{"id":24747,"date":"2026-03-10T11:23:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T15:23:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/?p=24747"},"modified":"2026-03-10T11:23:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T15:23:24","slug":"co-op-program-readies-esu-students-for-careers-through-hands-on-industry-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/co-op-program-readies-esu-students-for-careers-through-hands-on-industry-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Co-op Program Readies ESU Students for Careers Through Hands-On Industry Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

For students at East Stroudsburg University, the classroom is only part of the learning experience. Through the university\u2019s\u00a0cooperative education<\/a>\u00a0(co-op) program, students are stepping directly into professional roles with major companies and\u00a0gaining hands-on experience that is shaping their career paths long before graduation.<\/p>\n

The co-op program allows students to alternate academic study with immersive work experiences at organizations\u00a0like\u00a0Camelback Resort, Hershey Foods, Campbell\u2019s Soup, Kalahari Resort, and PepsiCo. These placements provide students with opportunities to apply classroom knowledge to real-world business environments.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0Zandray\u00a0Thompson, a senior finance major from Jackson,\u00a0N.J.,\u00a0his\u00a0co-op experience at Hershey has offered an inside look at the operations of a Fortune 500 company.<\/p>\n

“It’s been a great experience so far learning many new things\u00a0from\u00a0the managers at Hershey,\u201d Thompson said.\u00a0\u201cBeing a category management intern, I work extensively with data, using\u00a0Excel, Power BI,\u00a0and other\u00a0software that tracks retail\u00a0point-of-sale\u00a0and\u00a0consumer data. I create reports,\u00a0I’ve\u00a0been tasked with visualizing data for important meetings, and\u00a0I\u00a0work with cross-functional\u00a0teams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson credits his connection with Sylvester Williams,\u00a0JD,\u00a0dean of the\u00a0College of Business and Management<\/a>, with helping him secure the opportunity.<\/p>\n

“Through working with the dean, I’ve been able to give back to ESU\u00a0and help develop the\u00a0university\u2019s\u00a0connections with local businesses\u00a0and our surrounding area,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

Since beginning his co-op in January, Thompson has gained both technical and professional insight that he believes will serve him well beyond graduation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a great resume builder, but most importantly, I’m learning so many new things,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cHershey has great internship programs, because they take the time to train their interns for success in their future careers.\u00a0Being\u00a0a senior graduating this\u00a0May, this opportunity was perfect for me.\u00a0I\u00a0get\u00a0to graduate\u00a0and work with an amazing company after.”<\/p>\n

Junior\u00a0finance\u00a0major\u00a0R. Christian Proctor, from Coatesville, Pa., is also gaining valuable experience through a Hershey co-op placement, where he contributes to category management and reporting.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s been a great\u00a0process\u00a0learning from my coworkers and learning the ins and outs of\u00a0category management,\u201d Proctor said.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve\u00a0also\u00a0been able to network with many different individuals,\u00a0allowing me to build great relationships throughout the company.\u201d<\/p>\n

His co-op runs from January through August, with plans to\u00a0relocate\u00a0to Hershey in May to continue\u00a0his\u00a0experience on site.<\/p>\n

Through his work, Proctor has already begun applying the analytical and financial skills he developed in the classroom to\u00a0real business\u00a0challenges.<\/p>\n

“This has been a great experience learning from people working throughout the field,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve\u00a0been able to put my major skills in\u00a0data analytics and finance to use with real life situations throughout the company. It has allowed me to grow as a person and develop new skills that will help me throughout my future career.”<\/p>\n

Similarly, Brady Norton, a senior sport management major from Wind Gap,\u00a0Pa.,\u00a0is gaining firsthand experience through his co-op at Camelback Resort.\u00a0Though still in the\u00a0early stages, his\u00a0work in the snow sports department has immersed him in daily resort operations and customer service.<\/p>\n

Norton quickly found himself adapting to the fast-paced demands of resort management.<\/p>\n

Through his daily responsibilities, Norton has\u00a0observed\u00a0how flexibility and responsiveness are essential in managing operations, particularly in a customer-focused environment.<\/p>\n

“My main takeaway so far is about how reactive management has to be in the snow sports department,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cChanges are constant. Whether it be call-outs or customers wanting to reschedule, management\u00a0has to\u00a0constantly be prepared to change plans based on\u00a0new information. I was already quite aware of this being the case in management, but for this particular department,\u00a0it really stands out on a daily basis.”<\/p>\n

In addition to support within the companies themselves, students who\u00a0participate\u00a0in co-ops are\u00a0provided with\u00a0an ESU faculty mentor who\u00a0oversees\u00a0the\u00a0educational experience\u00a0and evaluates their\u00a0performance in collaboration with site supervisors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis full-time, paid position offers students a unique opportunity to gain operational experience and structured leadership training through the co-op program \u2013 distinguishing it from traditional internships,\u201d said\u00a0Jaedeock Lee, Ph.D.,\u00a0professor\u00a0and chair\u00a0of sport management\u00a0and one of the faculty\u00a0mentors supervising students.<\/p>\n

The co-op program typically involves extended work placements that allow students to fully integrate into professional environments while receiving mentorship from experienced professionals.<\/p>\n

Students develop critical skills such as communication, problem-solving, time\u00a0management\u00a0and professionalism \u2014 competencies that are essential for success in today\u2019s workforce.<\/p>\n

Just as importantly, the program helps students bridge the gap between theory and practice. By applying academic knowledge in real-world settings, students gain a clearer understanding of their career goals and often\u00a0establish\u00a0connections that lead to full-time employment opportunities.<\/p>\n

For students like Thompson,\u00a0Proctor\u00a0and Norton, the co-op experience is a transformative one.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis opportunity has been\u00a0an\u00a0amazing\u00a0way\u00a0to sharpen my skills and give me a professional foundation to use throughout my future endeavors,\u201d Proctor said.\u00a0\u201cAt the same time, it has taught me many new things in the professional\u202fworkspace that will be valuable\u202ffor the rest of my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo:<\/strong> Zandray\u00a0Thompson, a senior finance major at East Stroudsburg University is doing a Co-op with Hershey this semester.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For students at ESU, the classroom is only part of the learning experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":24754,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[143,42,58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-news-release","category-slider"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24747"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24747"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24755,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24747\/revisions\/24755"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quantum.esu.edu\/insider\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}