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ALUMNI |
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Alumni Parlay Co-op Experience Into Permanent Positions
What student wouldn’t pounce on an opportunity to fulfill a cooperative education requirement at Jaguar, one of the world’s ultimate luxury car manufacturers? Over the past ten years, twenty-two Ramapo students with diverse academic interests completed stints at the company and several have parlayed their co-op experience into permanent positions. Ramapo’s Cooperative Education Program allows students to apply classroom learning to positions related to their major and career goals. Co-ops provide valuable work experience while students earn a salary and academic credit toward a degree. At Jaguar, students participate in a dual city co-op program, spending one semester at the Mahwah headquarters and another in England. Tamara Levinson ’93 was part of the first wave of interns at
the company. “It gave me the experience of being in an office
environment. After graduation, I took a job in the city, but I kept
in touch with friends at Jaguar, networked, and returned.” Now,
she is a business coordinator for the company. “Whatever I learned theoretically at Ramapo, I could apply day-to-day
at Jaguar,” said Mohammed Shad ’95. “At Ramapo, I was
a computer lab assistant; that gave me a jump-start when I went to
Jaguar. They were looking for someone with experience.” Shad,
a computer science major, has since become a consultant; Jaguar is
a client. Cristina Bruzzi ’97, a product affairs specialist, had a dual major in international business and finance. She did a co-op in Jaguar’s finance department for one semester and stayed with the company for the summer. She then went to England and, as part of the press office in the product area division, helped launch a new Jaguar model—the first in twenty years. “I learned teamwork, responsibility, and how to balance schoolwork, the co-op, and a social life.” At Ramapo she took a variety of courses in several fields, including world politics and economy, which prepared her for an international experience. Her literature courses taught her to write well, edit, and she says, take criticism. Bruzzi’s drive is evident as she relates how she landed a permanent position with Jaguar. “My international co-op started with easy tasks. After a few weeks, I said to my manager, ‘You’re paying me money, you might as well give me real jobs.’” With longer hours and larger projects, she worked harder, but loved it. “I talked back and forth with Jaguar people in Mahwah, and when I graduated, I had a job.” For Deborah Sandford, a literature major who graduated in 1999, her co-op was a way for her to return to England. “When I went back, I had to be ‘re-Britishized’; I was very American. Working outside of the country teaches you to be tolerant and to learn how two offices manage the same task based on culture.” Sandford, a contract employee after graduation, became a full-time employee last November. She handles public relations for Jaguar’s Formula One race team in North America, which will race in Indianapolis in September. Kirsten Schroeder ’00 is a regional business analyst who majored
in business administration with a concentration in finance. “I
brought my overall knowledge of business with me. Ramapo has a very
diverse campus and that helped me to adjust to an English-based culture
much different from what I was used to.” “I started working in the finance department as a co-op student,
then in public relations in England. When I returned, I was hired
for the customer service department. After two months, I became a
warranty auditor. In December 2000, I was promoted to district service
and parts manager. I’m so happy to be part of the Jaguar team
and thank Ramapo College for my opportunity.” |
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