the TRANSFORMATIVE Power of Co-ops

The Fred DeMatteis School of Engineering and Applied Science Co-op Program, which matches engineering and computer science students with corporate opportunities, began in 2015, and today boasts more than 200 business partners.

Angela Cano Giraldo

Major: Engineering Management (Master of Science – Spring 2024)

Hometown: Union City, NJ (originally from Columbia)

Co-op: Zi Engineering, P.C., NY Electrical Engineer Inspector and Business Development Associate

Role: “This opportunity has taught me to be tenacious, strong, perseverant, and to never stop dreaming about where I want to be as a professional. The networking in particular has helped me develop communication skills and be more confident when approaching people for the first time. It has paid off – I have become the event person at the company.”

Goals: “The experience has showed me what I want to do for an ideal career – a mix of technical work in the field plus sales development in the office.”

Advice: “The co-op program is an excellent opportunity to ‘sell’ yourself as an employee through your performance. Do your best, be honest, be open, ask questions, double-check information, have the disposition to learn, be optimistic, be perseverant, and do the things with the best possible attitude.”

Gabriela Miller, Class of ‘25

Major: Bioengineering • Hometown: Branchburg, NJ

Co-op: Ethicon/Johnson & Johnson, NJ

Biosurgery department team – researching medical sealants and improving formulations

Role: “The co-op experience has sharpened the feeling that bioengineering is right for me, and now I can see where I can end up – and I’m not just getting a degree to get a degree. I’m taking these classes because I need to learn this information. It’s shifted my mindset to be more focused on the end goal.”

Goals: “My future goal is to become a team lead and develop a prototype of something that can change the world. You get to meet so many new people as a team lead, and you’re working on a project that you find passion in and you’re getting paid to do it.”

Advice: “Take that leap. Take the opportunity. Go do it. It will seem like the scariest thing you have ever done, but it’s so incredibly worth it. Sometimes people go in with an expectation of what they are going to get with their major or with their degree, and it’s not always how it is reflected in the real world. You really don’t get an idea of that until you actually work in that field.”

Tatiana Carey, Class of ‘23

Major: Mechanical Engineering

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Co-op: Jaros, Baum and Bolles

Role: Various experiences – marking up pdfs of submittals or drawings on Bluebeam/Revit, editing AutoCAD drawings, and sizing duct/pipe systems for retail.

Experience: “My favorite part of the co-op experience was the work culture of the company. There were many opportunities to grow as an engineer, from classes to workshops to panels, as well as opportunities to know other engineers, and non-engineers, in the company.”

Goals: “My co-op experience helped me see what is expected of me when getting involved in the working world. I learned communication is key, and it is okay to not know everything upon leaving school. I have that in mind while I am preparing to graduate and start my job search.”

Advice: “Be open to opportunities – you may not know where you will find your co-op. I found mine at the Spring Career Fair.”

Robbie Humrich, Class of ‘23

Major: Civil engineering

Hometown: Franklin Square, NY

Co-op: The LiRo Group, NY

Role: Structural design work

Experience: “Through my time at LiRo, I not only learned about the different disciplines of civil engineering, but how these disciplines relate to each other and what each would do on a day-to-day basis.”

Goals: “To design something that is structurally stable, while being controlled by a variety of stipulations and constraints, makes the job a puzzle that I found very entertaining and captivating. I am sure that this is the pathway I want to go down as I continue my career.”

Advice: “The co-op program is a very intensive, demanding, and difficult process – a test of perseverance and attrition. You need to keep moving forward past the initial anxiety, and then you will grow both as a worker and as an adult.

Ryan Cook, Class of ‘19

Major: Civil Engineering

Hometown: North Bellmore, NY

Co-op: New York City Parks Department

Current job: Project Manager, Schimenti Construction Co.

Experience: “I learned more in that 8-month co-op period than probably my entire life outside of it. You learn things there that you don’t learn in a classroom – it’s personal relationships and how to communicate with people. You need to be able to interact with a worker in the field and the CEO in the same day.”

Goals: “I told the owner of the company I work for now, ’You’re always going after young talent, what better way than to get an 8-month co-op locked in?’ From a corporate standpoint, you need to make sure you have the right opportunity for the level of commitment. From a student standpoint, it’s good money, and it’s real experience. We have now started a co-op program and look forward to our first candidate next semester.”

Advice: “Most graduates interviewing for jobs have that feeling that they don’t know what they’re doing. After a co-op you have the advantage of real experience and you know what to expect. I started my first job at a higher level because of that experience, and having a job lined up before graduation allows you to start planning your life that much earlier.”

Jayda Lewis, Class of ‘23

Major: Bioengineering

Hometown: Franklin Square, NY

Co-op: United Therapeutics, NC

Role: Various experiences — wet lab including microfluidics; mechanical including soldering and assembling; and even 3D software and printing.

Experience: “In addition to the engineering, I learned a lot of soft skills in my co-op: communication, professional dress, how to be professional, how to network, and how to present in a meeting. The people you work with are there to teach you and leave room for you to make mistakes. This is the place to get your first working experience.”

Goals: “When I came into the co-op, I was hoping it would help me figure out what I want to do, because there are so many paths that I could take. This opportunity has made it much more clear.”

Advice: “I would 100% recommend doing a co-op. It is worth it, especially if you’re not exactly sure what you want to do. It looks good on your resume, you have six months of real experience, and it will make you stand out from other candidates.”