Julia Saito Di Tullio is a Junior Environmental Engineer for Arcadis in São Paulo, Brazil. When she joined Arcadis in 2015, Julia was drawn to work for the company both because of its international reach and that it runs one of the most prominent environmental consultancies in Brazil.
"This is my first career job and I am happy to say that the people that I work with are wonderful. And we do really important work for here in Brazil. I love that Arcadis does so many different types of work. This means we can improve the quality of life for many different people here," says Julia.
Putting people first
Julia always wanted to use her career to make a positive impact on the world. In 2012, Julia was a volunteer with an NGO that was working with traditional, river-side populations in the Amazon area. Julia taught women and children about environmental, social and gender inequality issues - and it changed Julia’s life. It inspired her to prioritise helping others in her career, which is one of the reasons why working at Arcadis aligns so well with her values.
"At Arcadis we really do put people first. We are always looking for ways to improve quality of life. I think that when we truly live our values, they become things we carry with us outside of work," adds Julia. "With all of the work I do, my goal is to create real impact in society. People out there are facing problems that we can’t even image. This really motivates me to continue doing my job well."
Safeguarding human rights
The moment she heard about Arcadis's Shelter programme, Julia wanted to get involved. In 2017, Julia she traveled to São Tomé and Príncipe, Africa, to help UN-Habitat relocate an entire population after a company purchased the land on which they lived. These people were already being affected by serious problems with inadequate access to water and infrastructure. Julia and the other members of the team made sure they were moved to a better situation, without undermining their rights.
"We produced a report on the best way to carry out the relocation, while respecting the applicable laws and environmental regulations. I really wanted to help the people understand their rights. But we also contributed ideas about how to safeguard their culture and how, after the move, UN-Habitat could ensure they had good access to clean water and sanitation. This included providing ideas on alternatives for soil treatment and solid waste disposal," explains Julia.
Taking on another perspective
The planning to relocate the community on São Tomé and Príncipe is still happening. Julia is hopeful that her efforts will help make sure the process is done in a way that respects the dignity and human rights of the people she met there. Julia's involvement in the Shelter program reconfirmed her belief that she wants to build her career around helping others.
"The Shelter program was a great opportunity for me because it really took me out of my comfort zone," adds Julia. "It really made me see realities that I did not know existed. It’s only when you get a chance to see other realities and how difficult some people have it, it’s only then that you can really have empathy. To realize the world is so much bigger than we think."
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.