Featured Student: Darlene Manuela Kristiadji

" At the very start, I was intimidated by the idea of 'innovation' as I felt like I was never a creative person.

However, as I learned more about innovation, and was also involved in innovation projects, it completely changed my mind. I came to realize that innovation is indeed problem solving, which I very much enjoy doing."

What is your field of study?

I am majoring in Food Science and my expected graduation date is May 2024. 

Why did you choose to enroll in Co-op?

I have always believed that Co-op is an amazing opportunity to gain hands-on experiences and to build my network. Additionally, before Co-op, I had little to zero idea of what working in the food industry is like, let alone which department I’m most interested in. I decided to enroll in Co-op to explore and learn about the food industry as much as I can, while also getting to know more people in the industry.

Which positions did you work during Co-op?

I worked as an R&D Co-op Technician at Nature’s Path Foods. 

An R&D technician is responsible to provide support to food scientists in various projects. These projects include both continuous improvement and innovation projects, which I was involved in during my Co-op terms at Nature’s Path Foods.

These projects usually require a lot of benchtop evaluations (i.e., making lab-scale samples) and results analysis. Additionally, I also helped with their sensory program and shelf-life testing, which involved a lot of eating!

Can you share your favourite experience while in Co-op?

I had so many amazing experiences throughout my Co-op. If I must pick one, I would say traveling down to the United States to attend a short plant trial. An equipment related trial was conducted for one of the projects I was involved in, which took place at a co-manufacturer's facility near Seattle. I was fortunate enough to attend the plant trial, which helped me perform on the project a lot better. This also allowed me to connect with the co-manufacturer in person, which was an amazing networking opportunity.

What was your best achievement in Co-op?

One of my main goals as I started my Co-op was to get to know my team members (cross-functional teams too!) well and be able to provide the support that they need. I put a lot of effort into understanding each team member’s personality and communication style preferences. At the end, I would say that I was able to get to know my team on a deeper level. Building meaningful connections at work was definitely my best achievement.

What did you feel most challenged by and how did you overcome it?

Recognizing my workload boundaries was really hard for me. I entered this position with the mindset of “I want to try everything! I need to make the most of my Co-op experience”. While this is a good mindset to have, unfortunately after almost a year, I became severely burnt out. I wasn’t able to recognize my own limits, which at the end affected my physical health as well. To overcome this, I brought this up to my manager and asked if she could help me re-prioritize my tasks. I was very fortunate that my manager was very supportive and really helped me get out of my burnt-out stage.

Are there any courses or academic learning that stood out to you as being a valuable asset while in your position?

Food, Nutrition and Health 325 and 326 were definitely very helpful, as they give you an idea of different analytical testings commonly used in the food industry.

They also enhanced my written communication skills, which enabled me to relay results and findings in a clearer and more concise manner. Additionally, this course also trained my presentation skills, which I utilized during my Co-op placement.

Another course that would be very helpful in this position is Food, Nutrition and Health 301, (Food Chemistry). Having an understanding of how each ingredient interacts with another on a molecular level will be very helpful in the food industry, whether it’s for a continuous improvement or innovation project. It’s one thing to make a delicious product, but we also need to ensure that it lasts throughout the declared shelf-life.

At the end of the day, your curiosity is what matters the most – we never stop learning! 

How do you feel Co-op helped your personal growth?

Co-op has helped me in so many ways, but one I’d like to highlight is emotional intelligence. On my first day entering this role, I was given the “Emotional Intelligence 2.0” book and was told to read it. Not long after, my team received training specifically about emotional intelligence. In this training, we were able to recognize which areas of emotional intelligence we still need to improve on. There are four areas of emotional intelligence, self awareness, self management, social awareness and social management.

I learned that though I am better at recognizing my own feelings and emotions, I still need to work on how I deal with those emotions. This especially applies whenever I’m feeling emotions that are commonly categorized as “negative,” such as hurt and guilt. My Co-op experience has significantly helped me improve my emotional intelligence through the training and my team members. I believe that non-technical skills such as emotional intelligence are best learnt from hands-on experiences, such as Co-op.

How do you feel Co-op has helped your career?

I believe my Co-op experience will be a valuable asset for my future career. At the very start, I was intimidated by the idea of “innovation” as I felt like I was never a creative person. However, as I learned more about innovation, and was also involved in innovation projects, it completely changed my mind. I came to realize that innovation is indeed problem solving, which I very much enjoy doing. Additionally, with the help of cross-functional teams, such as the marketing and sales team, it is definitely less intimidating and I find it very interesting now. Innovation is a very important aspect in any company’s growth. Hence having an experience in innovation projects through Co-op will be a great asset for me.

What advice would you offer future Co-op students?

First, focus not only on the technical stuff, but also your soft skills.

Most of the time, technical skills are trained in any workplace you go to, but soft skills take time to develop and polish. Understand which areas of soft skills you still need to improve; which you will definitely find out as you do your Co-op. Second, recognize your boundaries/limits and stick to it! Don’t wait until you’re burnt out. Take your well deserved breaks when you need it, we’re all humans! Last, enjoy and learn as many things as you can. Having a curious mind will lead you far! Have fun and get to know people, time flies very fast!

What are you looking forward to after graduation?

My Co-op experience has made me more interested in the food industry; so working in a food company will be my goal after grad!

Published: October 2023