Creating lasting connections through co-op

Flores had just completed her final BComm course and was two days away from concluding a part-time internship at Wawanesa Insurance. Now, she is looking ahead to a full-time role there in September, reflecting on how this plan informed her journey.

Flores, an actuarial major and 2022 Co-op Student of the Year, completed a co-op term at Wawanesa in 2022. From her first day in the office, she felt a special connection to the organization. First-day nerves abated the more time she spent in the office, guided by her co-op buddy, an Asper alum himself.

“It was clear from the beginning how special the culture was at Wawanesa. The more I met people and interacted with them, I very much felt those nerves and that tension releasing,” she says.

Day to day, Flores conducted analyses to address stakeholder questions and concerns, refreshed reports and documented notable insights, all while supporting full-time analysts. She’s most proud of creating a report that measured the impacts rate changes have on Wawanesa’s competitive position in the market, demonstrating her ability to work independently and learn quickly.

The more she contributed, the more she knew for certain that Wawanesa was where she wanted to stay. That certainty and comfort came from the company culture, the patience and warmth of her mentors and from her own drive to make a positive impact.

Flores, who began a small electronics and office supply recycling program at Wawanesa’s previous location, suggests that this orientation toward positive change is common among co-op students.

“Co-op students offer a fresh perspective informed by their experience,” she says. “I bring my whole, authentic self to work; I’m not there strictly as an actuarial analyst—I’m still very much a person, and with that I bring my values. That means considering the social and environmental implications of the work we do.”

This perspective is encouraged in the Asper Co-op Program’s award-winning curriculum, which instructs students to seek opportunities to advance UN sustainable development goals in their work placements.

For Flores, this focus creates strong connections between employers and students in shared pursuit of greater improvement for all. “We want to take action, take the next step and help the company succeed, not for the advancement of our own careers, but to push the needle in the right direction, make the world a little better,” she says.

She reflects on the qualities of a good co-op employer and, in turn, a good co-op student. Of the latter, she encourages all students to proceed with a growth mindset, where they are ready to learn and prepared to make mistakes, be corrected and improve.

“An employer, on the other hand, that empowers and enables their students,” she explains, “is, by my standards, above and beyond.”

As she finds herself soon on the other side of the student-to-employer threshold, Flores realizes she may never be able to adequately pay her managers, mentors and employers back for all the ways they have supported her. She also realizes that co-op employers may themselves be paying it forward rather than paying it back.

“As business students and emerging professionals, we can pay it forward by helping the people coming in behind us. If I can be that person—that mentor—for someone else one day, it would feel very fulfilling,” she says.

Jacinda Flores was a co-op student with a plan: pursue co-op, make a connection and do her best to show an organization like Wawanesa why she would make an incredible permanent employee, all while striving to make a positive impact in the workplace and the world.

Co-op was always part of Flores’ plan, and one thing she has learned on this journey is that the benefits of co-operative education and experiential learning at the Asper School of Business reach students and employers alike.

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Each year the Asper Co-op Program matches hundreds of BComm, MBA, MFin and MSCM students with organizations across Manitoba and Canada, connecting top employers to Manitoba’s top talent. Check out our top six reasons to hire an Asper co-op student here.

Ready to hire an Asper co-op student now? Visit our Information for Employers page to find out your next steps.

Emily Wilson