Nazira Tareen

College Celebrity to Community Builder

In 1969, Nazira Tareen was a bit of celebrity around the then-smaller corridors of Algonquin College as she was the oldest and only married person in her Early Childhood Education program.

Nazira had moved to from India to Canada in 1968 and her love for children was calling her to pursue a career in Early Childhood Education. She was one of 30 students who were part of the first group to enrol in the Early Childhood Education program at Algonquin College.

“We took some classes with the nursing students, and it was funny because there were only girls in my group with me being the only married woman in my program and, in the nursing program there was only one male.” says Nazira. “I remember being interviewed for the news because I was the only married lady in the program.”

Nazira became pregnant with her daughter during her first year of the program and had to drop out. One year later, her son was born.

“After my son was born, I finished my education by going to night school,” says Nazira. “It was very nice that I had the option to come back to Algonquin and finish because I wasn’t able to go to school full-time with two babies at home.”

On the nights she had classes, Nazira would leave her two young children with her husband. She quickly realized there were many classmates in a similar situation.

“The night classes were full of ladies who worked full time and had kids at home. It was very different from the full-time program I started with, but I enjoyed both programs equally.”

After graduating in 1973, Nazira used the training she received at Algonquin to teach Sunday school. She also spent her time volunteering in the community.

“It’s in my bones to volunteer,” says Nazira. “I am going to keep on volunteering until I can’t, and I haven’t stopped yet.”

Since 1975, Nazira has been giving talks at schools around the Ottawa area for the Islam portion of the Grade 11 World Religions course. On average, she interacts with more than 4,000 students per year. Nazira also volunteers for the Multi-Faith Housing Initiative which provides safe and affordable housing for families in need.

For the past 20 years, Nazira has also served as a spiritual caregiver and advisor for local Ottawa hospitals, guiding staff on how to take care of patients of Muslim faith.

It’s through her work with the Ottawa Muslim Women’s Organization she found an opportunity to give back to Algonquin College. Nazira suggested to board members they create a bursary in honour of Charlotte Saida Chaudry, a nurse who was heavily involved in helping the Ottawa community. The bursary supports students in need who are registered in the Practical Nursing program.

Nazira values her time spent at Algonquin College and continues to apply the skills she has gained through her program.

“The training I received at Algonquin is so valuable, even after so many years I treasure it very much,” says Nazira. “I have applied what I learned at Algonquin to my work, my own children, and now my grandchildren.”