A year-long work experience with a company in Germany gave her the opportunity to put into practice what she learned at the Odette School of Business, says Micayla Pella.

A fourth-year B.Comm major specializing in strategy and entrepreneurship, she just returned from a co-op term at the Hanover headquarters of TÜV Nord. Pella worked in the firm’s business development department, considering its plans to operate in Canada.

“In the classroom, it’s all just theoretical, but my co-op position gave me a chance to apply that knowledge,” Pella says.

She worked with a team weighing the opportunities for a new venture in Canada, offering third-party vehicle inspections.

“It seems like there would be a market here for that service, for example, if you were deciding on a used car,” she says.

Pella discussed her co-op experiences as part of a series of poster presentations by business students who have completed their three co-op work terms, Tuesday in the Odette Building lobby.

The format helps students develop their skills, says Romina Oulevey, co-ordinator of co-op programs for Co-op, Career and Employment Services.

“This is a different style of presentation from what they’re used to in their courses,” she says. “The students benefit from learning new ways to communicate their messages.”

An additional session will feature presentations by seven students in the Odette lobby from 3 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 15.