Sylvia Dziemian 

Bertha Nibigira

Sylvia Dziemian is an electronic music artist performing as M. Sylvia and Separate Species, with releases on labels in Germany, Portugal, Australia, and the United States. She previously held residencies at leading Chicago dance music venues, including Sound‑Bar and Primary.

She also serves as the Director of Program Operations at the Chicago Department of Public Health, where she leads Immunization Services within the Bureau of Disease Control and Emergency Preparedness. Her work centers on expanding vaccine access, improving program efficiency, and coordinating cross‑agency efforts to strengthen community protection.

A native Polish speaker and EU–USA dual national, Sylvia earned her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and MBA from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a Civic Leadership Academy 2025 Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy Center for Effective Government.

Bertha Nibigira is a multilingual spoken word poet, peacebuilder, community organizer, and a former refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with Burundian roots. She is a member of the Refugee Storytellers Collective and the founder of N&Y Creative Solutions, a DC–based creative social venture at the intersection of the arts and advocacy. She works across English, French, Kirundi and Swahili to uplift marginalized communities and expose ongoing injustices affecting the African people in the diaspora and on the continent.

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