Exploring professional communications and creativity in co-op
Phoenix Rogoz shares how their unexpected career path has led to rewarding creative experiences and meaningful connections.
Phoenix Rogoz (any pronouns) is a fourth-year Arts student, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Anthropology. Their co-op journey has shown them that implementing their own creativity and personality into their work is not only possible but helps them to stand out and create impactful projects.
Phoenix’s co-op journey
Work term one: Phoenix started their co-op journey as a campus visits and events associate at the Visitors Centre at the University of Waterloo. In this role, they managed and scheduled a team of around 30 student ambassadors and planned campus tours and events for prospective students like the Fall Open House.
Work term two: They then worked as a communications co-ordinator at the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA). There, Phoenix handled WUSA’s social media pages and created content for them. They worked on various projects where their focus was digital media creation.
Work term three: Phoenix is now in their third work term, working at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) of Ontario as a communications and engagement specialist. So far, they’ve been working on projects involving stakeholder communication, creating documentations for various projects within the organization and planning social events for staff.
Q&A with Phoenix
Why did you choose to study Psychology and has it helped you with your co-op roles?
“I’ve always been very fascinated by human disorders. It progressed from more physical disorders to mental health. I took some classes in high school that were related to psychology and I really enjoyed them. I decided to go into psychology not necessarily because I wanted to pursue a career as a psychologist, but because I had to decide and it was something I really enjoyed studying.”
“I think in general, psychology has helped me with my co-op roles. I’ve done classes on cognitive and social psychology and both of those focus on human perceptions and why we respond to things in certain ways. Generally knowing what makes people act in certain ways has helped me in making communication decisions.”
What has been the most rewarding thing about co-op?
“Seeing the impact I’ve gotten to make in my roles. When I was working as a campus visits and events associate, getting to plan visits for different school groups and then seeing those students really appreciate the work we did was rewarding. Same with when I was working as a communications co-ordinator and getting to see the content I put out get a good reaction.”
“Now, seeing the work I do move through such a large organization and have a positive impact on the people it reaches, even if it’s in a small way, feels really rewarding to me.”
“Also, getting to know so many different people from the roles I’ve done. All the connections I’ve made through my various jobs have been very rewarding. I like meeting and getting to know new people, and it’s cool to see my network expand with each co-op.”
Is there anything that draws you to communications roles?
“I think to start, getting communications roles was just kind of how it played out. I’ve always been a very creative person and in communications, you can apply that creativity to many different pieces of work. I can see my interests being used in a more corporate setting and that’s what draws me to this field.”
“When I came into the co-op program, I had no idea what to expect. I like seeing the progress between my jobs. I ended up in a specific industry that I didn’t know was open to me. If I didn’t have co-op, I probably wouldn’t have considered communications as a potential career path. It’s been cool getting to see it all play out.”
What have been your most memorable experiences during co-op?
“When I was at WUSA, I got to create a lot of silly videos and some more professional ones. Video editing is something that I did for fun and never in a more professional context, so getting to work on those skills in a professional setting was a great experience. One of the videos I made for WUSA actually became their most viewed and liked video to this day, so I’m proud of that.”
“The friends I’ve made through my co-ops has always made them memorable. In both of my previous co-ops, I was working with other co-op students. I’m still friends with a lot of the people I met during my work terms. After leaving my first co-op at the Visitors Centre, I was able to go back as a part-time student ambassador. Being able to be part of that team even after my co-op is an amazing opportunity that I wouldn’t have had if it weren’t for my co-op term.”
How do you stand out among other co-op students when applying for jobs?
“I think just being yourself helps to stand out. I try to add little quirks to my cover letters so it’s not just the same professional jargon. I feel like when you’re a hiring manager, you tend to read the same things over and over again."
Trying to personalize your application can be helpful, especially when you’re going for more creative roles.
"For those jobs, that can show the company that you are more creative rather than following the same old template.”
“During interviews, I try to show my personality and remember that I don’t always have to be perfect. I try to crack a joke or just generally show more of my personality when it’s appropriate. Interviews can be nerve wracking, so sometimes that’s not for everyone. Hiring managers want to see how you would fit into their team, not just your skills. I go in being able to highlight my skills, experience and personality.”
What’s next for you?
“I have a year and a half left of my degree, so finishing that up. Career wise, I’m not super sure. I don’t know what I’m going to do after graduating, but that’s okay. I’m open to whatever comes my way, anything that fits my experiences and interests. I think having that flexibility will help me.”
“Otherwise, I’m going to continue working on my hobbies and doing cool things. I have a lot of hobbies. I draw, I make friendship bracelets, I just picked up rainbow loom crochet, I play instruments and I act. I like a lot of things.”
