about

hi, my name is mariyah

Hi! I’m Mariyah. I’m an undergraduate journalism student at the Ryerson School of Journalism, in the class of 2023.

why did i start this platform?

Growing up, I had very few role models that looked like me, one of them being my mom. Watching the news before dinner was a regular part of my daily routine. I loved watching Lisa LaFlamme, Dawna Friesen, Cynthia Mulligan and Christiane Amanpour. I loved watching intelligent, strong women in the media, but hearing the news from predominantly white women made me think that the news media wasn’t a place for me.

With women in Canadian media like Farah Nasser, Marci Ien, Sangita Patel, Elaine Lui and Sangita Patel, there are plenty of examples to look up to, but there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to representation. As a young, biracial journalist it’s important for me to establish my place in the conversation, and to make sure that less and less stories go untold.

Being half Guyanese and half Egyptian, I never thought that I would see someone like myself in the media space. While I’m not sure how many individuals can relate to my exact ethnicities, I hope that I can inspire other people to set their own examples, and tell the lesser known stories.

anything else?

In currently live in Brampton with my parents and twin sister. I am frequently in Toronto, that’s where I study and live during the school year.

In the future, I hope to be a photojournalist and foreign correspondent (a blend of the two is ideal). I’m also interested in long-form investigative journalism.