Co-op sets business grad on course for dream career

Rumman Rafiq came to Brock University in 2022 with a distinct vision of her future career in data analytics.

But when she walks across the stage during Brock’s 120th Convocation on Friday, Oct. 16, she’ll be stepping toward a new dream: a one-year internship with the Ontario Provincial Police under the Ministry of the Solicitor General in a field she had very little knowledge of when she left Bangladesh four years ago.

Rafiq credits her Business Administration co-op experience with helping her identify the career she’d like to build after graduation. When the time came to consider potential co-op work terms, she realized analytic positions no longer felt like the right fit.

“In my heart, I knew that I’m more of a people person, but I just didn’t have any specific work evidence to support that,” says Rafiq.

She took a chance on herself and applied for an eight-month co-op work term at BlackBerry. Working in Talent Development at the head office in Waterloo, Ont., Rafiq gained hands-on experience through human resources (HR) projects with far-reaching impact.

“I got to help rebrand their global HR SharePoint site from scratch. It was incredibly rewarding to see something I had designed as a student implemented globally,” she says.

Working closely with an HR executive, she helped with the development of inclusive recruitment materials and led training sessions for employees and corporate leaders.

“After that co-op, I loved HR so much, it ended up becoming my major,” she says. “Brock’s co-op program helped me identify my strengths and passion. I knew that this is it, human resources is my field.”

Through a summer student role and then her final co-op term, Rafiq explored the field more in depth with the Ontario Public Service (OPS). She was able to dive into the HR administrative and strategy side of things by rebranding performance management tools, contributing to workforce planning and getting event management experience through the planning of multi-ministry networking events.

“It’s been my dream since I was a kid to work in a government institution, one that’s giving back to the people,” she says. “OPS gave me the opportunity to fulfil that.”

Rafiq applied the same dedication she had for her studies to building a sense of community for herself throughout her time at Brock — on campus and beyond. She completed the Campus-Wide Curriculum , earning a red cord at Convocation.

Rafiq worked part-time as a Co-op Career Assistant, served in executive positions in several student clubs and as a JDCC HR delegate as well as an International Student Ambassador. She also served as the EDID Director for the Canadian Association of Business Students, where she rebranded an equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization guide used by 70,000 students.

During her final year at Brock, Rafiq began the four-month recruitment process for the highly competitive Ontario Internship Program, a full-time one-year developmental opportunity offered by the OPS.

Working in People and Business Strategy in the People Operations Bureau of the Ontario Provincial Police, she started a human resources placement at the OPP General Headquarters in Orillia, Ont., on Oct. 5.

“I believe the experiences and the professional journey that Brock’s co-op program has put me through, has set me up to have that confidence in myself to reach where I am today,” she says.

Rafiq’s co-op journey is one defined by resilience, initiative and a willingness to step outside her comfort zone, says Alesia Dane, Associate Director of Co-op and Workplace Partnerships.

“Whether relocating for work terms in Waterloo or beginning her career with the Ontario Public Service in Orillia, she has consistently embraced new challenges with enthusiasm and determination,” Dane says. “She has also been a wonderful ambassador for co-op, generously sharing her experiences with prospective and incoming students to help them see what’s possible.”