Nina Segalowitz is a professional throat singer, as well as a case worker at the Centre des Femmes de Montréal. While her interest in throat singing began before she came to Concordia, it was while attending university that she first learned her craft.
“Being a Sixties Scoop survivor I was constantly searching for ways to reconnect with my community. From a young age I yearned to sing,” she recalls.
“In 1998, I met Taqralik Partridge, who was also attending Concordia and looking to learn throat singing. Together we reached out to Evie Mark, a local expert in the craft, and she guided us in learning throat singing.” Since then Segalowitz has performed across Canada, the United States and Europe.
Looking back, she says the education she received at Concordia was far from textbook.“There was such a lively student centred services approach to learning and a community of peer support,” says Segalowitz, noting an integral aspect of her success as an Indigenous student was the Centre for Native Education, then headed by Manon Tremblay.
“She provided a space on Mackay that would become a second home to me for the four years that I attended Concordia,” she says. “It was a space where Indigenous students congregated to share meals, cheer each other on, share the trials and tribulations of being away from their families and communities, all while laughing along the way.”
Segalowitz says through Concordia’s support system she felt empowered and that this feeling of accomplishment continues to serve her in her career as a front-line worker, artist, board member and mother.
“I pushed myself to learn more and to share that knowledge to encourage others to follow their academic dreams,” she says. “I am still in touch with Manon Tremblay and the majority of the students that I hung out with in the CNE. My Concordia friendships have spanned 25 years and sustain me to this day.”