Danielle Lands

“The flexibility I had at Concordia gave me choices that opened doors.”

Combined degree helped pave the road to Gotham for real estate developer Danielle Lands

Danielle Lands, BA (History) 14, has taken a slice of the Big Apple as a development associate at New York City real estate developer Alchemy Properties, where she works on luxury residential projects.

But Lands — born and raised in Montreal — says she got her mojo studying at Concordia. Her degree enabled her to complete a Master of Architecture with a specialization in real estate design and development in grad school at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I now live in New York and work mainly on the design and marketing side at Alchemy Properties,” says Lands. “I love living here, but Montreal is an amazing city and my time at Concordia was special. It’s a great city to grow up in and go to university.”

What was the best part about your program?

I majored in history and minored in biology. Combining a minor in science and a major in arts was one of the highlights for me. It allowed me to graduate with a wide palette of choices — and opened up many opportunities when applying to grad school. The flexibility I had at Concordia allowed me to explore different venues and opened the doors. It all began at Concordia.

What were some of the highlights of your Concordia experience?

The main highlight was the diversity of the student body at Concordia. In my history classes, it was amazing to have these discussions with people from all sorts of backgrounds and different countries.

I also did a one-year exchange in Glasgow, Scotland, at the University of Strathclyde, which was very important to my development.

In my last year at Concordia I assisted in medical research at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, so my biology courses were directly applicable and helped me grasp the concepts we were researching.

Overall I enjoyed my time at Concordia and had supportive professors. It also added to the vibrancy to study at Concordia as the downtown campus is very much integrated into the urban fabric — and life — of Montreal. It makes the Concordia experience unique.

Any advice for current students?

I recommend that students focus on the type of courses they are really interested in. I liked my studies so much that it didn’t feel like work. I was learning about something I wanted to learn about. Choose wisely.