Second-year student Chantal Peng discusses her Co-op experience and the benefits of a summer work-term
Second-year Music student, Chantal Peng, first started working with Acadia’s F.C. Manning School of Business when she was a high school student as part of a Co-op program. She recounts her experience as something that allowed her to explore her interest in business strategy while using her artistic side. When she heard about a summer work placement in the School of Business during her first year at Acadia, she was excited to reach out and apply.
Chantal explains that this summer she has been working in the F.C. Manning School of Business, helping with Casenet, a platform that produces and delivers video cases used for teaching and training purposes in universities and business institutions. The videos are available through Casenet’s cloud platform. Chantal says she is happy to help with a project that will help build the foundation for the future in education.
“Using a variety of editing programs, my main tasks are to edit videos, take and edit photos, do the video transcriptions, and work on website maintenance while reaching out to colleagues at Acadia and beyond to constantly improve on Casenet’s accessibility and usage simplicity,” she says.
Chantal also points out that the most rewarding part of her summer work-term has been the opportunity to learn by putting herself in real-life situations and working on a project that strengthens her connections with professors, fellow students and stakeholders.
“I like to put all of my efforts into producing things that I am proud of and that are versatile and usable for multiple purposes,” she says. “I aim to create and complete projects that are immersive, comprehensive, and accessible not only to students but to educators and stakeholders as well.”
After her summer work-term experience, Chantal says she’s become more confident about her future career and study opportunities.
“As a student, I have realized that there are no bounds to what I can accomplish. This has completely reinvented my idea of job-hunting and seeking internships for next year and after graduation,” she says.
She advises students who might be interested in applying for work-terms on campus to not be afraid to explore other fields of study and to be open to using and learning new and unique skills to work in any environment.
“A common misperception is that we, as students, are seemingly confined only to the subject that we major in. However, both our soft and hard skills are applicable in every circumstance,” she says. “I consider my musical and artistic sides to be essential to my digital media work. Offer your unique skill set to a project when the opportunity arises, or, create your own project that allows you to do so.”
Learn more about Acadia’s Co-op program here.