Henry Richa

“My favourite thing about Concordia is the people you encounter. The bond and support we have for each other is special.”

Fun fact: My side hustle is working as your local gay pharmacy technician assistant.
Favourite thing about Concordia: The people you encounter. The bond and support we have for each other is special.

How did you choose your programs?

Coming out of a French Baccalaureate in a Lebanese German school, I wanted to get out of the country and study the arts. As I was researching, I found that Concordia was one of the only schools able to offer space for Fine Arts students who had no set practice and wanted to explore different mediums. Soon enough I found a new home on the sixth floor of the EV Building and on the seventh floor of the MB Building.

What does a day on campus look like for you?

My day-to-day life varies a lot because of my double major. I’m everywhere on campus, but most days would be:

• Walk to class with headphones on, blasting Sophie
• Get my first vanilla iced latte with oat milk from Cafe Myriade
• Technique class
• Second latte of the day right after
• Dance classes
• Eat lunch with friends at the People’s Potato or Frigo Vert
• Up to the sixth floor of the EV Building
• Edit and film videos in the editing suites or production studio
• Pass by the Depot to say hi to Benoit, the icon of the Intermedia department
• Have class
• Take a break with friends

What have you enjoyed most at Concordia?

I’ve had so many great experiences, but one has been taking part in the Art Matters Festival with my friends, which was featured as part of Montreal’s Nuit Blanche. I also loved creating my dance pieces “Applause” and “rakata”, which allowed me to meet my artistic soulmate.

What other projects are you proud of?

I got a Concordia Undergraduate Student Research Award for my documentary “The Party”. It’s a video essay about how the punk and club movements of the 80s and 90s would react to today’s socio-political climate, using Gen-Z pop culture and language. The film will be out in September.

What is it like living in Montreal?

Montreal is more than just a bilingual city, so don’t fear the language. Everyone slips in and out of at least two languages during a conversation. Sometimes you can hear Spanish even more than English. Working in customer service for a semester could help you more than a language class.