Samantha Schumacher
BA 2021: Political Science
Where did Samantha work?
Work Term 1:
Office Administrative Assistant, NUVO Magazine
Work Term 2:
Program and Communications Assistant, Mom2Mom Child Poverty Initiative
Work Term 3:
Community and Special Events Assistant, BC Women’s Hospital Foundation
What did Samantha Accomplish?
NUVO Magazine
At NUVO, Samantha developed her tech skills such as using Microsoft office, reorganized and updated the Co-op student guidebook to include better instructions for important tasks for future incoming co-op students, and gained experience and confidence in public speaking and customer relations.
Mom2Mom
At Mom2Mom, Samantha worked on many projects, including running a volunteer recruitment campaign on social media which increased monthly volunteer recruitment by 90%, developing and implementing a cohesive social media branding strategy, and creating the hashtag #WeThriveTogether for volunteer recruitment campaign.
BC Women’s Hospital
At BC Women’s Hospital, Samantha’s accomplishments included securing silent auction donations for the 25th annual Air Canada Birdies for Babies golf tournament, raising a value of approximately $25,000, recruiting and managing approximately 50 volunteers for events, and securing the donation of flower centerpieces for the Illuminations Luncheon.
Connections Between Work and Studies
Co-op gave Samantha the opportunity to try a variety of jobs she believes she never would have tried had she not been part of the program. When she started at UBC Samantha knew that she wanted to help people and be an advocate for social change. Before trying Co-op, she believed the only path towards that goal was to become a human rights lawyer, but through Co-op, she was introduced to work in the non-profit sector and realized that there were multiple ways to achieve her dream!
Samantha’s studies at UBC helped prepare her for her co-op terms by giving her an opportunity to work on vital research and writing skills which she uses daily to write grants, plan fundraising campaigns, and write blog posts. She states that coupling her studies with the real-life experience provided through the co-op program was crucial in helping her figure out what she is interested in, what she is good at, and what her future goals are.
Benefits After Graduation
Samantha maintains that without the Co-op program, she would not have the job that she does now. Currently, she is working as the Communications and Fund Development Coordinator for Mom2Mom. She initially worked with Mom2Mom as part of a Co-op term in 2018 and was re-hired as a part-time staff member in 2019. In 2021, after she finished her degree at UBC, Samantha became a full-time staff member. She feels that her current role is truly her dream job, and she attributes that success to the strong relationships and skills she developed through the Co-op program.
Advice for Other Indigenous Students
Samantha’s message to other Indigenous students considering applying to the Arts Co-op Program:
“Do it! When else are you going to get the opportunity to try numerous jobs for four months and leave without any repercussions? Through this experience, I gained skills I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to and discovered a lot about myself and what matters to me in a workplace.
If you do choose to apply to the program, make sure to get as much out of it as you can: apply for jobs you never thought you’d see yourself doing; attend the networking sessions and put yourself out there; reach out to past Co-op students who worked for companies that you are interested in to learn about their experience; get to know your Co-op advisor and utilize their help to practice for interviews or get a second opinion on your resume.
Figuring out what you want to do post-grad can be super overwhelming but participating in Co-op made that decision a lot less intimidating.”
Samantha Schumacher
BA 2021: Political Science
Where did Samantha work?
Work Term 1:
Office Administrative Assistant, NUVO Magazine
Work Term 2:
Program and Communications Assistant, Mom2Mom Child Poverty Initiative
Work Term 3:
Community and Special Events Assistant, BC Women’s Hospital Foundation
What did Samantha Accomplish?
NUVO Magazine
At NUVO, Samantha developed her tech skills such as using Microsoft office, reorganized and updated the Co-op student guidebook to include better instructions for important tasks for future incoming co-op students, and gained experience and confidence in public speaking and customer relations.
Mom2Mom
At Mom2Mom, Samantha worked on many projects, including running a volunteer recruitment campaign on social media which increased monthly volunteer recruitment by 90%, developing and implementing a cohesive social media branding strategy, and creating the hashtag #WeThriveTogether for volunteer recruitment campaign.
BC Women’s Hospital
At BC Women’s Hospital, Samantha’s accomplishments included securing silent auction donations for the 25th annual Air Canada Birdies for Babies golf tournament, raising a value of approximately $25,000, recruiting and managing approximately 50 volunteers for events, and securing the donation of flower centerpieces for the Illuminations Luncheon.
Connections Between Work and Studies
Co-op gave Samantha the opportunity to try a variety of jobs she believes she never would have tried had she not been part of the program. When she started at UBC Samantha knew that she wanted to help people and be an advocate for social change. Before trying Co-op, she believed the only path towards that goal was to become a human rights lawyer, but through Co-op, she was introduced to work in the non-profit sector and realized that there were multiple ways to achieve her dream!
Samantha’s studies at UBC helped prepare her for her co-op terms by giving her an opportunity to work on vital research and writing skills which she uses daily to write grants, plan fundraising campaigns, and write blog posts. She states that coupling her studies with the real-life experience provided through the co-op program was crucial in helping her figure out what she is interested in, what she is good at, and what her future goals are.
Benefits After Graduation
Samantha maintains that without the Co-op program, she would not have the job that she does now. Currently, she is working as the Communications and Fund Development Coordinator for Mom2Mom. She initially worked with Mom2Mom as part of a Co-op term in 2018 and was re-hired as a part-time staff member in 2019. In 2021, after she finished her degree at UBC, Samantha became a full-time staff member. She feels that her current role is truly her dream job, and she attributes that success to the strong relationships and skills she developed through the Co-op program.
Advice for Other Indigenous Students
Samantha’s message to other Indigenous students considering applying to the Arts Co-op Program:
“Do it! When else are you going to get the opportunity to try numerous jobs for four months and leave without any repercussions? Through this experience, I gained skills I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to and discovered a lot about myself and what matters to me in a workplace.
If you do choose to apply to the program, make sure to get as much out of it as you can: apply for jobs you never thought you’d see yourself doing; attend the networking sessions and put yourself out there; reach out to past Co-op students who worked for companies that you are interested in to learn about their experience; get to know your Co-op advisor and utilize their help to practice for interviews or get a second opinion on your resume.
Figuring out what you want to do post-grad can be super overwhelming but participating in Co-op made that decision a lot less intimidating.”