Every year, more than 5,700 students discover their careers through the Drexel Co-op program — a signature model of education that balances classroom theory with job experience within a buzzing network of nearly 1,700 co-op employers in 51 countries. What does a Drexel co-op look like? In this regular feature, we ask a student fresh off a recent co-op to show us. — Sonja Sherwood
The Co-Op
I’m not from America; I’m from Kuala Lumpur, so I’d never heard of City Year until I stumbled across them in Drexel’s co-op database. I remember going into the interview feeling excited yet nervous. I was so happy because I love their mission! City Year is a nonprofit education branch that deploys 200 young-adult AmeriCorps members who are recent high school and college grads for a year of service in 18 schools around Philadelphia. Every day at 6 a.m. they wake up, put on this red jacket proudly, and go to schools where they help third through 10th graders who are having a hard time with certain subjects, attendance and behavior. They are tutors, mentors and run after-school programs. As the communication and brand associate, I assisted in social media and blogging, as well as photography and graphic design for different events.
The Takeaway
This was my first co-op or job in America, and I loved it. At first, I was really nervous and I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself, but my coworkers were always encouraging me and pushing me to be more confident in my skills and to be a leader. Most important, I think the organization’s mission for change through education has opened my perspective to what I want to do in the future. Hopefully, I can bring that leadership and the skills I learned to my next job!
The Object
This red jacket is a symbol of pride for AmeriCorps members. When you put on the red jacket, it’s a responsibility; it symbolizes your passion to help students succeed. When students who need extra academic and emotional support see the red jacket, they can know they can trust you to guide them like a mentor. That’s something I wish I’d had in my schools growing up.
* Drexel partners with City Year to offer four-year-renewable scholarships of 25 percent per graduate credit for City Year members, alumni and staff.