Co-Op role helping Lakeland junior plan her career path
Tracey Sery’s career goal is serving as a child and family social worker in urban areas, and her Cooperative Education experience at Lakeland is helping her develop the skills she will need to achieve her goal.
Sery, a junior from Big Bend, Wis., is majoring in psychology with a minor in criminal justice, and she’s working a Co-Op position at the Boys and Girls Club in Sheboygan Falls.
“They had previously reached out to me my sophomore year through Handshake based on my profile of interests and major,” Sery said. “My supervisor genuinely cared about my experience at my job and how everything was working out.”
Her work experience, which included working for Lakeland’s Dining Services team, has provided many benefits, including the fact that she has selected the right career path.
“My personal and professional growth from LU go hand in hand,” said Sery, who plans to enter a master’s degree program in social work after earning her bachelor’s degree. “I have grown in my passion for my work in what I want to do after I graduate and how I will achieve that.
“My professional experiences are growing and allowing me to have more connections throughout Sheboygan and Wisconsin that will create more opportunities for me.”
Sery came to Lakeland to play soccer, and quickly discovered that Lakeland was a perfect fit.
“After visiting and seeing how the campus made me feel instantly at home and everyone was so very welcoming, I knew it was for me,” said Sery, who is also a member of the Pi Kappa Gamma sorority in addition to the women’s soccer team. “I didn’t realize I wanted a smaller college community until visiting Lakeland. Being able to recognize and say hi to everyone passing by throughout the day made me so happy.”
She credits Lakeland’s Cooperative Education and Career Readiness team as being a valuable resource in guiding her through the Co-Op process. The wages she earns working are key in making Lakeland affordable.
“By working with Lakeland’s Co-Op program, I have found it easier to pay my tuition as well as increasingly easier to maintain a job as a college student,” Sery said. “Employers working with Lakeland and their program are sympathetic towards our academics and other schedules.”
