Lauren McDiarmid (commerce)
Lauren travelled to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to work as a research and project development assistant with SEAMEO RETRAC, an intergovernmental organization committed to assisting SEAMEO Member Countries in identifying and addressing issues of education, leadership, and management.
Advancing the UN SDGs
My role as a research and project development assistant surrounded working on tasks related to advancing UN SDG #4, quality education.
Specifically, I completed literature review for academic activities of the centre, and researched potential international donors (i.e., grants, bursaries, etc.).
Bringing people together
I was able to organize and lead 3 English clubs at SEAMEO RETRAC that were free to community members. The club gives people an opportunity to practice their English language skills, specifically in speaking and writing.
While completing this initiative, I was also able to showcase my leadership and organizational abilities. Leading these clubs allowed me to effectively communicate with participants from diverse backgrounds, potentially impacting their education, job prospects, and ability to connect with others.
Embracing new experiences through co-op
This co-op placement was very complimentary to my UVic experience as there is a big emphasis on international opportunities and learning about cultural differences.
With the rise in investment in the Indo-Pacific region, it was very educational and eye-opening to be able to spend 4 months in an area of the world that has a significant impact on Canada's economy.
The benefits of working abroad
The most important thing I learned was adaptability. Moving to a non-English speaking country, as well as working in this environment, is a hard change to adapt to.
Learning how to adapt to working in a different culture was definitely a challenge; however, the team at SEAMEO RETRAC was very supportive, welcoming, and kind. I was also able to immensely expand on my cultural intelligence competency throughout this co-op.
If you can participate in an international co-op, you should! There are so many opportunities posted on UVic's co-op portal, just apply for international roles and go for it!