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Fall 2011Inside sCo-op Issue II

Expanding HorizonsAt Waterloo, we take dreams beyond familiar bounds

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CREDITS:Editor: Deidra UrbonasStaff Editor: Olaf Naese, Communications & Public Relations Administrator, CECSContributor: Jayne Hayden, Career Services Supervisor, CECSPhotos: Merwyn Rosario, Mo Du, Margaret McBeath

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INSIDE sCO-OP: Contents

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> The Inside sCo-op is a bi-term student e-publication released through Co-operative Education and the Centre for Career Action at the University of Waterloo.

The Festival Spirit

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From Unpacking to Hacking:

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CREDITS:Editor and Creative Designer: Andrea Banerjee, Media & Publications Associate, CECSStaff Editor: Olaf Naese, Communications & Public Relations Administrator, CECSPhotography: Jonathan Bielaski (Light Imaging), Olaf Naese Photo submissions: Aamir Mansoor, Cam McKinnon, Fringe Theatre Adventures

The Green Machine:

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9 Career Corner: Employer Sessions <<<

Being His Own Boss:

>>> 7Read about co-op student and entrepreneur Krishna Eydat, just your average 22-year-old millionaire.

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Aamir Mansoor and Cam McKinnon took the West Coast by storm!

Find out how Bryanne Wouters tackled task after task on three eco-friendly work terms.

Melody Mui got to be a drama queen on her work term in Edmonton.

Find out why employer information sessions should be a top priority in your busy co-op schedule!

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from the EDITORLETTER

Back Row: Matt Chang, Events Assistant; Merna Ghabbour, Employer Services; Emily Brown, Marketing Assistant; Victoria Burt, Pharmacy Co-op; Gary Tran, Jobmine Support Front Row: Greg Mittler, Program Review Research As-sistant; Arpan Garg, Web Developer; Saniya Shahani, Em-ployer Services; Linda Zhang, Student-Faculty Relations Assistant; Cinzia Sinnathurai, Business Analyst; Siang Li, Technical Services

On co-op?It’s time to really buckle down on that work term report! See the Co-op Student Manual http://www.cecs.uwaterloo.ca/manual/ for some guidelines. Check your faculty website for specific details.

Check it out: Employer information sessions are already starting to be booked for the Winter 2012 term! Don’t miss out: http://www.cecs.uwaterloo.ca/students/sessions.php?month_num=1&year_num=2012

Don’t forget that the recruiting term starts early in January. Get your résumé up-to-date with your latest co-op job!

Ideas or comments for the InsidesCo-op? Email olaf@uwaterloo.ca!

Meet the Tatham Centre Fall Co-ops!

-Andrea

Andrea Banerjee, Media & Publications AssociateMA Candidate, Literary Studies

Fine Arts student Melody Mui spent a term living in Edmonton, in a culturally enriching job with Fringe Theatre Adventures. Her accomplishments include facilitating an 11-day festival, plan-ning a VIP party with 400 attendees, and falling in love with the West. She isn’t the only student who took her work term beyond familiar borders. Aamir Mansoor and Cam McKinnon were also sent packing - for a fun-filled, sun-filled work term in California. Their action-packed four months culminated in

At CECS the pace doesn’t slow with the closing of another year. In fact, as 2012 approaches, we look ahead, knowing that there are always new boundaries to move beyond and new tales to unearth. Unique student stories are in constant circulation at Waterloo, and remarkable successes take place every term. 2011 has been a year to toast, with students who consistently moved beyond their comfort zone in the interest of positive professional experiences.

a first place win at the Mozilla World Series of Hack competition, where they beat several other teams with a creative idea and great motivation. Lastly, don’t miss the story about Waterloo’s own entrepreneur, Krishna Eydat. He pushed beyond boundaries bigger than those of city or state; he overcame his own hesitations and doubt to take a chance on a business ven-ture that paid off- big time.

Our co-op students are always braving new territory, both literal and figurative. Since Waterloo is all about innovation - which means constantly moving outward and onward- it’s no surprise to see our students living these values. In fact, 2011 has showed us that at Waterloo, the brave and ambitious know no bounds.

Welcome to the final Inside sCo-op issue for 2011!

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CO-OP STUDENT OF THE YEAR?

received an Outstanding evaluation for a 2011 work term [or think you might] maintain an average of 75% or higher

contribute to co-op

One winner is selected from each faculty! Winners will receive...

