Award-winning activist

By Frank Kuin

Political Science student Elizabeth Cobbett was brought up on social activism. “My life has always been somehow political,” she says.

Born in South Africa in the 1960s, she was raised in England in the 1980s in a family that was always involved, from the fight against apartheid to criticism of Margaret Thatcher’s economic policies.

“Because of my mother’s work with political prisoners’ families and the movement to free Nelson Mandela, I was always exposed to these discussions.”

Since arriving in Montreal in 1986 to be with her Quebecois husband, Cobbett has been involved in women’s groups and community initiatives, such as alternative birthing options.

Now she is pursuing an MA in Public Policy and Public Administration at Concordia, aiming to turn years of volunteer work and community organization into a career in the area of international human rights.

She enrolled in the MA program after doing a BA in political science at Concordia, and earning a Certificate in Community Service.

Currently, she is working part-time as an organizer at the Community Clinic of Point St. Charles, where she analyzes the impact of government policies on the community and does advocacy work.

“I like working with the community and trying to improve their health and their environment,” she said.

Cobbett was inspired to pursue her MA a few years ago when she worked in Mozambique for the World March of Women, a Quebec initiative that brought together women’s groups in more than 160 countries to fight against poverty and violence against women.

“I realized that to do any kind of international work in human rights, it’s really preferable to have an MA,” she said. “Political science is giving me a larger theoretical framework of understanding.” Cobbett, who has two children, appreciates Concordia for its flexibility toward part-time students. “The university is adapted to people’s different realities,” she observed. “That’s what made a difference for me.”

She was given the Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada Graduate Student Award of Merit at a conference held in Montreal in May.