Co-op Testimonials
Student Testimonial
Employer Testimonial – Better Me
“Ever since Better Me started accepting students from the North Eastern University we have had a wonderful experience with well-trained professionals. We truly believe that this professionalism is a reflection of the high level of training they receive from the university. These students continue to display a high level of specialization, creativity, and work ethic that is crucial in addressing the issues linked to community development in Kenya.
In the last months, these students have been involved in designing and implementing a youth-focused character development program in Kenya for young people struggling with multiple challenges resulting from Covid 19. Through the effort of these students, the program has evolved from offering this support to 500 young people to targeting over 5000 individuals in different parts of the country.
We look forward to continuing this partnership”
Thomas Ogalo, Volunteer Coordinator
Better Me, Kenya
Employer Testimonial – ClearSky Power
“I had the pleasure of working with Kevin Breen and Aryan Jain during the spring term of 2021 through Northeastern’s Global Co-op Program. Both were first year engineering students who worked remotely for my company ClearSky Power – a solar energy company based in Hargeisa, Somaliland that designs, installs and maintains on and off-grid solar energy systems for businesses, institutions and farms. Our aim is to promote sustainable economic development through access to affordable and reliable electricity from renewable sources.
Even though they were remote, Kevin and Aryan had a great learning experience and were able to contribute substantially to the team. Their work was focused in two areas: (1) solar system design and (2) remote monitoring and troubleshooting. Neither had prior experience working in solar energy, but both were highly motivated to learn new skills and tools. Since our company utilizes online design and monitoring software, along with various collaboration tools for our daily work, they were able directly engage in the projects even while based in the U.S. Examples of tasks they would perform included optimizing solar system sizing to minimize costs and maximize savings for our customers, reviewing and analyzing system performance data to generate reports and troubleshoot system faults, generating distribution layout diagrams for rural mini-grids, and supporting generation of project bill of materials documents.
The cultural exposure aspect of the co-op was more limited as they were remote. However the daily interactions with the team in Hargeisa and the opportunity to design solar energy systems based on local environmental and market data certainly opened their eyes to the conditions and context of a country with which they were previously unfamiliar. It’s important that students move beyond a one-dimensional understanding of Africa. Working with private companies, immersed in the daily challenges and opportunities that are unique to each sector and location, provides a rare chance to deepen their understanding.”
Scott Kennedy, CEO 
ClearSky Power
Hargeisa Somaliland