SJPS grad talks to students in the classroom

When Kinga Koltun ’16 was completing a degree in French and Social Justice and Peace Studies (SJPS) she didn’t realize it would land her a job at the municipal government level. Koltun works for the City of London as a Government and External Relations Officer. In the last year, she became involved in the work surrounding the Community Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. She is also involved in an initiative called Diverse Voices for Change which aims at increasing the participation of women from diverse backgrounds on the City of London Advisory Committees, Boards and Commissions.

Koltun returned to King’s to speak with the Community Based Learning class (3201Y) in Social Justice and Peace Studies on November 15, 2017. In this course, students co-design a justice-oriented service learning project with a partner non-profit organization. As a result, they develop a better understanding of the interrelationship between theory and practice.

 Koltun described how she is using her King’s degree in her career. Koltun credits the theories she learned in her SJPS classes with helping her with her work on the city’s Community Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, particularly, intersectionality. She says that the SJPS Community Based Learning class provided her with a “great opportunity to get out into the community, build my connections and learn about the possibilities that are out there.”

What advice would she give to King’s students? “Volunteer. I think it is important for you to gain some experience working in an environment where you can gain real world experience as I did at King’s,” says Koltun.

Koltun is planning on applying for her Master’s in Public Administration at Western starting next fall 2018.

Learn more about Social Justice and Peace Studies at King’s.