Designs, DE+I and driving change
Brooke Driscoll’s co-op at Toyota sparked her passion for HR, where she led DE+I initiatives and found purpose in strengthening workplace culture.
Brooke Driscoll (she/her) is a fourth-year Arts and Business student, majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in Human Resources Management. Her co-op journey highlights her progression from working in social media and events to human resources and internal communications at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC).
She gained valuable skills in design, communication, DE+I initiatives and found fulfillment in creating inclusive workspaces. Her experience emphasized the benefits of longer co-op terms for deeper impact and personal growth, ultimately shaping her career direction and motivating her to pursue a full-time role at TMMC.
Brooke's co-op journey
Work term one: Early in her co-op journey, Brooke was a social media manager for The Clothing Loft, a women’s consignment store in Listowel. She led the content creation and management for their Instagram and Facebook accounts, as well as managed their online store.
Work term two: For her second work term, Brooke was an events and digital media assistant for the Faculty of Engineering. She helped coordinate events for the faculty and gained valuable experience in digital storytelling by producing content for the faculty’s social media channels. Brooke also helped with Hack the North, Canada’s largest hackathon hosted at the University of Waterloo that welcomes more than 1000 students from around the globe for a weekend of learning, innovation and collaboration.
Work terms three and four: For her first term at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC), Brooke was a team member relations analyst. She then moved into internal communications for her second term at TMMC. While these roles overlap, team member relations focused more on employee events, various HR tasks and supporting team members. Internal communications focused on editing team member communications, creating digital content for internal use and supporting engagement campaigns. One of her big projects was a team member spotlight series focused on engaging employees and creating a strong sense of belonging at work for team members.
Q&A with Brooke
What have you learned from working both in team member relations and internal communications for Toyota?
“Working in team member relations has really given me an understanding of everything human resources (HR). The team member relations department is responsible for a wide variety of different tasks that relate to team members, which has given me a deep understanding of HR.”
“I learned how to handle different situations and how best to approach things in an inclusive way. My team was very supportive of my approach to learning hands-on and that is how I was able to develop a strong understanding of HR and develop skills that I can take into any role in the future.”
“Before this role, I was mainly interested in marketing and social media, but this position introduced me to a new side of the field. I'm really enjoying internal communications because it involves a wide variety of projects that connect directly to my program.”
What skills from your previous roles in social media and events have helped you succeed at Toyota?
“I haven't had the opportunity to take very many design courses in school yet so being able to explore and develop a strong understanding of design principles at my previous co-ops has been very beneficial to my success at Toyota.”
“Being a part of the co-op program at TMMC, we are provided opportunities to work on projects we enjoy. I'm very passionate about the diversity, equity and inclusion (DE+I) space and after expressing this interest to my manager, she found a way for me to be involved. I was able to work on a project throughout the term that was DE+I focused and I loved getting to work on it. Being able to work on things that I'm passionate about on my co-op has been really valuable to my growth.”
Have you faced any challenges transitioning between social media and events over to HR? How have you overcome them?
“My last two co-ops were similar to my previous experience. This one was a big jump to HR and internal comms, as well as working for a big corporation. I faced a bit of challenge in understanding the size of the company and how things function at that scale.”
“I learned to speak up and ask questions because I'm not going to learn anything without asking questions. I felt very empowered to ask questions on this co-op and I think that really helped me to overcome the challenge of understanding how big TMMC is.”
What has been your favourite part of each of your co-op terms?
“For my first co-op, I really enjoyed getting to be in the store and interacting with our customers. I'm a big people person; I love to talk with people, so this role was perfect for me. We also did a photo shoot for brand content which was really fun, and I got to lead the design and strategic direction on the shoot.”
“Then for my second term, organizing the National Coming Out Day event within the Faculty of Engineering was a special and fun event for me. It's definitely something that I hold near and dear to my heart. I was really excited to be able to celebrate that with students and give them a place where they can show up as themselves in a safe space.”
“This third co-op term, I got to work on an assortment of different projects. They tried to make it fun for me, which I appreciated. I got to attend a Spectrum conference which gave me that sense of belonging at work and made me feel welcomed here and that there are things that I can do in my role to help create a more diverse and inclusive workspace.”
“I’m also wrapping up our team member spotlight series. We're highlighting different team members throughout the organization and things that make them unique. When I email them and ask to feature their story, the response from team members is very positive.”
“I can tell even just through e-mail that they feel like someone cares about them at work. Even if it's only a few people that I can help feel empowered and valued at work, that to me is the biggest success in the world.”
How are you planning to stay motivated and engaged during an eight-month co-op term?
“The eight-month term works so much better for me. In a four-month term, once you feel like you have found your footing in the role, you know what to expect and what's going on, then your projects are wrapping up because the term is almost over. In other four-month terms, it almost felt like I didn't have any long-term projects because I wasn't going to be there long enough to see them through.”
“I think for me, having eight months to get involved in projects and in the workspace, I get to know other people and network with different departments. I'm so motivated and fired up because I know I have time to leave my mark and make a difference. My goal is to get a full-time role with TMMC after graduation and the eight-month co-op allows me to really showcase my skills and what I can bring to the table.”
“I'm seeing people that I know, and I can stop and chat. It makes you feel less like a co-op student and more like an actual member of the team. That's why the eight-month co-ops are so valuable because you really do just get so much out of it. I feel more motivated being there for eight months because I know that the impact that I can have on the company is so much greater.”
Do you have any advice for other co-op students?
“Continue to work on your craft, refine those résumés and reach out for help. The University has so much support in place that I didn't even know existed. Reach out and use those resources because that’s how you're going to find a co-op and enjoy your job as well.”
“I think the biggest advice that anyone's ever given to me is; your co-op is what you make of it. If you seek out new opportunities to meet people, join different clubs and work on things that you're passionate about, that's how you're going to learn and grow with co-op.”
“Take every opportunity that you can and be open to anything. It's hard sometimes, but it's so rewarding and valuable to know what you do and don’t like.”
What's next for you?
“This co-op was a big one for me because I needed to decide whether to continue with my HR minor or not. I wanted to be a pharmacist when I originally came to Waterloo and now, I've switched to something completely different, but that I'm way more passionate about.”
“Based on this experience, I think it'll be really valuable for my career to have that minor. For now, I am continuing my time at TMMC, and then back to school in January, which is really exciting.”
“I’m a high-performance ringette coach with Kitchener Ringette and the season starts in September so I am incredibly excited to be back at the arena doing what I love.”
“What's next? Lots of things, as always.”