York University engineering students Anton Sitkovets and Daman Chhina hardly expected they would be moving to Colorado for the summer to work with one of North America’s most renowned tech companies when they joined the Lassonde Co-op program. However, they were encouraged, coached, and mentored through the application and interview process that landed them the job – all with the help of Lassonde alumnus Ron Tal (BASC ’08, MASC ’11).
Lassonde engineering students Anton Sitkovets (left) and Daman Chhina at Uber.
Sitkovets, a fourth year software engineering student, and Chhina, in his third year studying computer engineering, were two students recruited as interns with Uber at their Boulder, Colorado office. Both students were ecstatic at the opportunity to work with a growing and innovative company, and felt that Tal, as well as Bob Eichvald, Associate Director, Co-op Program and Business Opportunities at Lassonde, encouraged them to have the confidence to apply for the opportunities at Uber.
Tal, who studied computer engineering at York and participated in the internship program, is a software engineer with Uber at the San Francisco headquarters. As part of the co-op program, Eichvald reached out to alumni in Silicon Valley—a technology and innovation epicenter where engineering students can thrive—and Tal was eager to help. With two openings at the Colorado office, Sitkovets and Chhina were perfect candidates, and Tal coached them through the interview process. After providing mock interview preparation sessions with both students, Tal saw their potential.
“They were very strong students, both very intelligent, and I had high confidence they would do well,” said Tal. “But what I did was provide them with the mental preparation of what to expect, which sometimes goes a long way. It was my first experience providing mentorship, and I found it very rewarding.”
Lassonde recently launched the co-op program in 2015 and the program has grown quickly. In the 2015/2016 academic year, 95 students successfully secured employment with various employers across the GTA and Ontario, and the program looks to double that number in 2017. Eichvald is hoping there are more alumni both locally and internationally whose positions and connections can help identify co-op opportunities for Lassonde students in the future.
Though international opportunities grab the headlines, the reality is, most students want to stay and work in the GTA. Lassonde is now looking to grow its network of York Alumni who can offer engineering and computer science opportunities for our co-op and internship students. This is a great opportunity for Alumni to offer their experience and play a pivotal role in the career development of the next generation.
Instrumental to their education, both Sitkovets and Chhina will be returning to Uber this coming summer. According to Tal, the biggest benefit to enrolling in the program is the openings and opportunities available to students upon graduation. Citing students as a “proven commodity” once they’ve completed an internship, he hopes more people will look into potential opportunities across Canada and in the U.S.
“It never hurts trying to apply,” said Tal. “One thing that I noticed is that Canadians are a little bit less ambitious and less courageous. And I think if you start changing that mentality, you will have a lot more students coming [to the U.S.] bringing a good name to York and Lassonde. They’ll also be bringing that courage and enthusiasm back to Canada to the startup scene, which I know is very strong. And that’s something that I think we could change.”