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Setting the stage for a committed future 

By Karen Herland

Dominique Bourassa was not willing to give up her goal, despite initial obstacles.

With two undergraduate degrees to her credit, along with the Concordia Medal as the latest in a long list of honours and achievements, she is ready to do what she has long wanted to do, “launch a career as a professional actress.”

Bourassa was interested in performance a decade ago while studying social sciences at Dawson. She opted to pursue a degree in communication studies instead. She enjoyed that and when she graduated in 2003, she took a position at the Black Theatre Workshop, where she had interned as a student.

That experience convinced her that she really wanted to be on stage herself, and she wanted the training to get there. So, she returned for a second degree in theatre performance. “It was perfect. It was what I needed and I could focus on what I was passionate about.”

Bourassa’s definition of focus is perhaps broader than most people’s. Besides her studies, she has helped develop workshops for kids through the Alliance Théatrale Haïtienne, resurrected the then defunct Ralliement étudiant Haiti Canada to help Concordia’s Haitian students connect to each other and their culture, and participated in the activities at the Student Success Program Centre (SSPC). She has also volunteered at charity fashion shows (like CASA Cares), participated in the theatre students’ association and organizing for Black History Month.

Managing school and volunteer work with part-time employment, she says “it is actually possible to balance everything.”

This partial list of her accomplishments helped earn her a Concordia Council on Student Life volunteer recognition award. She has also received numerous scholarships and bursaries, and won the 2007 Colors of Concordia Award (see story).

Her volunteer activity at the SSPC led to a job as mentor to other students, helping them tackle problems and providing tips and training.

But, now she’s ready to work. “Montreal has the best artistic community. There is a network of people who want to create and build things.”