October 17th, 2022

“I’m learning about the value of presenting yourself professionally and understanding the dynamics of an office setting. It’s stuff I think you can only learn when you’re in an actual workplace.”

Saniya Sohal has a pretty good idea about what she wants for her future, and how challenging her path will be.

“I’m hoping to get into a top-end business program at university and from there, go to law school,” the Grade 12 student from Laurel Heights Secondary School (LHSS) said this past summer. “Both of those are pretty competitive programs.”

Saniya knows that applications to programs like this are based on more than just grades. To gain additional experiences and strengthen her application, Saniya is enrolled in the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Business program. The SHSM program offers students a bundle of specialized courses in business combined with experiential learning opportunities in the field.

As part of the program, Saniya completed a summer co-op placement at Davenport Realty in Kitchener. A lot of what she is doing would be considered marketing – looking for leads, keeping an eye on trends in the real estate market, using industry-specific tools and seeing what other realtors are doing.

Saniya’s placement also showed her the value of marketing herself.

“I’m learning about the value of presenting yourself professionally and understanding the dynamics of an office setting. So much of it is based on the relationships you develop with colleagues and clients. I’ve never really worked in an office setting before,” she said. “I was kind of surprised at all the different things that go on here. It’s stuff I think you can only learn when you’re in an actual workplace.”

Tammy Nolan is a broker at Davenport Realty and supervised Saniya’s placement.

“I think the [summer co-op] is such a great program,” she said. “Saniya is getting insight into the life of a realtor, how real estate works, financial, mortgage understanding, marketing, how businesses find customers and how to grow a database of customers. These are skills that she will be able to apply to whatever industry she ends up in.”

“It’s been a great way to spend my summer,” said Saniya. “I’ve really enjoyed shadowing Tammy during a showing and the flexible hours allow me to keep my part-time job.”

It also doesn’t hurt that the placement lets Saniya indulge in one of her interests.

“I like visiting houses and thinking about how to make them look better,” Saniya said.

But, that doesn’t mean she will necessarily plan to take up a career in real estate.

“My focus now is getting into university, and this placement will be a really good addition to my resumé,” said Saniya. “Being a lawyer has always been a dream of mine, and I have a passion for looking at houses so being able to combine those two interests would be great. After all, there will always be a need for lawyers to help people selling and buying homes.”

Co-operative Education in the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB)

Co-operative Education placements give students a hands-on way to explore careers in fields as diverse as child care, law, computer programming and the trades. Students, parents and caregivers can learn about these opportunities by speaking with the Guidance Counsellor at your high school.

Pathways to Success

Visit the Pathways to Success website for information on:

Employers

If you’re someone who wants to help a student explore a career in your field, contact:
Kim Keena, Experiential and Co-operative Education Lead
Waterloo Region District School Board
kim_keena@wrdsb.ca
519-570-0003 (extension 4443)

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