Cooperative Learning Internships Thriving in Trinity’s Last Year

The spring 2026 semester is shaping up to continue important recent successes at Trinity. One of these is the Cooperative Learning Internship Program (co-op) which offers students a way to Earn, Network, & Learn during their time at Trinity. Co-ops connect students to companies and organizations for work-based professional development opportunities. Participating students are enrolled in an online co-op class to complement their hands-on learning through reflection and development of skills. Support for co-ops have come from across campus in a collective effort led by Business Professor Sundeep Vira and Associate Director of Earn, Network, & Learn Kara Van Marion.

The growth of the co-op program has been fast and steady. Participation has doubled almost every year since the program was piloted in 2022. In each of the last two semesters (Spring and Fall 2025), over 40 students participated in a co-op earning over $100,000 in total grants. For the last two years, students have interned at over ten different host partners each semester. Trinity’s final semester in spring of 2026 is on-pace for similar numbers as students continue to sign up for spring co-ops.

The benefits gained by co-op students are multifaceted. Andrea Salgado explains, “Through my co-op experience at the Bridge Teen Center as a marketing intern, I grew most in resilience, time management, and professional communication by learning to recognize my strengths and limitations, develop effective organizational habits, and communicate clearly and purposefully—skills that I continue to carry with me and apply in my everyday life and future career.”

Kevin Enriquez also foresees long-term advantages from his co-op, “My co-op experience with Grove Coffee played a significant role in shaping my understanding of vocation by showing me how creativity, service, and business can work together in meaningful ways. Professionally, I developed my ability to oversee social media strategy, produce meaningful content, and quickly adjust in a busy real-world setting. My confidence, time-management abilities, and sense of responsibility all improved as a result of the experience, which also made it possible for me to observe the actual impact of my work on customer engagement and the development of the café. “