Human Rights Alumni of the Month Profile- September 2025
Mon. Sep. 22, 2025
We are excited to introduce our Human Rights Alumni of the Month Profile Series! Each month, we will be highlighting one of our amazing alumni and showcasing their diverse educational and career paths.
Our first alumni profile is on is Sarah Steidl. You may recognize her as Global College's Office Coordinator! Sarah completed a 4-year BA in Human Rights with a minor in Conflict Resolution Studies and graduated in 2021.
Sarah Steidl (she/ her) graduated in 2021 with a four-year BA in Human Rights with a minor in Conflict Resolution Studies. Sarah’s passion for human rights and social justice began in high school, where she was involved in various human rights-oriented clubs, including Youth in Philanthropy. Her time in the Human Rights program further deepened this passion, and she credits her time in the program with helping her develop critical thinking skills and gain a deeper understanding of human rights and diverse perspectives, which continue to shape her worldview.
One of her favourite aspects of the Human Rights program was the small class sizes, which created opportunities for small group discussions with passionate and engaged peers. She also highlighted how warm and welcoming her professors were. Emphasizing that these personal connections played a key role in shaping her experience in the program, Sarah shares,
"The professors care not only about your academic success but also about your well-being. My professors were accessible and took the time to get to know students. They fostered a safe and inclusive learning environment while also challenging students to think critically about their own biases and work on deconstructing them."
A highlight of her degree was being able to take Special Topics in Human Rights courses, including courses on human rights and terrorism and international children’s rights.
Sarah shares that,
"It’s especially memorable to be able to learn from an expert in the area that they’re passionate about because I feel like that’s really when the most impactful learning happens."
An especially memorable learning experience during Sarah’s time in the Human Rights program was her practicum placement with 1JustCity, a non-profit that operates community resource centres in core neighbourhoods. Reflecting on her practicum experience, Sarah says, “Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, my practicum with 1JustCity was still a great experience,” explaining that although service providers had to get creative to continue to provide essential services to vulnerable communities during the pandemic, “it was meaningful to be part of an organization that was still providing services” and that the experience of being able to “be with a group of people that were so passionate about providing these services that they persevered and found a way to do that amidst all the uncertainty in the world,” was something that resonated deeply with her.
Sarah’s practicum placement sparked her passion for promoting human rights on a local level through community-based work, and after completing her degree, she worked in various roles in community-based non-profits before returning to Global College, where she currently works as the Office Coordinator. As a graduate of the program, she is able to provide current and prospective students with in-depth information on the program, and she values the opportunity to connect with current students to provide support and guidance.
Sarah encourages current and prospective students to take full advantage of the opportunities available to students in the Human Rights program. She recommends joining the Global College Student Advisory Council, a student-led group that fosters community involvement and builds connections with peers. "Get involved with the community and build relationships with other students," she advises, stressing the importance of making the most of the range of unique opportunities available to Global College students.