Co-op placements can be transformative opportunities, where students get hands-on experience and a chance to explore potential career paths. For Thiago Ribeiro, a Geography and Economics student from UBC, this opportunity has allowed him to grow professionally and gain a diverse set of new skills. After working with the Education Department for eight months, he’s recently transitioned to Marketing as the Marketing and Events Assistant. In this article, he reflects on how much he’s learned and grown alongside the SBBC team, and how his experience has influenced his plans for the future.
How Thiago Ended up at SBBC
Thiago was looking for an opportunity to try new things and discover what he likes and dislikes in a professional setting. “I’m not really certain about what I want to pursue after university, so my goal with co-op was just to gain new experience,” he said.
This position with SBBC stood out to him because it was different from his other co-op experiences. While he wasn’t too familiar with business, he previously worked with educational support at UBC and felt comfortable enough to apply for the position. “It felt like a good intersection of what I’m experienced with and what I want to get more experience with,” Thiago explained.
How SBBC Has Influenced His Future Career
While Thiago is considering pursuing a career in urban planning, he’s keeping an open mind. His main goal during this co-op has been to try new things.
One of the things that stood out to him the most was learning what it’s like to work in an office environment and be part of a larger organization. “I’ve had so many opportunities to work alongside people from other departments and learn so many new things,” Thiago said. There are a lot of moving parts at SBBC, and he was able to see how each team and role contributes.
So far, he’s had the opportunity to work on video editing, help out with event planning, host his own education session, and more. “It’s built up my confidence in the work environment and I’m able to more comfortably reach out, which is important to me,” he said. The team at SBBC has made him feel appreciated and welcomed, which is something he’d seek in a future career.
Even though urban planning isn’t directly related to this co-op, he emphasized the value of learning about the work environment as well as engaging with the broader community around BC. “Regardless of if it’s a tangible, transferable skill, there are still many things that I’ve learned that I’ll definitely apply in the future,” he said.
What He’s Learned
“On a personal level, I’ve gained a lot of appreciation for the connection and the community I’ve been a part of while working here,” he said. Working at SBBC has not only taught him what it’s like to work in an office environment but also the value of connecting with coworkers. “I feel very welcomed and supported here,” he said.
Another great part about working here has been the variety of experiences he’s gained. “I’ve learned how important it is to vocalize your interests because you’re able to be dynamic and learn new things,” Thiago said, “A lot of my favorite things I’ve done here were because I was trying something new.” He developed a lot of technical skills while working in the education department, from using WordPress to hosting education sessions, working on Zoom, and more.
Since starting in his new position, he’s been easing into new projects like the Small Business BC Awards. These awards celebrate the achievements of small businesses across the province. With categories like Business Impact, Best Youth Entrepreneur, and more, they seek to highlight the strengths and successes of the BC small business community.
The Awards is our biggest event of the year so we need to ensure every detail is perfect. Being entrusted to work on such a significant project shows the confidence the team has in Thiago’s abilities. “Working on the awards is really exciting because it’s such a big event and I’m looking forward to helping it run smoothly and seeing everyone get celebrated,” he said.
Highlights and Challenges
A major highlight for Thiago was being able to host his own education session. Through his work with the Workplace Accessibility Resources project, he decided to host a session called ‘Supporting Your Workplace Accessibility Journey,’ which still lives on the SBBC website. While Thiago normally helps out with the education sessions, he was encouraged to take charge of this one.
“This helped me build leadership skills, time management skills, and even presentation skills,” he explained. Thiago was responsible for every aspect of the project, including hosting, finding panel speakers, coordinating schedules, creating the presentation, and more. Reflecting on this experience, he said, “It’s hard to communicate with so many different people who also have great ideas, and still stick to the structure and objectives you’re trying to achieve.” Despite these challenges, the session was a huge success.
Another highlight was being involved in meetups. Thiago was responsible for tasks like securing catering, connecting with panelists, and helping set up the day-of. “I like being really involved and seeing projects through to the end,” he said. “With meetups it’s very visual, there’s a whole audience there, and I got to connect with a lot of them.”
Advice for Co-op Students Thinking About Applying at SBBC
“I would totally encourage them to apply here because it’s been obvious through our conversation that it’s such a great environment. I felt supported, encouraged, comfortable, and welcomed, which is such a key part of a good work environment,” he said. “There’s also so many growth opportunities at Small Business BC, where you can bring up your interests and access other things, even if they’re not exactly related to your position.”