Our graduates
The students enrolled at Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability (formerly known as Loyola International College) are as diverse as the courses that are offered. Many continue on to graduate studies; for example, we have former students who studied Law at McGill University, Communication Studies at the University of Ottawa, and International Relations at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.
Our minors are an excellent preparation for any program with a strong emphasis on sustainability, globalization, and international development.
Testimonials
E. Moses Gashirabake (Graduated Summer 2013)
Moses Gashirabake completed his undergraduate degree in the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Political Science Program at Concordia University with a Minor in Diversity and the Contemporary World at the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability (LCDS). While at LCDS, Moses expanded his knowledge on diversity, social justice and sustainability studies. His LCDS and personal life experience continues to inform his career choices. After graduating from Concordia University as member of LCDS, he was selected to join a human rights trip to Germany and Poland. In Europe, he immersed himself on ways to counter the negative effects of hate through the history of the Holocaust.
After his undergraduate degree, Moses went on to complete graduated from McGill University's Faculty of Law in June 2017. Currently, Moses works an international legal consultant for multinationals and serves on many board of directors including the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF), the Foundation for Genocide Education and the Rwandan Canadian Healing Centre. He also co-found the International Rwanda Youth for Development (IRYD), a non-profit organization that provides business networking, diversity and inclusion opportunities for African-Canadian youth and their friends.
Moses is forever thankful to positive LCDS influences such as Rosemarie Schade (former Principal) and Philip Szporer (current instructor).
Cléa Montanari (Graduated Spring 2019)
"When I first started my bachelors in Biology I was very confused and unsure about my choice of study. During my first year, I took some electives in other disciplines (Eg. geography, management) and informed myself about nursing and medical school. My search, as cheesy at it may sound, ended when I started a Minor in Sustainability Studies at Loyola College.
This minor allowed my studies to be varied with the wide range of courses it offers from different disciplines (eg. theology, economics, indigenous studies.). The intimate structure of the College allowed me to build inter-generational relationships with professors which have proven to be essential for the success of my studies. The fact that it offers minors means that your peers are probably studying something completely different then you as a major.
A year after joining the college, I joined the student association, which allowed me to know other communities at Concordia - the political realm of student associations and the sustainability community. After my four years of study, I realize that what I was looking for was an understanding of our world, and biology with my sustainability studies did just that.
Thanks to these experiences, I am now starting a masters in environmental sciences at Wageningen University and have completed an internship at the Citizen Science Global Partnership. Citizen science is best understood as the involvement of the general public in scientific knowledge production in collaboration with professional scientists, a phenomenon that gained popularity steadily from the 1990s onward in conjunction with the diffusion of internet technologies. (https://citizens-guide-open-data.github.io/guide/6-citizen-science)."
Natacha Tremblay (Graduated Spring 2016)
"When I first decided to start browsing the different minors available at Concordia, I had no specific idea what I was looking for. When I saw the Minor in Sustainability, something about it appealed to me and I immediately made my way to the LCDS offices to find out how to be admitted into the minor. I had no real idea what to expect, but what I found turned out to be so much more than a new passion for environmental sustainability. I was greeted warmly by a community of students and professors, each as knowledgeable and passionate as the next; a network of like-minded people who had found a safe and productive medium in which to exchange and debate on some of the most important topics to face our generation. I found a faculty that acted more as a support network, working alongside me, significantly contributing on a daily basis to my odds of succeeding as a student, both in the minor and in general at Concordia. The classes I took and the projects I was a part of truly shaped my future career path in a way I never expected, and I owe it almost entirely to the community at the Loyola College of Diversity and Sustainability."
Natacha majored in Psychology and did a Minor in Sustainability Studies at the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability. She is now studying environmental law at Vermont Law School.
Theresa Henssen (Graduated Spring 2016)
"Before joining the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability I was just a student fulfuilling the requirements for my Bachelors degree. However, choosing the minor in Diversity and the Contemporary World changed this. It was the best decision I made throughout my journey. I found myself in a place full of new challenges and I was not simply one among many. I bonded quickly with peers, not only in class but also during events, such as a ‘wine and cheese’, organized by our association. The courses I have taken promote critical thinking, discussions and awareness of what is happening around all of us, giving us a new perspective. Further, applying for one of the many internships the College offers gave me the opportunity to gain experience and to bring theory into practice.
