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From engineering to philosophy: Auburn alum finds purpose in the unexpected

A third-generation Auburn graduate on both sides of his family, Justin Saia ’08 grew up believing Auburn was more a part of who he was than just a destination.

“I was fully set to attend Vanderbilt until the very end, when Auburn swept in with a full scholarship to study engineering,” he said. “I like to joke that I was playing hard to get, but the truth is, Auburn was always in my blood and in my DNA.”

Saia arrived at Auburn as a chemical engineering major and spent several semesters working in industrial plants across the South through Auburn’s cooperative education program, gaining firsthand experience in manufacturing operations and corporate environments.

But the more exposure he gained to the realities of the profession, the more he found himself drawn to questions about ethics, purpose, human behavior and the complexities of leadership.

At the same time, devastating personal loss reshaped the way he viewed his own future. The death of his father and the unexpected ending of a significant relationship forced him to challenge assumptions he once believed were certain.

Saia shocked everyone by walking away from a full-ride engineering scholarship in the middle of a Tuesday. He then marched across campus, knocked on the door of Professor Kelley Dean Jolley in the Department of Philosophy and declared a philosophy major that same day.

“That moment and the willingness of people at Auburn to support an unconventional decision set me on the path I’m still on today,” Saia said. “Auburn gave me the freedom to discover not just what I could do, but who I wanted to become.”

Inside Auburn’s philosophy program, Saia learned to interrogate assumptions, navigate ambiguity, communicate clearly and wrestle thoughtfully with difficult questions.

“The philosophy department became a kind of safe harbor for me — a space where grief could coexist with inquiry, and where reflection wasn’t something to avoid but something to lean into,” he said.

After graduating from Auburn, Saia launched a career that would take him from Capitol Hill to Wall Street, Silicon Valley, Paris and London. He began in government and public affairs before moving into corporate advisory and crisis management, helping organizations navigate shareholder activism, environmental crises, geopolitical issues and multibillion-dollar corporate transactions.

One of the defining chapters of his career came in 2010 during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. At just 25 years old, Saia joined BP’s crisis communications response on the Gulf Coast, spending more than three years helping rebuild trust with communities, public officials and stakeholders in the aftermath of the largest environmental disaster in American history.

The experience solidified his passion for crisis and reputation management. It also reinforced lessons first sharpened in Auburn classrooms: the importance of ethical judgment, thoughtful communication and the ability to lead through uncertainty.

Along the way, Saia continued investing in education and leadership development, earning an MBA in finance from Syracuse University and a postgraduate diploma in strategy and innovation from the University of Oxford, along with executive education credentials from HEC Paris and INSEAD.

Today, Saia serves as vice president of global communications, corporate affairs and CEO public relations for Schneider Electric, a Fortune Global 500 multinational operating in more than 100 countries. Based first in Paris and now in London, he oversees global communications strategy, executive positioning, public affairs, media relations, crisis management, and corporate reputation across international markets.

Despite the global scale of his work, Saia continues to point back to Auburn as the experience that most profoundly shaped how he thinks and leads.

“I will never forget the meeting with Dr. Jolley in his office the day I changed my major to philosophy,” he said. “I asked him what kind of career I could expect with a philosophy degree. Was I destined to join the ranks of the great thinkers — Nietzsche, Descartes, Kant — or was there any kind of real vocational future ahead of me?

“He smiled and told me something I didn’t fully appreciate at the time: Philosophers can do almost anything. Not because they have all the answers, but because they are trained to reason, to use logic, to solve complex problems and to think critically about the world around them. Those skills are transferable to any career path.”

For current Auburn students, especially those considering careers in communication, consulting or public affairs, Saia sees enormous value in developing judgment and thinking skills before specialization.

“Tools and platforms will change; the ability to analyze, synthesize and communicate clearly will not,” he said. “Learn how to write well, argue respectfully and explain complex ideas simply.”

At this stage of his career, being an Auburn alumnus carries both pride and responsibility. Saia remains deeply committed to mentoring students and championing the value of a liberal arts education.

“The values of hard work, integrity and community that define Auburn are the same values that underpin effective leadership and credible communication,” he said. “Auburn didn’t just prepare me for a job; it prepared me for judgment, leadership and service.”

Tags: Alumni Philosophy