News Archives: Lydia Sadiq: Resiliency
Wednesday, February 15th, 2023
NWP Alumni Lydia Sadiq
Although she admits that she didn’t have a traditional education pathway, Lydia Sadiq credits her involvement on campus at Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP) as the catalyst to her now career.
Her connection to NWP began earlier than most, with her father moving their family to Grande Prairie to instruct at NWP, which he did for 15 years.
After high school, Lydia tried a few different programs at NWP, but it was through her involvement with the Students’ Association (SA) that Lydia “fell into marketing” and found her love of it. She then enrolled in the Business Administration diploma, Marketing Major.
“I ended up getting involved in planning events on campus through the SA and then learning about the world of marketing. I began the marketing diploma program here and that was the start of my career in communications and marketing.”
Through her involvement with the SA, NWP Board of Governors, and other committees on campus, Lydia was exposed to the political and advocacy world, which introduced her to what she now knows as strategic communications.
Her involvement on campus also strengthened her focus on community and giving back through governance.
“My experiences advocating for students to the provincial government with the SA and Alberta Students’ Executive Council made me want to pursue a career in political communications,” Lydia said. “So, I started looking at what my options were.”
After receiving her marketing diploma from NWP in 2015, Lydia completed her Bachelor of Arts in Professional Communications at Royal Roads University in 2016. Studying marketing and communications with a political focus felt right to Lydia as she enjoyed connecting people to their elected officials through storytelling and public consultation.
After completing her degree at Royal Roads University, she came back to Grande Prairie and has been working in communications at the City of Grande Prairie since 2017 where she currently holds the position of Strategic Communications Advisor.
With a strong governance skillset and a community-first mindset that were nurtured at NWP, Lydia continued her community involvement upon her return to this community.
In 2018, she was the youngest person appointed to the Community Foundations of Northwestern Alberta board, where she’s since provided perspective, advice, and leadership to help guide their initiatives.
In 2021, Lydia took her involvement with the Community Foundation movement further by successfully applying for The National Community Foundations of Canada Board, where she works alongside Canadian leaders to strengthen belonging in communities across Canada.
Lydia’s career and community involvement has been fulfilling to her, as she has immersed herself in many different areas and continues to broaden her depth of knowledge.
At NWP, Lydia explains it was easy to make connections with people, and it was one of her fondest memories of attending here.
“I found at NWP, there were opportunities for connection through attending Wolves games, different student events, and through being involved with the SA,” Lydia said. “The opportunities NWP provided me unlocked the chance to meet all kinds of people who were studying different things, had diverse backgrounds, and a variety of passions or goals in life.”
Lydia explained she is most proud of the resiliency she has shown throughout her academic and career journey.
“The reason why I say resiliency is because I think that resilience has been a thread throughout many of my experiences,” said Lydia. “The ability to go through something difficult and then move forward from those difficult experiences. Part of being resilient is seeing opportunities and that applies to being entrepreneurial. To have an entrepreneurial spirit, you have to be resilient.”
Lydia added that those who are just beginning their academic and career paths will find what they are looking for. “The opportunity is out there; the opportunity’s out there for those who are bold enough and brave enough to seek it.”
Learn more about NWP’s School of Business and where it can take you by visiting NWP.me/Business
