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Blogs
Welcome
Being one of OLC's classic storytelling tools, blogs are crafted by SFU Community members which include the everyday student as well as expert voices. This is where we share touching stories, resourceful advice, and insightful knowledge with each other. In keeping with the OLC vision, the following blogs are created by and for students, so why not contribute to the OLC today?
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INTERNATIONAL
Morgan Karugaba shares his journey of how he overcame the challenges of uncertainty, by stepping out of his comfort zone.
As an undergraduate student, Spencer Chen excelled with a GPA of 4.21 and received numerous merit-based scholarships and awards. She also sought diverse research and community service opportunities to make meaningful contributions to the SFU community.
Jacky is a fourth year Business Student who spent his co-op in Beijing China. Read his interview to discover what his co-op abroad was like. Jacky covers preparing for the work term, work life, and living abroad.
Since its launch in 2005, the Students for Development (SFD) program has been supporting Canadian university students' participation in internships in developing countries and emerging economies. Isabel went on the SFD program in Summer 2011 where she worked with ICO (Instituto de Capacitacion del Oriente) in Bolivia.
As an international student Ha Na had the reality of high tuition, no work experience and challenges in finding employment. She decided co-op was the solution to learn professional work search skills and gain related employment while attending university. She shares her challenges and successes along the way.
“Gosh Roop! Are you really an international student? But you do not speak with an accent. Wow, I would have never guessed that.” Through anecdotes and introspection, Roop shares a compelling narrative of the struggles of why International students face challenges due to language barriers and biases.
Being an international student at SFU is not easy as there aren't many opportunities to meet other students. The Global Student Centre welcomes all, hosting events that bring students together to celebrate diversity and create intercultural awareness.
Have you landed an International Co-op work-term and begun preparing for your semester abroad? Surely, you have done your research and are aware of the cultural differences and nuances between where you are going, and your home country? If you haven’t, have no fear! This article is meant to help you understand the basic tips and tricks to adjust to the cultural differences in your new workplace, making your transition much easier.
Job hunting is never easy. This is especially true when you are an international student with no Canadian experience. Follow Alireza's tips and tricks on how to navigate around this barrier in your search for meaningful work.
New to Vancouver? Discover 4 spots Lauretta discovered in her adventures around the city.
The holidays are a time for fun and festivities, but the feeling of being homesick can also creep in during this time. Here are some steps to help you through it!
Mario Fong travelled to Hong Kong to join the HSBC trainee program through International Co-op. Dropping everything to live in a new country provided him with personal and professional experiences he won't soon forget.
Still not sure if co-op is for you? Chetachi explains why co-op was such a valuable experience for her and what it was like to work in the corporate world during her Economics co-op work term.
Are you an international student that feels like there is a wall that stops you from moving forward? Are you trying to improve your language level, but feel embarrassed communicating in English? You're not the only one. But there are people who are reaching their goals. Find your inspiration and become one of them.
Learning how to effectively communicate in a new work environment can be difficult enough, but add a language barrier and things get even more complicated. Here are Julia's top tips for overcoming language barriers in the workplace.
A profile on international student and third year psychology major, Rainy Yumeng Jiang, and how community engagement and volunteering has helped her adjust to Canadian culture.
"There's a phrase in Israel, "buckle up your elbows" which means that it's time to hustle. This is exactly what brought me to the place where I'm writing to you right now." -- read Kim's story and learn how you can achieve anything with enough courage and motivation.
Looking to maximize your time abroad and integrate with locals, but nervous to take the first few steps? Read on to learn how Kendra broke through their personal barriers, and the advice they have for future travellers to make the most of their work term overseas.
In this article, SFU Psychology graduate Ravi Bansal shares her experiences of participating in the Hellenic Studies Field School in Greece. Ravi’s travels encouraged her to become involved in the SFU community, opening up an opportunity to attend the Education without Borders conference in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Ever wonder how it would feel like being an international student in Vancouver? Talk about a reason to party, well coming from a Punjabi family we hardly need a reason to party but if there was ever a decent one, this was it. Read more to find out about Max Shyngs experience!
Changing Times: Stories to Inspire Hope and Resilience
Working from home is a common reality for many Co-op students in the past year. Working from home while working for a Health Authority in the thick of the pandemic is a tremendous experience Kaylla went through last year. Take a look at how she learned to stay productive in these uncertain times.
The Latest
Christina Coolidge is an Indigenous Program researcher with Career Services at SFU. In this four-part series she shares how Indigenous women are the keepers of language and discusses various issues and topics around language in the Indigenous community. This is the third post of the four part series.
Will your next volunteer organizer remember you? Our human nature is we lose some memories. But there are strategies to keep your references strong. This is an article on the importance of gathering references.
Christina Coolidge is an Indigenous Program researcher with Career Services at SFU. In this four-part series she shares how Indigenous women are the keepers of language and discusses various issues and topics around language in the Indigenous community. This is the second post of the four part series.
