Sarah Tang
BA: Double Major in Music and International Relations
Where Did Sarah Work?
Work Term 1 (4 months):
Public Diplomacy Intern, U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver
Work Term 2 (8 months):
Junior International Development Officer, Global Affairs Canada
Work Term 3 (8 months):
Co-op Student, B.C. Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery, and Innovation
What Did Sarah Accomplish?
U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver
As Public Diplomacy Intern, Sarah assisted with many initiatives at the U.S. Consulate General. In addition to applying economic and political insights to help strengthen U.S.-Canada economic, political and cultural ties, she used analytics tools to design social media strategies that would increase online engagement. She also further helped receive and entertain foreign dignitaries, diplomats and consulate guests in diverse environments. Among her achievements, Sarah is most proud of having been able to leverage her multilingual abilities through researching and reporting on media and cultural issues related to U.S.-Canada relations.
Global Affairs Canada
During her time as Junior International Development Officer, Sarah contributed to the management of activities of the Development Innovation Network in a variety of ways. Firstly, she researched and facilitated monthly department-wide discussions on innovation-related topics, including collective intelligence, intellectual property rights and innovative finance. Significantly, she led a Global Affairs Canada Young Professionals Network workshop on collective intelligence for over 500 participants. Aside from attending to discussions, Sarah also helped design user-friendly tools to guide development professionals in innovating responsibly.
B.C. Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery, and Innovation
Although Sarah primarily supported the activities of the Agrifood & Agritech and Stakeholder Engagement teams, she further provided secondary assistance to the Indigenous Business Development, Information and Communication Technologies, Life Sciences and Trade Policy teams. Her other duties included tracking national, provincial, and internal developments to support the Deputy Minister’s correspondences, as well as preparing briefing notes and strategic materials in response to the Ministry’s changing priorities. Out of all her contributions, two particularly stand out as major accomplishments. Firstly, Sarah organized, recruited, and supported companies in British Columbia for international trade shows and business-to-business meetings, such as Food and Hotel China and India Mobile Congress. Moreover, she reviewed these companies’ export plans and raised their awareness of existing resources. These resources included, among others, connections with the relevant in-market B.C. Trade and Investment Representatives, enrollment in the World Trade Centre’s Integrated E-Commerce Essentials program, and participation in the Export Navigator program.
Connections between the Classroom, Community Involvement and the Workplace
In Sarah’s words, “Co-op has helped me reconcile the knowledge I gain in my classes with the practice needed to get things done.” Reading about development economics in her classes, particularly during her exchange semester at Oxford University in 2018, propelled her to explore the field of international development as part of her co-op journey. In the case of her work term at Global Affairs Canada, Sarah remembers trying to prepare herself as much as possible before her first day by reviewing her notes and reading more books on development economics. As her work term progressed, however, she quickly learned that as with many other disciplines, international development in practice is different from that in theory. Able to bridge the gap between theory and practice through co-op, Sarah now has a clearer sense of direction for her future career goals.
How Arts Co-op Has Influenced Career Goals
Beyond narrowing down the career paths she would like to pursue, Sarah believes Arts Co-op has helped her grow her professional network. Having received valuable and practical advice from the professionals she has met on her work terms, Sarah is able to walk into job interviews and work in new environments with greater confidence. In fact, she is certain that the networking habits and best practices she has gained throughout her time in the program have aided her in landing her current position with Western Economic Diversification Canada. “I’m extremely glad that I applied to the co-op program,” she reflects. “I can’t imagine beginning my professional career without it.”
Sarah Tang
BA: Double Major in Music and International Relations
Where Did Sarah Work?
Work Term 1 (4 months):
Public Diplomacy Intern, U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver
Work Term 2 (8 months):
Junior International Development Officer, Global Affairs Canada
Work Term 3 (8 months):
Co-op Student, B.C. Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery, and Innovation
What Did Sarah Accomplish?
U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver
As Public Diplomacy Intern, Sarah assisted with many initiatives at the U.S. Consulate General. In addition to applying economic and political insights to help strengthen U.S.-Canada economic, political and cultural ties, she used analytics tools to design social media strategies that would increase online engagement. She also further helped receive and entertain foreign dignitaries, diplomats and consulate guests in diverse environments. Among her achievements, Sarah is most proud of having been able to leverage her multilingual abilities through researching and reporting on media and cultural issues related to U.S.-Canada relations.
Global Affairs Canada
During her time as Junior International Development Officer, Sarah contributed to the management of activities of the Development Innovation Network in a variety of ways. Firstly, she researched and facilitated monthly department-wide discussions on innovation-related topics, including collective intelligence, intellectual property rights and innovative finance. Significantly, she led a Global Affairs Canada Young Professionals Network workshop on collective intelligence for over 500 participants. Aside from attending to discussions, Sarah also helped design user-friendly tools to guide development professionals in innovating responsibly.
B.C. Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery, and Innovation
Although Sarah primarily supported the activities of the Agrifood & Agritech and Stakeholder Engagement teams, she further provided secondary assistance to the Indigenous Business Development, Information and Communication Technologies, Life Sciences and Trade Policy teams. Her other duties included tracking national, provincial, and internal developments to support the Deputy Minister’s correspondences, as well as preparing briefing notes and strategic materials in response to the Ministry’s changing priorities. Out of all her contributions, two particularly stand out as major accomplishments. Firstly, Sarah organized, recruited, and supported companies in British Columbia for international trade shows and business-to-business meetings, such as Food and Hotel China and India Mobile Congress. Moreover, she reviewed these companies’ export plans and raised their awareness of existing resources. These resources included, among others, connections with the relevant in-market B.C. Trade and Investment Representatives, enrollment in the World Trade Centre’s Integrated E-Commerce Essentials program, and participation in the Export Navigator program.
Connections between the Classroom, Community Involvement and the Workplace
In Sarah’s words, “Co-op has helped me reconcile the knowledge I gain in my classes with the practice needed to get things done.” Reading about development economics in her classes, particularly during her exchange semester at Oxford University in 2018, propelled her to explore the field of international development as part of her co-op journey. In the case of her work term at Global Affairs Canada, Sarah remembers trying to prepare herself as much as possible before her first day by reviewing her notes and reading more books on development economics. As her work term progressed, however, she quickly learned that as with many other disciplines, international development in practice is different from that in theory. Able to bridge the gap between theory and practice through co-op, Sarah now has a clearer sense of direction for her future career goals.
How Arts Co-op Has Influenced Career Goals
Beyond narrowing down the career paths she would like to pursue, Sarah believes Arts Co-op has helped her grow her professional network. Having received valuable and practical advice from the professionals she has met on her work terms, Sarah is able to walk into job interviews and work in new environments with greater confidence. In fact, she is certain that the networking habits and best practices she has gained throughout her time in the program have aided her in landing her current position with Western Economic Diversification Canada. “I’m extremely glad that I applied to the co-op program,” she reflects. “I can’t imagine beginning my professional career without it.”