Featured Student: Sarah Qadar

1.    What is your field of study and when will you graduate/did you graduate?

I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physics in May 2026, but my field of work is hardware electrical engineering.

Co-op allowed me to go through the early career building and professional development phases while I was still in school, thus allowing me to graduate with a dream job that I otherwise would have had to spend time and more effort climbing up to if I had started after graduation.

2.    What was the most useful class you took in your undergrad degree, and why?

PHYS 210! This course not only taught me Python programming skills that were incredibly useful and absolutely necessary for most subsequent physics and math courses, but also developed my ability to creatively and efficiently solve many complex problems under severe time constraints through targeted research and methodical programming. 

3.    Which positions did you work while in the Co-op program?

At Apple I did two Beats Hardware Electrical Engineering internships (2024 & 2025), at Nokia I was a Network Infrastructure IP Hardware Routing Intern (2023) and at Moment Energy I was an Electrical Engineering Intern (2023).

4.    Can you tell us about your work with UBC Supermileage and how your experiences outside of the classroom contributed to your career growth and/or Co-op job search?

UBC Supermileage was the single most important thing to my career growth as it’s the sole reason I managed to secure my first engineering internship while being in a non-engineering degree. For more context, UBC Supermileage is an automotive engineering design team in which we built three types of ultra-efficient vehicles (battery EV, hydrogen EV, gasoline) that compete at the annual Shell Eco-Marathon Americas. I began as a general member then advanced to Battery/BMS project lead then Electrical Division lead and was even the driver of our battery EV (I’ve driven on the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway)! Throughout my time on the team, I designed the schematics and layouts of numerous PCBs (printed circuit boards), assembled them through reflow/hand soldering and performed hardware validation and debugging, including a lot of troubleshooting and problem solving in the high stress environment of the competition racetrack! As a division lead, I managed my divisions recruitment, conducted interviews, outlined projects for leads, created timelines, spearheaded cross-divisional collaboration and taught junior members technical skills. The technical, collaborative and leadership skills that were continually fostered throughout my 5 years on the team always set me apart during my internship search as employers recognize the effort and commitment it takes to successfully build such large scale projects outside of the classroom and thus favour recruiting from university design teams.

UBC Supermileage was the single most important thing to my career growth as it’s the sole reason I managed to secure my first engineering internship while being in a non-engineering degree.

5.    Can you share your favourite experience from your Co-op placement(s)?

At the end of my first Apple internship, I was presenting on everything I had done during that term. It was a really special experience because my manager had told me to invite all the people (across many teams!) that I had done coffee chats with and befriended over the course of the internship and had ordered tacos because I had been talking about how much I would miss LA tacos when I left. Certain higher ups had also been purposely invited so my work and impact could be showcased, allowing my managers to make a case for me to be rehired!

6.    What was your best achievement in Co-op? 

During my first Apple internship (Beats team), I completed an entire design from block diagram to schematic to bill of materials costing to test suite creation and PCB validation in less than 4 months for a debug interface board with wide applications across the company! The criticality of my project (I’m lucky that my supervisor chose it) and the efficiency with which I completed it was a big part of what allowed my managers to make a case for me to return for a second internship the following year.

7.    What about the best day you had in your Co-op city (either in Vancouver or beyond)?

I had a lot of fun times during my two Apple internships because the office was in Los Angeles! If I had to choose something, I would say when I drove up to Ojai, Santa Barbara and Solvang for a weekend trip with an intern friend.

8.    What advice would you give students preparing for their first Co-op role?

Although you should of course try your best and research before reaching out for support, you shouldn’t wait TOO long to ask (especially when you’re new) because issues can snowball quickly and something you’ve been stuck on for a while is probably something your supervisor can clarify in one minute. Make sure you record procedures and information so you don’t end up asking how to do the same things multiple times.

If you’re aiming for tech companies, be sure to put a considerable amount of time into studying for technical interviews and the online assessments/exams that they may send; you should even the record the questions and correct answers from interviews to use as future study material.

9.    Managing the balance between academics, co-op responsibilities and a personal life can be hard – what are your self-care practices and/or how do you manage stress?

I find that stress builds when your life is in disarray so staying consistent with things like meal prepping and household chores allows you to have more time to relax because you’ve already dealt with those essentials.   

10.    In your opinion, how did Co-op help your personal growth?

Thanks to Co-op, I was able to figure out what type of work environment (and city) I thrived in! Each internship not only introduced me to a different industry but was also like a trial run of what type of lifestyle I would have if I was a full-time employee at that particular company. A job is more than the actual work, it’s also your dynamic with coworkers, your commute, the culture of the city you’re in, nearby amenities, etc. and co-op helped me see what was most important to me.

Each internship not only introduced me to a different industry but was also like a trial run of what type of lifestyle I would have if I was a full-time employee at that particular company.

11.    How do you feel Co-op has helped your career and professional development?

Co-op allowed me to go through the early career building and professional development phases while I was still in school, thus allowing me to graduate with a dream job that I otherwise would have had to spend time and more effort climbing up to if I had started after graduation.

12.    Which supports from the Co-op program (workshops, practice interviews, etc.) did you find most helpful? Can you talk about the direct impact on your career and/or personal growth?

I really liked having meetings with my co-op advisor halfway through and at the end of each co-op term as those provided a safe space to comfortably express concerns and discuss future plans with someone whose priority was my wellbeing and learning rather than the product I was working on.

I really liked having meetings with my co-op advisor halfway through and at the end of each co-op term as those provided a safe space to comfortably express concerns and discuss future plans with someone whose priority was my wellbeing and learning rather than the product I was working on.

13.    What advice would you offer to future Co-op students?

When searching for an internship, you must remember that it’s a numbers game so you should be mass applying EARLY, especially for US tech companies. For example, I applied in July 2023 for the Apple internship that I started in May 2024. Even during an internship, you should be constantly updating your resume and applying for future internships as applications open up. To stay on top of all these applications that may open at different times, I recommend setting up LinkedIn job alerts for intern roles in specific locations and companies as well as regularly checking career pages of your desired companies. If you’re aiming for tech companies, be sure to put a considerable amount of time into studying for technical interviews and the online assessments/exams that they may send; you should even the record the questions and correct answers from interviews to use as future study material.

14.    In your view, what misconceptions do students have about career progression in the Science fields?

Many science students believe that you need perfect grades and graduate degrees (ie. Masters, PhD) to get a job which may be true in certain fields but not in all. I have found that people with these misconceptions end up focusing solely on classes and quickly completing their undergrad in 4 years instead of developing technical skills and gaining industry experience through design teams and internships. 

15.    How can students best leverage co-op to set themselves up for long-term success?

Even if your first internship isn’t in the exact industry or company you want to end up at, try to ask to be put on or even just help with projects from which you could gain specific skills that could be leveraged to get your next internship. Keep doing that until you’ve worked your way to where you want to be. If you’ve found the right place, make it clear as soon as possible that you enjoy the work you’re doing and would love to return (as a full-time employee or for another internship), then ask what you can do to make that possible. 

If you’ve found the right place, make it clear as soon as possible that you enjoy the work you’re doing and would love to return (as a full-time employee or for another internship), then ask what you can do to make that possible. 

16.    What are you looking forward to after graduation?

Since graduation, I have been happy to finally be able to slow down as I’m no longer stressed about the next assignment deadline or worried about getting my next internship. Having a post grad job secured halfway through my final internship allowed me to bypass the job application and interview chaos so I have been able to instead focus on myself and enjoy my grad trip!