Julia Sutera Sardo

“Building connections with people at the school really allowed me to engage with mentors, through the internship option and through different courses.”

“I wanted to study at Concordia’s School of Community and Public Affairs (SCPA) because it was very important for me to develop a good understanding of different cultural realities and to have the opportunity to study in a bilingual setting,” says Julia Sutera Sardo, BA 18.

After graduating with a double major in Community, Public Affairs and Policy Studies and Political Science, Sutera Sardo continued exploring public policy while working as a government relations consultant. “I put a lot of what I learned at Concordia into practice,” she explains.

Sutera Sardo later began a role as Director of Economics and Business Development at a consulate in Montreal, where she leads intergovernmental relations and economic development. In addition to her current position, she holds a Law degree from McGill University’s Faculty of Law and is completing the École du Barreau du Québec’s program. She has also pursued a master's degree in Public Policy and Public Administration at Concordia.

Sutera Sardo has also been involved in numerous community initiatives, which began during her time at Concordia. She sits on the board of Carrefour jeunesse-emploi de Laval, whose mission is to increase the employability and autonomy of young people. She has been involved with Concordia's Women and Leadership Advisory Council since its launch in 2015. “With a diverse group of women, we work to bring together members of the Concordia community to advance women's leadership and help them reach their full potential by championing key initiatives that will enable them to achieve this.”

Sutera Sardo also serves on the SCPA’s advisory board. “This allows me to come full circle following my involvement in student politics at Concordia as an undergraduate student.”

What was the best part about your program?

Building connections with people at the school really allowed me to engage with mentors, through the internship option and through different courses.

For instance, as students, we were tasked with organizing a panel with external speakers on critical social issues. This was challenging because we wanted to bring together major stakeholders with diverse perspectives to discuss as part of the panel and that implied being creative in the way that we engaged with them so that they could be involved despite their busy agendas. Had it not been for this experience, I might not have had the opportunity in my early twenties to start establishing these relationships and understanding the value of having a diversity of opinions and backgrounds around the table where decisions are being made. This was definitely an eye-opening moment that really stuck with me.

What were some of the highlights of your Concordia experience?

Participating in an undergraduate internship at the Chantier de l’économie sociale and working as a research assistant to professor Marguerite Mendell taught me a lot about myself and gave me the opportunity to explore my interests, as well as enhance my skillset.

I was also one of the undergraduate student members of Concordia’s Senate, and I really liked being able to be part of that decision-making body. Being able to represent student voices was very important to me.

Any advice for current students?

Aim to be interested in the course content as much as possible during your time at the school but remember the added value of being engaged with your peers and professors, as they have invaluable life experience. You learn a lot from textbooks, but you also gain a great deal of insight from the people that make up this program.