Akshat Rami, one of UWindsor’s Summer 2025 Co-op/Internship Rising Star Award winners, turned his eight-month co-op into a career-building opportunity. (VICTOR ROMAO/University of Windsor)
By Victor Romao
From Classroom to Career: How a Co-op at Vistaprint Shaped a Data Analyst’s Future
Turning classroom knowledge into real-world impact is the goal of every graduate—and for University of Windsor alum Akshat Rami (MAC 2025), that dream became reality through an eight-month co-op at Vistaprint, a leading brand architecture that offers design, digital and print solutions for small businesses.
In this role as a data analyst, the experience proved transformative.
“It wasn’t just focused on data analysis,” Rami explained.
“My responsibilities included elements of data engineering and data science. I worked on everything from building models to deploying them into production, which gave me a complete picture of how data solutions are developed and applied in real business settings.”
From leading a major cloud migration project to learning how to communicate technical insights to non-technical teams, the placement offered lessons that went far beyond coding.
It reinforced the importance of collaboration, adaptability, and storytelling through data-skills that ultimately led to a full-time opportunity with Vistaprint.
In this Q&A, Akshat shares how his co-op experience shaped his career, the insights he gained along the way and how his studies at the University of Windsor prepared him for success.
Q: Can you tell me about your co-op experience with Vistaprint?
A: My eight-month co-op placement as a data analyst at Vistaprint turned out to be one of the most valuable experiences of my career so far.
My role was quite versatile—it wasn’t just focused on data analysis but also included parts of data engineering and data science.
I got to work on everything from building models to deploying them into production, which gave me a complete picture of how data solutions are built and used in real business settings.
One of the biggest projects I was involved in was the migration of our legacy server systems to a new cloud infrastructure. Being part of that process helped me understand how large-scale systems evolve and how collaboration across teams makes it possible.
The environment at Vistaprint encouraged learning and ownership, which helped me gain confidence in my abilities, and I am happy that the experience led to a full-time opportunity with the company.
Q: What valuable information did you walk away with after your placement?
A: This experience taught me that real impact comes from connecting technical work with business needs.
I learned how to take a project from concept to deployment—designing data pipelines, building predictive models and ensuring they drive actionable insights.
I also discovered the importance of collaboration and communication.
Some of my best learning moments came from explaining technical results to non-technical teams and seeing how those insights guided key decisions.
It reinforced that being a data professional isn’t just about numbers—it’s about telling a story through data that helps people make better choices.
Q: How did your studies at the university prepare you for this experience?
A: My Master of Applied Computing program at the University of Windsor gave me a strong foundation for this role. Courses such as advanced database topics, software engineering and artificial intelligence built the technical skills I needed to succeed.
They also taught me how to think logically, break down complex problems, and apply what I learned to real-world situations.
Those classes, along with the hands-on projects I did at the university, made the transition into my co-op much smoother. I was able to apply a lot of what I learned in class directly to my work at Vistaprint.
Akshat Rami’s journey is a powerful example of how experiential learning can transform classroom knowledge into career success.
His co-op at Vistaprint not only strengthened his technical skills but also opened the door to a full-time opportunity.
As UWindsor continues to celebrate Rising Star students, stories like Akshat’s highlight the value of hard work, adaptability and the support of a strong academic and professional community.
New employers looking to learn more about hiring a co-op student can contact Co-operative Education and Workplace Partnerships at employer@uwindsor.ca.
This article is part of a series celebrating excellence in experiential learning. Co-operative Education and Workplace Partnerships selected Rising Star Award recipients whose stories will inspire future co-op students throughout the 2025/26 school year.