationships with Sephora executives. Maral had the opportunity to work on a new perfume and lead new social media and digital marketing strategies by diversifying their content – two projects that she was extremely excited about. “There were so many opportunities to travel and engage with clients and Sephora teams worldwide!” She worked from home for the first four months before travelling to different provinces. “Having that mix was really fun, exciting, and balanced the workload,” she says.

Maral credits her amazing Corporate Residency experience to Jennie Brimicombe, Career and Resilience Coach at Dalhousie, who helped her connect with her employer. When asked for advice for other students, she shared something very simple but true. “Hone in on your passion! Ask yourself, ‘what’s my purpose in life? What’s my dream job?’ Then you can reach out to people in that field on LinkedIn, network, and be proactive. Lastly, have fun! Your work should never feel like work, and it should be something that drives you to excellence.”

Student Spotlight: James Shaw

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James Shaw HeadshotThree years ago, James Shaw spontaneously chose to transfer from the University of Waterloo to Dalhousie to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce Co-op degree. Switching from Aviation, he decided to major in Marketing. “I wanted to do something that is more open-ended and allows for more application of creativity, as I always like to put my own spin on things,” he says.

Earlier this year, James completed his winter co-op at Job Junction as a Marketing & Communications Specialist. Job Junction is an employment and career resource centre that provides job seekers with the resources necessary to develop their job seeking skills. His role involved implementing social media campaigns, developing content, as well as communicating with employers regarding job opportunities. The work environment was a standout characteristic for James. “Coming into a new job, especially as a student, can be intimidating,” he says. “I did not feel this way at all. Straight from the get-go I felt comfortable enough to ask questions and pitch ideas. The best part was I received great feedback on how I can improve on these things. I think that aspect provided me with the most substantial growth and learning.”

James was able to actively exercise and grow his business knowledge and problem-solving skills throughout his co-op. For example, he was tasked with supporting a client that was hosting a Zoom event. Promotion and logistics were smooth sailing until the day of the event, when the team encountered some issues. Fortunately, they were successfully able to solve the problem through back-and-forth communication and troubleshooting and received fantastic feedback from the participants. “We ended up setting up another Zoom session with the participants and client. Both events were a great success and after that day I consider myself to be a Zoom god.”

James took advantage of myCareer to help him find and secure his co-op position, while using other resources to connect his previous job experience and skills to the company’s ideal candidate. He connected with Jonathan Perry, former Career Recruitment Specialist (now Student Development Manager) at Management Career Services, who he credits with incredibly helpful advice that he still uses to this day. James goes on to say that he “encourages anyone going into their co-op to throw yourselves out there and to make your mark, you’ll really be surprised of what you can actually do. It’s only 4 months, so capitalize on it while you can.”

Instagram: @notjameshaw

Pronouns: He/Him

Student Spotlight: Joseph Loh

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Joseph Loh was born in Malaysia and moved across the world to the U.S. at a young age. After completing a liberal arts degree, dabbling in music, law, journalism, and neuroscience, and working in banking for a few years, Joseph started wanting a change and to jumpstart a new career. He decided to pivot to Dalhousie’s Corporate Residency MBA program after a referral from MBA alumnus Anthony Tintinalli.

Joseph completed his 8-month corporate residency from January to August of this year at Narrative Research as a Research Analyst. Narrative Research transforms data into market insights needed to improve the development of companies around the world. “Since starting the program, I discovered that I not only wanted to accelerate my career growth, but I was also looking for a job that is meaningful: one that brings positive change and makes a difference to my community,” says Joseph. “Not only did the firm’s values and work align with my interests and passions, the team and work culture at Narrative complemented me perfectly.” He adds that the company takes care of their employees, creating a healthy, balanced, and inspiring working environment.

While working at Narrative Research, Joseph built and expanded his network with professionals in the same sector and in other departments. He had the opportunity to meet Emma Power (CRMBA 2021), Nicholas Thompson (CRMBA 2018), and many others who have inspired him to pursue higher education and become passionate about data science. “I am especially grateful to Tony, Emma, and Nick for leading me to where I am today. My experience taught me that feeling hungry to prove myself isn’t necessarily a sign of discontent. For me it was a sign of preparedness, of wanting to achieve more because I was ready for more, preventing me from falling into complacency.”

As for advice for other students, Joseph shares his opinion on the importance of networking. “Take advantage of MCS to meet employers and industry professionals.” He also notes the value of motivation. “Be honest with yourself, do what makes you genuinely happy, do your research, and connect with people. Find out what motivates you to get out of bed on a Monday morning! Once you find that passion, that drive, that feeling, hold on to it and work towards it consistently.”

Instagram: @josephlwa

Pronouns: He/Him

Student Spotlight: Nadi Ukwatta

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Meet Nadi Ukwatta, a third-year Commerce Co-op student majoring in Accounting. Nadi moved to Halifax from her home of Sri Lanka in 2019, noting Dal’s co-op program as one of the main factors that drew her here.

