Mohammed Parvez, a third-year computer science student at the University of Windsor, is a Rising Star Award recipient recognized for his co-op work with the Town of Kingsville as part of a series celebrating excellence in experiential learning. (VICTOR ROMAO/University of Windsor)
By Victor Romao
A co-op placement with the Town of Kingsville gave University of Windsor student Mohammed Parvez the opportunity to apply his technical skills in a real-world municipal setting while gaining confidence through collaboration across municipal departments.
Parvez worked in a GIS-focused co-op role, where the placement helped shape his professional development and future career interests.
Q: Can you describe your co-op experience with the Town of Kingsville?
A: I worked as a geographic information systems, or GIS, co-op student. My primary role involved working with spatial data for the town, but I also had opportunities to collaborate with other departments on different projects.
Q: What kind of work did you do outside of GIS?
A: I worked with the communications team on website-related projects and with the clerk’s department on records management software. That allowed me to gain experience beyond my assigned role.
Q: What valuable skills or knowledge did you gain from the placement?
A: I learned a lot about how I perform in a professional environment. I realized I have a strong work ethic, reinforced through feedback.
Q: How did your university studies prepare you for this experience?
A: Computer science exposes you to many software tools and programming languages, so adaptability is a big part of the program. Being able to learn new systems quickly was especially helpful because each department used different software.
Q: Is there a specific moment from your placement that stands out to you?
A: I’m most proud of my work with the clerk’s department on records management. I discovered that about 83,000 older documents hadn’t been processed with optical character recognition, or OCR, which meant they weren’t searchable.
Q: How did you address that challenge?
A: I developed a workflow to identify all the non-OCR documents and process them through the correct OCR engine. Once completed, those documents became searchable and much easier for staff to access.
Q: How was that work received?
A: The solution was well received, and it felt good knowing it made a meaningful improvement to their system.
Q: Has this experience influenced your future career plans?
A: Yes. This is definitely the type of work I would consider pursuing in the future.
Q: What advice would you give to students about to begin a co-op placement?
A: Be open to learning beyond your assigned role. Even though my position was technically GIS, I made an effort to talk to other departments and let them know I was interested in learning more.
Q: How did the workplace environment affect your professional growth?
A: The people at the Town of Kingsville were very supportive. That helped me grow more confident, especially with public speaking. Before this placement, I was much quieter in workplace settings, but this experience showed me the importance of contributing and being confident in what I bring to a team.
Parvez’s experience highlights the value of experiential learning and the impact co-op placements can have on student growth, both professionally and personally.
New employers looking to learn more about hiring a co-op student can contact hire@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.