Suzanne Sierra’s work helping foreign-born newcomers build connections in St. Louis is rooted in her own family’s experience. Her parents immigrated from South America speaking little English, and Sierra saw how the relationships they formed helped them succeed professionally and personally. Today, as executive director of the St. Louis Mosaic Project, part of the Clayton-based World Trade Center–St. Louis, she helps work-authorized, foreign-born newcomers connect with meaningful work, relationships and opportunities in the region.
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Organization: St. Louis Mosaic Project, part of the World Trade Center-St. Louis
Title: Executive Director
Hometown: La Crosse, Wisconsin
Education: BA, Journalism, University of Wisconsin
Interests / Hobbies: Travel, exercise, movies, arts & culture
What motivated you to get involved in this work/community/activity? It was a natural evolution of my career as a communicator and convener and it’s also part of my DNA, literally. My parents immigrated from South America speaking little English. Growing up in a small town, I saw how the relationships they built with local residents and other foreign-born professionals helped them succeed professionally and personally. That has always stayed with me.
What values or principles guide how you show up in this role/community? Compassion, connection, and curiosity. My role is to help work-authorized, foreign-born newcomers find meaningful work, relationships and opportunities that help them find their place in St. Louis. I want to understand where people are coming from and what they need, then guide them to the people and resources that can assist them in succeeding and finding a sense of belonging.
What’s the most enjoyable aspect? Knowing that sometimes one conversation or one introduction can change someone’s trajectory. I love hearing that someone who participated in one of our programs has found work that matches their experience, or they found a mentor or simply feel more at home in St. Louis. I’m equally grateful for the incredible civic, corporate and community partners who are so willing to open doors for others and support our mission.
Can you briefly share a few standout memories? Recently I invited an international student and her husband, who were new to St. Louis, to be Mosaic’s guests at an event. Another guest at our table mentioned a program seeking candidates in the student’s field, and she applied and was accepted. That experience led to a job offer. When I saw her recently she was glowing about how things had fallen into place. I also love a new speed networking event we created, where foreign-born professionals practice interviewing skills with corporate volunteers. Participants leave energized by the tangible, hands-on experience, while the volunteers see firsthand the caliber of talent already here. In turn, they can become informal ambassadors for that talent within their own companies and networks.
Can you share an insight about this role that most people don’t know? How much of this work happens one relationship at a time. Big programs and initiatives matter and the year-to-date metrics are important, but the meaningful impact starts with a simple introduction; connecting the right person to the right person at the right moment.
What’s one key piece of advice you’ve embraced? Timing is everything. I’ve worked on projects or pursued ideas that didn’t come together the first time, only to find that when the timing was right, the result was even better than I originally imagined.
What’s the greatest challenge? Helping people see beyond the word “immigration” to the individual people, skills, and stories behind it. There is so much internationally-trained talent here, and one of the biggest opportunities is making sure people have the connections they need to continue and thrive. That’s not only good for the individual but it’s good for the hiring organization and for the region.
Where do you find inspiration? Watching people rebuild their lives in a new place, often arriving without a network or knowing how to navigate the system, and then seeing them create careers, build businesses, a community, and a real sense of belonging.
What are your future plans or ambitions? Our international community is already an important and growing part of St. Louis. My ambition is to make sure we fully recognize that strength—connecting people to meaningful work, mentors and opportunities while helping our region benefit from the skills, perspectives and energy they bring.