Are YOU the next

http://www.cecs.uwa-terloo.ca/students/

SOTYaward.php

For more info visit:

UnpackingHacking

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Aamir Mansoor and Cameron McKinnon recently finished up an incredible term at Sugar CRM, a young California-based company. Highlights from their work term include hanging out with comedian Dave Chappelle, taking first place at the World Series of Hack Compe-tition, and winning an all-expenses-paid trip to the conference of their choice. Needless to say, these two make a fantastic team; they’re mo-tivated, energetic and work incredibly effectively together. If it weren’t for co-op however, they might not even know each other’s name.

A Sunny Start-Up

Six months ago as they boarded a plane for the Golden State, Aamir and Cameron were strangers. Each was embarking on an international work term at a company called Sugar CRM in Cupertino, California. As the only two Software Engineering co-ops in a company of about 150 employees, Aamir and Cam quickly became good friends, colleagues and temporary roommates. In the close-knit Engineering department at Sugar CRM, Cam says, “We were a unit.” They worked to improve CRM software by adding gameification elements-a project that was fun, and rewarding.

Cam and Aamir agree that the company “still has a start-up environ-ment,” which allowed them to feel integral to the team. “I wanted to work at Sugar because it was small,” says Aamir. “I liked the fact that when we were working on something, everybody knew it. The work we were doing was being recognized.” Indeed there were many perks to working at a young company. The CEO and CTO would regularly stop by Aamir and Cam’s workstations.

One duo’s whirlwind work term in California

Andrea Banerjee Media & Publications Associate

Ping pong tourna-ments and late night take-out were frequent events. In fact, the team was so close that one evening the VP of Engineering took Aamir and Cam to a Dave Chappelle show in San Francisco, where they were introduced to the comedian. “It was really cool,” recalls Cam. “He was a high school friend of the VP’s.”

It’s nice to remember that co-op can be a chance to make new friends!

If you...

...then you qualify!

Aamir (L) & Cam (R)

* A cash prize* A recognition plaque* Invitation to an Award Ceremony * Their name added to the winners’ plaque in the Tatham Centre

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Challenge Accepted

Perhaps the most exciting opportunity for Aamir and Cam began when their supervisor asked them if they’d be interested in participating in an up-coming hack-a-thon. While the term “hack” may bring to mind malicious computer break-ins, Cam explains that it has taken on a new meaning. He describes hacking as “a culture in Silicon Valley,” in which the word has been re-appropriated. “Now it just means working really hard on a competing project,” says Cam.

“Hack-a-thons” are 8-hour, 12-hour, or sometimes even 48-hour events, where teams work tirelessly to complete a project. In the course of the hack-a-thon, competitors will take their work right from its idea stage to a finished product to be presented to a panel. Aamir and Cam competed in the Mozilla-hosted World Series of Hack competition at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, an intern-based event with competing teams from Facebook, Google and Yahoo!, among others. As young co-ops from a small company, they recall being asked “Who is Sugar CRM?” Undeterred, they worked through the night on their clever idea: “We made an add-on for Firefox that lets you keep track of how much time you’re spending on productive and non-productive sites,” explains Aamir.

The add-on includes a graphing capability that generates a visual comparison of the time spent on each. “It’s a whole suite of controls to [track] how you spend your time,” says Aamir.

After hours of work, each team was given exactly three minutes to present their product to a panel of judges. “That’s not a lot of time,” says Cam. “You want to go up there, say what your project is, what it does, and how it helps people.” Their pitch, paired with a smart, unique project, won them first place. The add-on, now called “Surf Control,” is available for open-source download.

The Kings of Hack

Aamir and Cam beat out close to 300 competitors to take the grand prize: a trip of their choice to any conference in the United States. Now back in Water-loo, the pair remain humble in spite of their success. Celebrities and contests weren’t the best part of the experience. “My favourite thing was being around so many smart people,” says Cam. “This was my first work term…and it was just instant access to so much knowledge.” Profit wasn’t a motivation for these partners either; their product is available for anyone to download. The reward is the satisfaction of hard work, the opportunity to share innovation, and the joy of seeing an idea from start to finish. As Aamir simply puts it, “It’s the Waterloo spirit.”

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqPcNRE-L04&feature=related

To hear more about Aamir and Cam’s victory at at WSOH, check out this video!

Right: The World Series of Hack Competition, held at the Computer History Museum from 6:30pm on July 22, 2011 to 8:00am on July 23, 2011. Below: Aamir, hacking away, three hours into the competition

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the green machine

Bryanne Wouters gets the job done effectively, responsibly, sustainably.