I am thankful to have found my way into this supportive community; I am happy to be part of it."
Theresa did a major in Human Relations and a Minor in Diversity and the Contemporary World at the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability. She is currently completing her one year MSc in Psychology in the UK at Oxford Brookes University. Her dissertation involves an experiment on how and what kind of emotions/mood can influence false memory of an individual. Further, she has taken several voluntary courses/workshops on animal behaviour and their welfare at the University of Oxford. She is getting increasingly involved in discussions on humans, animals, and nature as a ‘sustainable relationship’.
Andréanne Poirier (Graduated Summer 2015)
"Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability is an amazing department where learning comes into so many ways and that is partly the reason why it is such a wonderful environment. I enjoyed every minute that I spent into this wonderful place. It might sound like I am bragging or overselling it, but no, not at all! The classes, courses, professors are all extremely interesting as the people working there. Choosing my minor in Diversity and the Contemporary world was one of the best decisions that I made coming to university."
Andréanne majored in International Business and did a Minor in Diversity and the Contemporary World at the Loyola Colelge for Diversity and Sustainability. She is currently pursuing a LL.B/B.C.L at the McGill University Faculty of law and is involved with the McGill Law Journal and the Société des Jeunes Philanthropes de Montréal.
Maria Raskin (Graduated spring 2014)
"Becoming a member of the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability was one of the most enriching experiences of my University career at Concordia. The relationships I fostered with both my peers and faculty are not only long lasting but have also taught me about myself and the benefit of keeping an open mind. The courses I've taken as part of my minor in Diversity and the Contemporary World, have taught me how to articulate my opinions about the way the world currently functions while integrating and benefiting from the interdisciplinary perspective of my classmates. To say that LCDS is merely a department would be false; it's an inclusive community that demonstrates the full potential of what Concordia University can offer its students."
Maria completed an Honours degree in English and Creative Writing in the Department of English and a Minor in Diversity and the Contemporary World at the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability. She is now working as a teacher and director of the resource centre at a local high school.
Jessica Sypher (Graduated Spring 2011)
“I am a proud member and graduate of Loyola International College (now the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability). Fulfilling the credits for the minor in Diversity and the Contemporary World has given me a holistic view of the challenges our global community faces. Being able to participate in student governance on behalf of the students at LIC as VP Sustainability and later as President has been an honour, not to mention a lot of fun! A definite highlight of my time at LIC has been participating in, and attending, the 5th and 6th Sienna/Concordia Conference on Globalization. At LIC I was encouraged to engage in community generated sustainability as a Board of Director for the student group Sustainable Concordia and continuing on as the Sustainable Event Guide Coordinator. Although I will miss Concordia immensely, I am ready for a new challenge at Dalhousie University completing a Masters degree from the School for Resource and Environmental Studies.”
Jessica Sypher did an Honours degree in Human Environment and a Minor in Diversity and the Contemporary World at the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability. She went on to do a one-year certificate in Environmental Visual Communication at the Royal Ontario Museum and now runs her own photography company.
Stefana Nita (Graduated Fall 2007)
"My name is Stefana Nita. I graduated in fall 2007 with a Bachelor for Arts, Honours Political Science, Minor Diversity and the Contemporary World from Concordia University. During my last two years as a Concordia University student, I worked as a Student Success Mentor in Counselling and Development at Concordia University. Shortly after my graduation, I had the opportunity to take the position of Receptionist in Counselling and Development. I have been working for Counselling and Development since September 2007. The opportunity to continue working for Concordia University and to provide my support to Concordia University students is very satisfying to me. The position of Receptionist in Counselling and Development has allowed me to remain in closed contact with the university life. "
Stefana is now working in the Registrar's office at Concordia University.
Evan Perigoe (Graduated Fall 2005)
Evan Perigoe graduated from McGill University's Faculty of Law in May 2009, a program which he began immediately after completing four years of study at what was then the Loyola International College (now the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability) in 2005. While pursuing his LL.B.-B.C.L. at McGill, Evan spent a year on exchange at the University of Edinburgh studying Information Technology Law and Competition Law in the European Union. Evan went on to complete his LL.M. at Columbia Law School in 2011. He is now an attorney at Weiss, Wexler and Wornow, P.C., in New York City, where he specializes in workers' compensation defense.
