Meet Julia. She is the Career Counsellor for the Links to Young Adult Employment program at CIWA.
Julia moved to Canada because of its reputation as a safe, democratic, and beautiful country. After immigrating here she believes it’s the best in the world.
After looking for a place to volunteer in 2011, Julia was referred to our Volunteer Manager, Janeth Alonso, whose passion, humour, and strong spirit inspired Julia to volunteer with CIWA. She has now been working at CIWA for more than 2.5 years.
Julia loves working at CIWA because she gets to chat with colleagues from all over the world and learns from their diverse experiences and backgrounds. She especially enjoys taking pictures with her program graduates, knowing that she contributed to making a difference in their lives and careers.
Julia loves working with immigrant women because she understands how daunting adjusting to a new country can seem and because she admires their strength, stoicism, passion, and dedication.
“The barriers of immigrant women stem from the nature of the immigration process itself. Any new surrounding–with its rules, traditions, and culture—requires active adaptation. Lack of knowledge about these new rules, traditions, and culture can be a barrier. CIWA provides this information and training as well as supports women’s integration into the Canadian workforce, giving them and their families a chance for sustainability.”
Outside of work, Julia enjoys walking, exercising with kettlebells, as well as reading about living a healthy lifestyle, self-development, spirituality, and arts. She has also been a patron of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra for many years.
To learn more about the Links to Young Adult Employment program click here.