Andrea Banerjee Media & Publications Associate

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Bryanne Wouters has proven that no problem is too difficult or dirty for her; she’s worked to develop environmental solutions for E.coli, various types of waste, and invasive vegetation. The 2B Environmental Engineering student spent her first three co-op terms working as an Environmental Technician with the Mu-nicipality of Lambton Shores. She consistently demon-strated how a Waterloo student can make an impact in her workplace- and on the environment.

In her first work term, Bryanne was presented with a problem: delays in water sample results were slowing the municipality’s ability to assess E.coli levels at the beach. Bryanne took action. “I created a preliminary model of how specific environmental parameters affect E.coli levels at Grand Bend Beach,” she says. Us-ing data from 2008 to 2010, Bryanne developed four different water quality models over the course of her three work terms. Thanks to her accurate analysis, her models have proven equally effective as the current protocol for environmental management at the beach. They may even be used in summer 2012 for water quality testing.

A Model for Change

“[I had to] set environmental sustainability goals and objectives to protect sensitive ecosystems,” Bryanne explains. She began to map the grass’ growth across the entire municipality. After detailed research and analysis, she produced education outlines and meth-ods for removal, accounting for species at risk and other important environmental factors. Once again, through her research Bryanne helped to mitigate a threat to the environment.

Bryanne is not easily deterred, and relished facing so many challenging tasks. “I enjoyed being a part of such a wide range of projects…and found the work so fulfilling when I came to a solution,” she says. Fur-ther, Bryanne is now proud of her problem-solving skills - and rightfully so! “After my third work term my supervisor informed me that she’s seen a huge im-provement in my personal confidence,” says Bryanne. Her environmental work showed her that no problem or project is insurmountable.

Now that she’s found self-assurance and passion for her field, she’s eager to keep going: “Co-op has demon-strated to me that hard work in a field you enjoy is truly the key to success.”

Building Confidence Through Co-op

This was not the only impact Bryanne made on environ-mental management. Much of her second work term was dedi-cated to the devel-opment of a 20-year Lambton Shores Waste Management Plan, a huge initiative to address exist-ing and alternative programs for the management of a va-riety of waste types, including household, green, yard, bulk,

and hazardous waste. Bryanne was involved deeply in the project; in addition to researching government regulations, she also developed a waste management survey, helped to establish goals for public education, and worked to predict costs and needs associated with the plan. In her third and most recent work term, Bryanne was called to action again. An invasive reed grass called phragmites was threatening the region. Left unchecked, phragmites can cause damage to coastal dunes and to certain wildlife habitats.

Above: Bryanne Wouters “I have thoroughly enjoyed being able to try new things and work independently on my own projects. My job exceeded my expectations.”

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F E S T I V A Lthe

spiritF E S T I V A L

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Melody spent her Spring 2011 work term in Edmon-ton, as a Special Event Specialist and Development Assistant for Fringe Theatre Adventures. She had the exciting opportunity to play an organizational role in the 30th Annual Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival.

Featuring an 11-day menu of theatre performance accounting for over 100 theatre companies, each year the festival offers a smorgasbord of talent for any artistic appetite. In addition to the rich variety of performances, there are carnival rides, food vendors, street theatrics, and plenty of friendly volunteers to make the event feel as welcoming and fun as pos-sible.

Melody primarily assisted the development director in meeting their fundraising target by co-ordinating and evaluating a volunteer team called “Friendraiser.” Volunteers are the key ingredient for the festival’s operation, with around 1200 team members working to ensure the event is a success. Melody worked with development, marketing and volunteer departments to truly exercise her event-planning skills.

What does a co-op work term for a Drama major look like? For 3B Arts and Business student Melody Mui, it involved sunshine, balloons, parades, and most importantly, some truly unforgettable performances by a mixed cast of inspiring actors.

In the weeks leading up to the festival, Melody analyzed previous fund-raising campaigns to make recommendations and redesign project plans for future events. She also participated in festival planning meet-ings where the event began to come together with the work of the developmental team. Melody appreciated the support she received from her colleagues.

“They encouraged me to seek new learning experi-ences all the time,” she says. After months of work-ing with a team that felt like “family” to Melody, planning logistics, co-ordinating volunteers, and compiling promotional materials, things kicked off mid-August with the opening of the festival. The energy didn’t die for 11 days.

