Daphne Wallace is a fourth year Commerce student, majoring in Finance from Ottawa, Ontario. Daphne has recently earned the title of Management Career Services’ Co-op Student of the Year through her exemplary work term performance, combined with her superior academic achievements, volunteerism, and student leadership roles. Here’s what Daphne had to say about her co-op work experiences:

“Each co-op term has been invaluable to my professional development. If I were to select the three most valuable skills I have gained, it would be the ability to adapt and learn quickly in a new work environment, communication skills, and improved networking ability.

The greatest benefit of a co-operative education program is the opportunity it provides you to apply the theoretical concepts learned in class to an industry and professional setting. In that way, the co-op program advances your learning. Additionally, it provides you with relevant work experience and networking opportunities, which in today’s competitive job landscape, is a major benefit.

My advice for first year students would be to use the co-op terms as ways to begin navigating your career, and setting yourself up for post-grad employment. Each term is an invaluable opportunity for developing professional relationships with mentors and companies, so make sure you view them in that way.  The most important attributes for a successful work term have been: demonstrating a strong work ethic, initiative, a positive attitude, and attention to detail.”

Daphne spent her final co-op at Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets as a Sales and Trading Analyst, a highly sought-after co-op position. She has since accepted a position for the Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets Sales and Trading Rotational Program beginning August 2015. Good luck Daphne!