Cléa Montanari

"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."

Cléa went on to complete a Masters in Environmental Sciences at Wageningen University. After graduation, she started working as a project manager in environmental science at the Université Paris Cité, specifically working on developing the European Citizen Science Academy.