Between parading performers, fire swallowers and uni-cycle-riders, the experience was one-of-a-kind. “Seeing the streets transform into the festival site, and seeing people enjoy their time [so much] was amazing,” says Melody. In addition to supporting the regular festival activities, she also worked to plan and execute special events, including a VIP reception to recognize some of the festival’s most esteemed guests, and a volunteer wrap party at the close of the festivities. There was plenty of opportunity to learn about Canadian theatre, with discursive sessions with panellists, select perfor-mances, and cabarets. Perhaps the most colourful cast of characters were the 575 000 visitors that flooded the festival. “The Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival is the biggest of its kind in North America,” says Melody. “It is an honour to participate in such a great event,” she says.

Being around so many talented performers and hard-working volunteers immersed Melody in the arts while giving her the chance to regularly exercise her leader-ship and organizational skills in the day-to-day business of the job. In addition, living and working in Edmonton was a new cultural experience. “This was my first co-op term where I traveled to another city where I didn’t know anyone,” says Melody. She got every satisfaction out of her unique and fun work term, and formed an attachment to the west that she will forever treasure. “People were extremely caring [knowing that] I came from out of town,” she recalls fondly. “It’s such an inter-esting experience to explore another part of Canada.”

Andrea Banerjee Media & Publications Associate

Prepping for the Event

The Fest out West

Above: Never a dull moment! One of the many street performers that livened up the festival.

Above: Melody (L) with a festival volunteer.

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Being His Own Boss:THE STORY OF KRISHNA EYDAT

Andrea Banerjee Media & Publications Associate

Krishna Eydat calls himself “a guy with big dreams.” He came to the University of Waterloo because of its renowned Engineering program. At face value, Krishna seems like your average student. He crams for mid-terms and stresses out over final exams. He likes to lis-ten to rap music, and when he has the time, he enjoys Kung Fu. You might never guess that the 3B Software Engineering student is a self-made millionaire at the age of 22.

>> An Ambitious Start

Additionally, every student in the program must have a mentor – an individual with industry experi-ence to provide them with guidance. Students are also given plenty of opportunities to apply to vari-ous start-up funding programs. The program lends its support to entrepreneurial co-ops in every way, and invites those of all ages and industry back-grounds. “We have a lot of younger applicants,” says Paul. “First years are incredibly motivated.”

Krishna began working on websites when he was 12. He founded his first company, Kerixa, in 2005, and managed a number of international web projects. As the CEO of Kerixa he worked with web designers from around the globe to sell professional software applications. Krishna has always been full of ideas driven by personal ambition and a passion for engi-neering. When he learned about Enterprise Co-op at Waterloo his dreams changed shape, and the motiva-tion he always had found a new channel.

Enterprise Co-op (or E Co-op) is offered through the Conrad Business, Entrepreneurship & Technology Centre, and is available to students from all faculties. The program offers students the opportunity to ex-plore their own business venture and earn co-op credit while doing it. Students submit a detailed idea for their venture which is then reviewed by the Enterprise Co-op co-ordinator, Paul Carkner. Paul facilitates the entire program, from admissions, to marketing, to mentoring budding entrepreneurs.

For more information about Enterprise Co-op, visit: http://www.conrad.uwaterloo.ca/enterprise-co-op

“Most students are confident,” says Paul. “They know if they have a winner.” Those accepted into the program have access to a wealth of resources. Students are giv-en workspace in the Communitech Hub, admission to conferences and presentations by other successful entrepreneurs, and access to practical business workshops that they participate in weekly all term.

One day Krishna said to his developers, “I’m bored. Let’s do something.” That day he created an appli-cation for business marketing, and began to build his second business. “I had no idea about E co-op then,” Krishna recalls. For him, the idea came first, and the execution fell into place with the help of Paul. After years of managing his own team and his own time, once he enrolled Krishna naturally thrived in Enterprise Co-op.

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>> What is Enterprise Co-op?

>> A Business is Born

For more information about Enterprise Co-op, visit: http://www.conrad.uwaterloo.ca/enterprise-co-op

What does a 22-year-old do with that kind of money? For Krishna, this was capital for his next venture. He has already invested the money in another start-up and begun to hire his new team. He will begin another Enterprise co-op term in Win-ter 2012 and says, “I can’t wait to be on co-op again with my full-time staff.”

Krishna’s story is exceptional, but he attributes his success to the right attitude, a good idea, and a lot of courage. “I’m not a risk taker,” he says. “In America, people have the American dream, but here in Canada things are more conservative.” Krishna is the first to admit that it is nerve-wracking to make such major business decisions. “I have lots of ideas, but I’m insecure about executing them,” he says. His confidence has grown from his success however, and Krishna is now deter-mined to make his first $10 million before he turns 30.