We’ve all been put into situations where we have felt lost, unsure, or unfamiliar with our surroundings. Here are a few tips to help you make the best of a new or unfamiliar corporate environment.
Want to make the most of your work term and thrive in the position? Public Relations Intern Kelly shares 5 tips on maximizing your Co-op experience.
Christina Coolidge is an Indigenous Program researcher with Career Services at SFU. In this four-part series she shares how Indigenous women are the keepers of language and discusses various issues and topics around language in the Indigenous community. This is the first of the four part series.
Want to make the most of your work term and thrive in the position? Public Relations Intern Kelly shares 5 tips on maximizing your Co-op experience.
Are you making sure to keep a record of your Volunteer involvement? It is more important that you think!
Ever feel overwhelmed by all of your responsibilities in the summer months? Check out this helpful list for guidance!
Statistics professional Eric Cai used part of his recent vacation to learn Python programming, and found it a great way to further his skillset while keeping his mind sharp. He encourages students to consider devoting part of their next vacation towards professional development.
Working in a huge building can be intimidating and make you feel very small, especially as a temporary Co-op student. Check out what Josh did to make sure everyone in the BC Cancer Research Center knew who he was!
A lack of confidence can make you feel like you are getting raked over the coals in an interview. Learn what you can do to flip the situation on your interviewers in order to look like a pro and learn what they are really looking for in an employee.
Ever wondered how your academic Communication skills stack up in the workplace? Co-op student Laura Tuturas sheds insight into how Communications prepared her for her workterm at ZE Powergroup.
Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology students often find themselves lost in the hazy fog of physiotherapy, med school, chiropractic’s and post-graduate studies. New graduates can find salvation in a challenging, but rewarding field that calls upon the creative and the technical sides of an individual. Read on to learn about working in the field of Ergonomics.
In the second part of her series, Emily highlights the Student Marketing Association and how they help students connect with the exciting field of Marketing!
Evgeny not only met his goals professionally at Broadcom, but he was able to improve in more ways than he could imagine - including meeting his personal goals and growing as an individual. In this four part blog series, Evgeny shares with us his co-op experience at Broadcom.
Evgeny not only met his goals professionally at Broadcom, but he was able to improve in more ways than he could imagine - including meeting his personal goals and growing as an individual. In this four part blog series, Evgeny shares with us his co-op experience at Broadcom.
Sometimes in a co-op position, you might not get tasks that you absolutely love. Make the most of it as Evgeny did, Evgeny went from feeling this way to having his co-workers ask for his advice! Read about his experience in this four part blog series!
Patrick started his career as an elementary school teacher and now he is completing SFU’s Computing Science Second degree program. Patrick shares his experience of transitioning from teacher to computing science, his first co-op at Malaspina, and here he shares his second co-op experience.
Leo Ng is a fifth-year BBA candidate in the SFU Beedie co-op program. He worked at Canada Revenue Agency for 8 months. He shares what it was like to train for his role as a Taxpayer Services Agent.
Leo Ng is a fifth-year BBA candidate in the SFU Beedie co-op program who worked for Canada Revenue Agency for 8 months. In this article of his three-part series, he shares his experience learning on the job.
Leo Ng is a fifth-year BBA candidate in the SFU Beedie co-op program who worked at for Canada Revenue Agency for 8 months. He shares what training is like, learning on the job, and in this article, he shares his overall reflections on what it was like to work as a Taxpayer Services Agent.
After working for a year with Arts and Communications Co-op here at SFU, I’ve seen students land amazing Co-op opportunities, and I’ve also seen students struggle when it comes to following through, and landing the job. Here are a couple of truth bombs from yours truly that I hope will help you buck up and land a Co-op job.
Did you know the School of Computing Science has a co-op program for graduate students? Evgeny was thrilled when he found out and because of the program, he was able to land a job with everything he was looking for at Broadcom. Read about his experience in this four part blog series!
Have you heard the phrase 'Voluntourism' being thrown around lately? Check out one student's take on what you should consider before leaving the country to volunteer.
Patrick started his career as an elementary school teacher and now he is completing SFU’s Computing Science Second degree program. He shares how he got there and how co-op has been a great help!
Patrick started his career as an elementary school teacher and now he is completing SFU’s Computing Science Second degree program. He shares how he got to the program and how co-op has been a great help!
Have you ever thought volunteer opportunities can lead to your next job opportunity? One of the best ways to land your next job is to volunteer. This is an article on using volunteer opportunities as a strategic tool to get your next paid position.
Do you think practicums are not worthwhile? Think again! Natalie did her practicum at Elettra Communications for the SFU PR Certificate and she lists 3 reasons why practicums are worthwhile.
As a co-op student you often get a lot of advice about the value of research based or industry based co-op. According to Kay, sometimes we just need to sort out which one suits each individual best. Read on to learn about her experience with both research based and industry based co-op positions.