Co-op Spotlight

Campbell Compton

Class of 2025

D'Amore-McKim School of Business

Campbell is pursuing a B.S. in International Business, concentration in Business Analytics.

Can you share more about why you chose to co-op with a late-stage startup and what the experience has taught you thus far?

I have previous experience working within a start-up environment during the summer preceding my senior year of high school. I loved the fast-paced environment that thrived on the drive for growth and improvement. When I received my intro call with a recruiter from Mirakl, an e-commerce company that bridges the gap between third party sellers and retailers, I had never heard of the organization or marketplace models in general. A deciding factor in accepting the role was my initial interactions with the managers that I now work closely with today. My colleagues are passionate about what they do and are excited for the potential Mirakl has to offer. Being surrounded by people who enjoy coming to work makes all the difference. My manager knows I will get the most out of this co-op if I am enjoying what I’m doing. She has provided support for me to seek out opportunities on my own. I have been able to gain first hand sales experience, make connections with people throughout the company, including members of the C-suite, and gain an abundance of knowledge within marketplace and e-commerce.

Faculty Spotlight

Todd Alessandri

Associate Dean, Undergraduate Education

Associate Professor, International Business & Strategy

D'Amore-McKim School of Business

Todd M. Alessandri is the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and an Associate Professor in the International Business and Strategy Group in the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern. He has also served as the Faculty Director of the full-time MBA program.

Professor Alessandri joined Northeastern in 2009 after seven years on the faculties of Syracuse University and Providence College. Earlier in his career, he worked as a senior financial analyst for Lifeline Systems, Inc. and as a senior associate for PwC.

What do you think makes the D'Amore-McKim School of Business and the co-op program truly distinctive?

Many colleges and universities talk about experiential learning, often referring to internships or project-based experiences. Our co-op program takes this experiential learning to a completely different level. The traditional six-month co-op experience provides our students with a deeper and richer form of experiential learning. Our students are able to take on more responsibility and strengthen their hard and soft skills. The fact that over 95% of our students complete at least one of these transformative cooperative experiences really sets D’Amore-McKim apart. 

The distinctiveness extends beyond the co-op experience itself. The focus on providing practical experience to our students permeates our curriculum. Our faculty teach the theoretical concepts underlying the business knowledge, but because we are preparing students for co-op, our faculty also place great emphasis on the application of concepts and skills to real-world situations and problems. After students have completed their co-op, they are more knowledgeable consumers in the classroom, bringing their work experience to bear and focusing on practical applications of the academic material. As a result, the impact of co-op is felt throughout our students’ educational paths.