Joy Kwa
BA 2013: Music Major, Psychology Minor
Where did Joy work?
Work Term 1 and 2 (4 months each)
Cultural Assistant, English Learning Institute
Work Term 3 (4 months)
Administrative Assistant, Vancouver Dance Festival
Work Term 4 (4 months)
Summer Fun! Art Camp Coordinator, Place des Arts
What did Joy accomplish?
Cultural Assistant for the UBC English Learning Institute
Joy gained event planning, teaching and communication skills through her position as a Cultural Assistant. She assisted in organizing events for 60 international students at UBC, as well as planning social events and out-trips, including a trip to Victoria and Seattle. Through her interactions with students, she utilized her teaching skills by speaking with other students in English, helping them with grammatical aspects of the language. She interacted with students from around the world and gained a better understanding of different cultures.
Administrative Assistant for the Vancouver Dance Festival
For her third work term, Joy switched gears and took on an Administrative Assistant position which utilized her technological skills. Joy redesigned websites promoting the Vancouver Dance Festival, edited advertisements and designed program guides for performances. She recruited and supervised volunteers for the festival, and organized the volunteer schedules, thereby ensuring that the festival ran smoothly.
Summer Fun! Art Camp Coordinator for Place des Arts
As the Summer Fun! Art Camp Coordinator, Joy facilitated all aspects of the Art Camp for students between 5 to 14 years of age. Her main duties alternated between camp administration and camp coordination. Her administrative duties included registering students and promoting the program; her coordinating duties involved communicating with teachers, students, volunteers and parents involved with the Art Camp. Indeed, her position as an Art Camp Coordinator pairs the coordination skills Joy gained as a Cultural Assistant and the administration skills as an Administrative Assistant.
What would Joy tell others about Arts Co-op?
For advice about getting one’s dream job, Joy highlights the importance of determination: “Build up experience, and remember that even if you do not end up getting the job you originally hoped for, there are always opportunities to develop important skills that can be beneficial in the future”. Joy gained transferable skills and built work experience through her first co-op term which enhanced her application for following co-op terms.
How did Arts Co-op benefit Joy?
Discovery of New Interests
Through co-op, Joy explored work in different fields and discovered what she likes and dislikes and learned that her BA degree with a major in Music is a key for opportunities outside of the Music field as well. The soon-to-be UBC graduate enjoyed her co-op work terms and as a result of her co-op experience, she is considering teaching English as a second language as well as working within the art administration field.
Sparkling New Connections
Co-op terms offer students a chance to practice their networking skills through interacting with co-op employers and learning more about the opportunities within a certain field. Joy credits co-op for the opportunity to utilize her skills and to build her professional network: “Employing these skills helps to build a working reputation that I can demonstrate to potential employers after I graduate and enter the working field. I’ve also built networks and connections that can help me for years to come.”
Joy Kwa
BA 2013: Music Major, Psychology Minor
Where did Joy work?
Work Term 1 and 2 (4 months each)
Cultural Assistant, English Learning Institute
Work Term 3 (4 months)
Administrative Assistant, Vancouver Dance Festival
Work Term 4 (4 months)
Summer Fun! Art Camp Coordinator, Place des Arts
What did Joy accomplish?
Cultural Assistant for the UBC English Learning Institute
Joy gained event planning, teaching and communication skills through her position as a Cultural Assistant. She assisted in organizing events for 60 international students at UBC, as well as planning social events and out-trips, including a trip to Victoria and Seattle. Through her interactions with students, she utilized her teaching skills by speaking with other students in English, helping them with grammatical aspects of the language. She interacted with students from around the world and gained a better understanding of different cultures.
Administrative Assistant for the Vancouver Dance Festival
For her third work term, Joy switched gears and took on an Administrative Assistant position which utilized her technological skills. Joy redesigned websites promoting the Vancouver Dance Festival, edited advertisements and designed program guides for performances. She recruited and supervised volunteers for the festival, and organized the volunteer schedules, thereby ensuring that the festival ran smoothly.
Summer Fun! Art Camp Coordinator for Place des Arts
As the Summer Fun! Art Camp Coordinator, Joy facilitated all aspects of the Art Camp for students between 5 to 14 years of age. Her main duties alternated between camp administration and camp coordination. Her administrative duties included registering students and promoting the program; her coordinating duties involved communicating with teachers, students, volunteers and parents involved with the Art Camp. Indeed, her position as an Art Camp Coordinator pairs the coordination skills Joy gained as a Cultural Assistant and the administration skills as an Administrative Assistant.
What would Joy tell others about Arts Co-op?
For advice about getting one’s dream job, Joy highlights the importance of determination: “Build up experience, and remember that even if you do not end up getting the job you originally hoped for, there are always opportunities to develop important skills that can be beneficial in the future”. Joy gained transferable skills and built work experience through her first co-op term which enhanced her application for following co-op terms.
How did Arts Co-op benefit Joy?
Discovery of New Interests
Through co-op, Joy explored work in different fields and discovered what she likes and dislikes and learned that her BA degree with a major in Music is a key for opportunities outside of the Music field as well. The soon-to-be UBC graduate enjoyed her co-op work terms and as a result of her co-op experience, she is considering teaching English as a second language as well as working within the art administration field.
Sparkling New Connections
Co-op terms offer students a chance to practice their networking skills through interacting with co-op employers and learning more about the opportunities within a certain field. Joy credits co-op for the opportunity to utilize her skills and to build her professional network: “Employing these skills helps to build a working reputation that I can demonstrate to potential employers after I graduate and enter the working field. I’ve also built networks and connections that can help me for years to come.”