Nadi secured her first co-op at United Way Halifax. Her second co-op was completed in fall 2021 with Irving Oil, an international energy company based in Saint John, New Brunswick. She continued to work with Irving Oil part-time during the winter and has now returned in a full-time capacity to complete her third and final co-op with the organization. “One of the greatest things about Irving Oil is their workplace culture. Everyone is very welcoming and understanding. Within the first few months I was able to learn and gain important skills in a short period of time.”

Nadi says that she enters each co-op with the mindset of creating an impact on the organization. “For me, this meant exceeding expectations of my manager and doing the best I could on the tasks I was given,” she says. “At Irving, I was able to make an impact by being a fast learner, having an excellent work ethic, meeting deadlines consistently, and completing tasks with a high degree of accuracy. In addition, my manager was impressed with my ability to solve problems on my own before reaching out for help.” This success during her fall co-op led to further opportunities within the organization. “My manager played a key role in securing me a part-time job at Irving Oil by looking for positions within the workforce that would help me gain more experience and learn new things. Networking within the company also played a role as other employees were able to determine if I would be a fit for their department.”

In her current role as summer co-op student for the Inventory Accounting Team, Nadi’s daily tasks include contributing to an inventory tracking system to ensure all relevant transactions are properly recorded. She connects with employees from other departments to verify and forecast an appropriate level of inventory for the company, which allows her to improve teamwork and communication skills as well as her attention to detail. “What I enjoy most about the job is that there is always something new to experience,” says Nadi. “For tasks that are repetitive, I make it a challenge to find efficient ways to complete them while maintaining high accuracy. If I am ever in doubt, there are many people around me who are more than willing to provide a helping hand and walk me through the process.”

Nadi says that during her job search, Management Career Services (MCS) played a crucial role in providing support. “I wouldn’t have been where I am today without the help of MCS. My CRS, Lauren Shaw, gave me a head start to pursue my desired co-op in my first work term by guiding me throughout the whole process and going above and beyond to provide the best advice.”

Nadi’s advice for you:

  • Don’t hesitate to ask questions to your peers and managers. Everyone is aware that a co-op is an opportunity to grow and learn to prepare you for the career you choose.
  • Mistakes make you better at what you will do in the future.
  • Have a ‘can-do’ attitude, be confident and willing to deal with problems or new tasks. Challenge yourself every day to do better than the previous day and learn as much as you can in the time you have.

Instagram Handle: @nadi__nu

Pronouns: she/her

Student Spotlight: Jasmine Rana

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Meet Jasmine Rana, a second-year Bachelor of Commerce Co-op student who is planning to major in Marketing. She came to Dalhousie from Oakville, Ontario to experience living in a university town. “Halifax is very different from where I grew up and I was excited to get out of my comfort zone, meet new people and be able to call this place a temporary home,” she says.

Jasmine worked for Dash Hudson as a Marketing Intern for her recent co-op in the winter. Dash Hudson is a marketing software company that focuses on social entertainment and producing metrics and insights that brands can utilize to measure their social media performance. “Engagement as a brand is extremely important because it helps solidify your presence on social media and humanizes the brand. I had the pleasure of creating an engagement playbook for Dash Hudson, which was my greatest accomplishment of the term,” she says. In the playbook, she outlined what strategies work and don’t work on social media and listed ideas the company could use.

Jasmine says that she truly felt like part of the team at Dash Hudson, being constantly involved and getting a chance to express her ideas. “I was able to participate in the monthly social insights meetings compiling the analytics across all social platforms to help assess our performance: what we can do better, what is going well, and what should be tested going into the next month,” she says. She also had the opportunity to demonstrate her creativity by making TikToks, Instagram Reels, and graphics for social media channels. She contributed a Gen Z perspective, giving the brand options for current social media trends and providing team members content to amplify the hashtag #LifeatDashHudson.

Jasmine was excited about meeting her manager, diving into her responsibilities, and getting work experience at a company she truly admired. “I am lucky to have been in an environment that fosters discussions and welcomes questions, which allow me to complete my best possible work,” she says. She worked remotely throughout the term, finding the transition to the online environment to be a smooth one. “Dash Hudson offered me a space to learn and grow, and I have been able to find myself more while working with extremely talented individuals on work that is so innovative and cutting edge. If this is what work life is like, sign me up!”

Jasmine’s advice for you:

  • Start your job search early and make sure to have all of your documents in order.
  • Identify what you like within your co-op role, from responsibilities, to people, to environment, as it can help align your future career path.
  • Keep an eye out for experiences that you would love to have again as well as those you are longing for.
  • Remember that you’re doing your best and that’s what matters.

Instagram Handle: @jasminerana__

Pronouns: she/her

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