Co-op at CIRA: Virtual Summer 2020

Here are the main takeaways and favourite experiences from this summer’s student co-op team.

As we transitioned to working remotely, we also welcomed a new team to CIRA: our co-op students. We’re proud to offer co-op terms every year that shape careers and set a competitive advantage for a student’s future. This year, for the students, it also provided them a taste of what it’s like to work on a remote team.

Accepting challenges head-on, students learned about internet governance, Domain Name Systems (DNS), registry design, cloud technologies, data analytics, and continuous software integration through the various projects they contributed to over the summer.

Apart from their jobs, students also participated in internal all-staff and team virtual events including, a series of CIRA creative battles competitions, product releases, showcases (sometimes sharing their work with nearly the whole organization!) and industry events.

Here’s what the 2020 summer co-op students had to say about their experience:

Georgia Evans, Policy and Advocacy Analyst

What attracted you to joining the CIRA team?

I’ve experienced first-hand how poor the connectivity is in rural communities in this country.CIRA’s Community Investment Programattracted me to CIRA because it showed me the commitment that the organization has to truly improving connectivity for Canadians.

🎉NEW: Meet our 2020 grant recipients! Projects will help improve internet infrastructure, digital literacy, & cybersecurity “street smarts” for students and Indigenous, rural, and Northern communities across Canada.https://t.co/pK9cohBsR0pic.twitter.com/NsnJSlPkwq— CIRA (@ciranews)June 25, 2020

John Forsythe, Application Developer

What advice would you give future co-op students?

Never stop learning. Technologies may come and go, but learning new skills always pays off — even if only to expand your perception of what’s possible.

Kira Taylor, .CA Marketing Coordinator

What was your favorite experience?

My overall favourite experience was being able to lead large projects such as the Canada Day campaign activities for CIRA and the development of the.CA domain showcase. I was able to lead these large projects from start to finish and apply my ideas. My other favourite experience was being a part of CIRA’s close-knit, supportive culture while working remotely. I was able to build great relationships with my team and have a fun co-op term this summer.Kira rallied staff to help create this video highlighting what people love about Canada.

In celebration of Canada Day, we asked some of the CIRA team what they love about Canada! 🇨🇦pic.twitter.com/tF0eRkiLZG— CIRA (@ciranews)July 1, 2020

Mahyar Gorji, Automation Developer

What was an overall take away from your summer term/ what did you learn?

I think my favorite experience was seeing the changes in our code reflecting near-immediately with the changes in the delivery pipeline that supports our development and Quality Assurance people.

David Gallo, Product Data Analyst

What was your favorite experience?

Definitely the culture of the company – it feels like CIRA cares about its mission and its employees, and even with virtual challenges, my colleagues are great to work with.

🎉We’re excited to be ranked as one of Canada’s 2020 best employers! Proud of our purpose-driven team dedicated to building a trusted internet for Canadians.@KincentricCohttps://t.co/PTszf9CiA5— CIRA (@ciranews)September 14, 2020

Daniel Innes, Application Developer

What attracted you to joining the CIRA team?

I was attracted to work at CIRA by the opportunity to work on modern technology and products in an ever-evolving environment.

Thanks to all of our co-op students for a wonderful summer and being part of our CIRA team!

Interested in working at CIRA? See our current job openings.

About the author
Julia Hickey

Julia Hickey works on the Human Resources team at CIRA. She has experience in the technology world, with a background in cybersecurity and policy compliance. Her interests include strengthening company culture and strategic planning.