Five questions with Shining Graduate Kyle Cole (BA (Co-op) '20)

Nominated by Jasminn Berteotti, Director, Co-operative Education
I have known Kyle for four years as an active participant in the Co-operative Education program where he successfully completed six co-op work terms. Based on my own observations, his work term performance and external feedback received, and the opportunity to observe his academic excellence, leadership and community contributions firsthand, I would rate this student’s performance as nothing short of exceptional. Kyle has a number of strengths but one of his greatest is his unwavering dedication and commitment toward all that he does, including academics and community service. I have no doubt that is what enabled him to achieve his high academic excellence. In addition, Kyle was a wonderful student leader within our Co-op Ambassador group. We could always count on Kyle, and we were proud to have him represent our programs and the University of Lethbridge. To put it plainly, Kyle could ALWAYS be relied upon to participate and he always came with a genuine spirit of support! It has been a pleasure getting to know and work with Kyle, he will be greatly missed on our campus but I look forward to seeing him reach the goals he has set for himself, with his usual enthusiasm and self discipline.

What is your most memorable uLethbridge experience?
My most memorable experiences at uLethbridge were my five co-op work terms within the CareerBridge office. As a co-op student working within the co-op office, I had the unique opportunity to learn and grow tremendously, while watching others around me do the same. I was part of some very engaging projects during my work terms, including the initial launch of the CareerBridge (ORBIS) platform which is now being used to host the Student Experience Transcript. I participated in many student/employer/community engagement activities and proudly represented the University of Lethbridge as a co-op student. These work terms also helped me realize my passion for helping others and seeing the people around me succeed.

Is there someone specific who had an important influence on your uLethbridge?
There are quite a few, but I will start with Jasminn Berteotti. I was very grateful to have Jasminn as my supervisor for my work terms in the CareerBridge office. Not only was Jasminn my supervisor, she is also the Director with over 20 years of experience in WIL. I was very fortunate to have not only someone to learn from, but someone who could also help me learn effectively and efficiently. Jasminn has been incredibly influential to me as a leader and a mentor. I also had the opportunity to have Stacey Gaudette-Sharp and Lukas Neamtu as my co-op coordinators. Both Stacey and Luke have also had an incredible impact on my career and personal development. The entire CareerBridge office was truly beyond supportive throughout my co-op journey and I am thankful for the strong relationships I have built with the CareerBridge team.

My economics professors have also been incredibly influential on my learning. Economics is a smaller program at the U of L, so I was fortunate to have smaller classes, especially at the senior level. This allowed me to develop strong relationships with my professors and peers which channeled great class discussions and discourse and was incredibly important for my overall learning experience.

What is the most important lesson you learned?
The most important lesson I've learned at University, and especially throughout my co-op experiences, is the power of networking and building strong relationships. The relationships I have built with peers, faculty and mentors at the U of L have been incredibly influential in my overall learning experience as well as to my career inspirations and goals. This network helped me secure my current position!  

What are your hopes/plans for the future?
I am currently working as a Co-op Program Advisor at the University of Calgary while researching master’s programs that will allow me to combine my passion for Work-Integrated Learning and student relationships with my interest in economics. This is a unique combination of skills and knowledge that I likely wouldn’t have even considered before joining co-op. Upon graduation, I can easily see how I can combine these into a career path. I see myself working with students in a post-secondary setting in the future.

What advice would you give to students who are about to begin their post-secondary journeys?
My advice to students who are about to begin their journey in post-secondary is make the absolute most out of your university experience. Build relationships, ask questions and get to know the leaders around you. Start looking into programs such as co-op, applied studies and independent studies early in your degree and take full advantage of the opportunities that are available to you. Be the best you can be and make the most of your degree!