Welcome, Julia!
We are thrilled to welcome a new member to the Spark team! In January 2024, Julia Sistachs joined Spark as our Events Management Intern. After an incredible few months, we’re excited to share that Julia will be continuing her Spark journey as a part time employee. Her positive attitude and dedicated work ethic has been a tremendous asset to the team so far, and we’re excited to see what amazing things the future has in store. Let’s get to know Julia a bit better…
Tell us something about yourself that would help us get to know you better!
I was born in Chicago and moved to Chapel Hill, NC when I was very young. After deciding to attend the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, I ended up back in Illinois. My parents followed me and moved to Chicago! In college I studied agricultural economics and loved learning about how important and necessary agriculture is to a successful economy. I graduated in 2023 and now live in Lincoln Park with my parents and two dogs, June and Figg. I really enjoy living in Lincoln Park and you can usually find me at the lake reading, enjoying an iced vanilla latte at a local coffee shop, attending a local fest, or out to dinner with my friends or family. I think Chicago is one of the best cities for food and I absolutely love trying new places.
You had the chance to study abroad in Italy and work on a farm; can you tell us a little bit about how travel has impacted you?
Travel has always been so important to me so I knew studying abroad during college was something I wanted to do. As the youngest of five, I had witnessed my four older siblings visit amazing places all over the world and come back more informed and well rounded. Travel has definitely broadened my perspective and heightened my awareness of and appreciation for the cultural and social differences in the world. Being able to navigate through unfamiliar environments, such as working on a farm in Rome, has boosted my confidence and problem solving skills immensely. This new confidence in myself has only made me want to travel more!
Through our mission of building partnerships to lift communities out of poverty and empower future leaders, we seek to have a lasting and sustainable impact. What does making an impact on the world mean to you?
To me, making an impact on the world means using my skills to contribute positively to society and forming meaningful relationships across different communities. I think that can take form in many different ways. Whether it is empowering others by volunteering, supporting, donating, and sharing knowledge or advocating for social issues, you can have a positive impact.
What excites you most about joining the Spark Ventures team?
There are so so many reasons why I am excited to join Spark Ventures! I am most excited about being able to deepen my relationships with not only my coworkers but our partners as well. I have been fortunate enough to see the relationship and passion my peers have for our partners and I am so eager to learn even more about our partners, form relationships with individuals within each partnership, and eventually go visit all our partners myself!