Finding My Voice

Amelia Quazi moderates a Diversity Summit event at Drexel.

This past spring/summer, I completed my first co-op at Vanguard in the Internal Audit department. I had always been drawn to Vanguard because of their incredible company culture, and I was definitely not disappointed. Vanguard gave me countless opportunities to grow myself both personally and professionally, and I feel very lucky to have done my first co-op here. I learned a lot about the kind of leadership that I want to emulate based on the leaders that I was exposed to.

At the beginning of my co-op, I was afraid to speak up in meetings or give my opinions, but by the end, I was actually able to lead meetings with our business clients. I developed my confidence so much by the end of my co-op, and I think it all had to do with properly utilizing resources and having advocates on my side.

The biggest accomplishment of my co-op was being able to meet and host an event with the Chief Diversity Officer of Vanguard. I was able to reach out to her and the North America Diversity and Inclusion Lead at SAP. This all culminated in a Diversity Summit event at Drexel that was held in October where I was able to moderate a fireside chat with these two incredible women. This was a wonderful way to wrap up my co-op experience because I was able to bring Vanguard and Drexel together for an event that addressed the increasingly important topic of diversity and inclusion. I was pleasantly surprised to see several of my past Vanguard colleagues in the audience at this event, and this made me realize how lucky I am to have gone on co-op in such a supportive workplace.

Through the support of my colleagues and leaders at both Vanguard and Drexel, I feel that I truly got the best out of my first co-op experience, and I finally feel that I have gained the confidence I need to be an effective leader in the business world.

To learn more about Drexel Co-op and how it prepares our students to succeed in the professional world, visit the Steinbright Career Development Center’s website.