Working With WUSA: Co-op Experience

After being on WUSA’s Instagram page as Communications Assistant and a WUSA Rep for the past 4 terms, I am still asked, “Are you the WUSA Guy?” and, on rare occasions, asked if I am the president of WUSA. None of these fun interactions with students would be possible without the opportunities that I have been given through my time with WUSA. 

I started my first co-op term with WUSA in Spring 2025 and haven’t left since. As the Communications Assistant, my core responsibilities included creating content, responding to student messages, compiling reports, presenting analytics on the performance of our content, and supporting other staff members and their team. Within my core responsibilities, WUSA offers something I believe is very valuable for my goals and growth, especially with the work experience I will be taking with me to my future employment opportunities. WUSA has given me space to experiment and learn. Whether it was trying to edit a video in a new style or the chance to plan an event start to finish, I have been given the opportunity to grow my skillset. Each term I was a co-op, I was given the opportunity to set goals for myself at the beginning of the term. Through opportunities, resources, encouragement, and accountability from my managers, I was able to reach my goals every term. Whether it was a soft skill or a hard skill, I was able to orientate my goals towards professional development and growth, which has boosted my knowledge, capability, and confidence in myself. Along the way, I also learned a lot about how a professional workplace functions, and what I might expect. 

Beyond the basic responsibilities of my role, I have been able to work on a few projects that have given me insightful experience into WUSA and how other professional workplaces operate. Recently, we were faced with cuts to OSAP funding. It took a team effort to organize and support the OSAP Cuts rally. Another opportunity that gave me a lot of insight and experience was planning Smarty Party for Smarty Pants in Spring 2025. It gave me an idea of what it takes to organize an event, how to navigate challenges, efficient and effective ways to communicate with different teams, and how to prepare for unforeseen scenarios. It was a long and amazing experience that I got to be a part of. Along with organizing this event, I got to work closely with our event staff throughout my time at WUSA. Most notably during our 2016 Rewind Video Dance Party at The Bomber, I got to help with setting up the event and helping with serving food and drinks while also capturing content. I’ve also gotten many opportunities as a co-op and a WUSA Rep to run booths during Welcome Week, You @ Waterloo Day, and help conduct surveys to get student feedback. With my extended time at WUSA, I have grown in many ways I hadn’t expected, expanded my knowledge, and made new friends along the way. 

Beyond an environment to grow, opportunities to learn, and important work experience, the biggest impact on me was each and every person I got to work with. Their perspectives, experience, wisdom, knowledge, and friendship have given me so much to learn from and grow professionally and personally. I had many unique and interesting conversations with many people who play crucial roles throughout WUSA as well as leaders all over campus and learned more about their background and experiences. Through these conversations, I learned about the options and opportunities that I could explore for my professional career. Along with the staff, I got to meet many students who shared their stories and talked about our experiences as undergrads. All of this was only possible through the amazing staff at WUSA, the students, and my amazing managers, Aiju C. and Hannah W. 

I hope to continue to learn more and grow with my remaining time at WUSA. I encourage students to learn more about WUSA and get involved! Visit wusa.ca/jobs to see what opportunities are waiting for you this Fall term. 

Vibushan Pirabaharan

Communications Assistant