Dubbing himself, “the man with a plan,” Krishna grins and shrugs at the amazement of those who discover his accom-plishments. His success is a testament to the power of determi-nation and passion. “I’m not the smartest guy in my class,” he says. “I had an idea… I just did it.” Although Krishna is the first

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He hired a supervisor and other team members to build his new company, Byzantium Tech, which was responsible for de-veloping a Facebook application called Top Fans. Within a few short months Krishna had about 9 million users downloading his apps. “At first I didn’t want to sell,” says Krishna. “The com-pany was making around $5 000 a day.” Eventually however, Krishna realized what a hot ticket item he had, and received offers he couldn’t refuse. On the advice of his mentor, he sold Byzantium Tech in May 2011 for $4 million.

student to sell his company, enter-prise co-op is a rewarding option for driven students with an entrepre-neurial spirit and a plan. “E co-op gives you the opportunity to do what you really like,” says Krishna. “I am living my dreams.”

“ ”I had an idea...I just did it. I am living my dreams.

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>> Next Steps

Below: Krishna Eydat, “the man with a plan” that turned a dream into dollars.

Visit our website to access the online listing

service and student classified listings. Or contact us for more assistance at och@uwaterloo.ca, 519-888-4567, ext. 35725.

wordsof wisdom...

“ Co-op is the time for us to ex-plore, so try different things. It’s a free learning experience- in fact, you’re getting paid for it! So why

not take full advantage of it? ” -Melody Mui

CAREER CORNER:employer info sessions

So why should YOU attend?

“ Don’t be afraid of future opportunities.

Believe in yourself and your work.” -Bryanne Wouters

Employers recognize the value of having an informa-tion session at Waterloo because of the abundance of talent our students possess. Statistics show that the number of information sessions at the University of Waterloo has steadily increased in the last 5 years. On average, there are around 100 information sessions for the Fall and Winter terms, while the number of

Matt ChangEvents Assistant, CECS

sessions in the Spring term is slightly lower. In Fall 2011 there were 151 information sessions booked. This was the largest number to date in the history of co-op at Waterloo!

Students should attend these sessions because they are informa-tive and will help them in their search for career opportunities. What better way to get started on your job search, than by attending an information session that is free of charge and will provide you with the necessary information to help you further your career? Bonus: some sessions also provide free food and beverages to students who attend, and the occasional giveaways and swag don’t hurt either!

Employers put lots of time and effort into preparing for information sessions. Some even fly in from out of the country just to have the op-portunity to meet students here at Waterloo. It is important for them to know that there will be students attending their session(s). The RSVP option gives the employers knowledge of how many students to expect. They can then plan accordingly, in terms of ordering catering, how much promotional material to bring, and the general atmosphere and crowd that they should expect and prepare for.

As the Events Assistant, I post upcoming sessions on the CECS in-formation sessions calendar website: http://www.cecs.uwaterloo.ca/students/sessions.php. On this calendar students will also find out how to RSVP for the event, and this page also provides employers with the instructions on how to check the RSVP numbers for their event. Check your inbox for regular e-blast reminders, or visit the university Events page. However you stay informed, don’t miss out!

Why is it important to RSVP?

How can students learn more about info sessions?

employers weigh in:

“ Remove your limits and inhibitions - speed on as fast as your abilities and

ambitions urge you. ” -Krishna Eydat

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“Many students think they know all there is to know about a large company like Micro-soft, when in fact there is exciting informa-tion to share each term. Company presenta-tions are used to announce new products, inform students of how many students we plan to hire, and the opportunity to make a personal connection with their school recruiter and alumni. These sessions are extremely beneficial to both students and Microsoft... and what college student turns down free food and swag?!” -Meaghan Angelo, University Recruiting, Microsoft

“Google is continually excited about the high quality of technical talent found at Waterloo. It is our great pleasure to host technical talks, information sessions, hacks, and puzzle competitions several times each term. Attend our next on-campus event to learn what projects are currently hot at Google, what it's like to work in our Canadian and U.S. offices, and get the opportunity to chat one-on-one with recruiters and software engineers who are happy to answer your questions." -Allison Roarty, University Program Specialist, Google

Recruiters let you know why they make information sessions a priority-

and why you should too!

“Information sessions are a key recruiting tool in how we find candidates on-campus. It gives us an opportunity to meet with stu-dents face-to-face which is invaluable for not only the company but students as well. It also gives us the opportunity to talk about new technical challenges that students might not know about.” -Clifton Tay, University Recruiting, Facebook