Meet The Team

Mehra is the founder and editor-in-chief of MENAarts Newsletter. Her goal as an artist is to tell stories that challenge stereotypes and make people feel seen, especially in a world where empathy and understanding are oftentimes lacking. She is truly thankful for everyone on this page and those who support MENAarts' efforts.

When not searching the web for open MP/TV casting calls (please tell her if you find any), Mehra loves listening to country pop, eating cheesecake, and intently organizing her stationery collection. 

Ella a staff writer at MENAarts. She is the oldest daughter in a Lebanese-Egyptian immigrant household. Growing up in the Bay Area with little Arab-American representation, she has sought out opportunities to share her culture her whole life. As a third-year Neuroscience and Arabic double major, she wants to continue learning more about the beauty of her heritage and being able to share it with others through language. She knows the importance of diversity and representation in media and the arts and is passionate about shining the spotlight on MENA voices and stories. 

When she’s not busy studying, you can find Ella playing piano, going on walks, or listening to music.

Faith is a contributing editor and staff writer at MENAarts. She is passionate about advocating for the representation of minorities within the media, with a focus on MENA representation. Growing up as the daughter of Iranian immigrants, she saw little to no representation of herself in the media she consumed. She has made it her mission to amplify MENA voices in order to ensure that everybody can feel represented in the media they consume.

She is so excited to be attending her first year of law school at McGill University! She is a recent graduate and holds an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in Political Science with a minor in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from the University of Ottawa, as well as a Certificate in Publishing from NYU. 

In her free time, you'll find her creating #BookTok videos or reading a fantasy novel. She also loves traveling, going for nature walks, and thrifting!

Sayeda is a staff writer at MENAarts. She's a third-year student at the University of Illinois in Chicago, majoring in Accounting on a Pre-Law track. Sayeda was born and raised in Chicago, but her family immigrated to the US from Afghanistan in the 1990s. She's the eldest daughter of seven, and she published her first book of poetry in September of 2021, called Voices in the Void. She co-founded a nonprofit called Ketab Relief Organization, which aims to distribute financial aid along with emergency relief to Afghans in need in Afghanistan. Sayeda is also the co-founder of Chicago for Afghans, a youth group aiming to promote awareness in the Chicagoland area. Her days are spent working with attorneys to grant asylum for Afghan refugees, and in her free time, she's working on her second book.

Sayeda's goal is to have an impact on the lives of people in need everywhere. She hopes to continue publishing books and hopes that her words may change a person’s perspective on life.

Farial Eliza (she/they), known as Khandi Gul [tr: sweet flower] by community, is a staff writer, DEI supervisor, and outreach coordinator at MENAarts. She is a 23-year-old writer, poet, and storyteller born and raised in East Bay Area. Descending from the Alokozai and Kakar tribes of Afghanistan, she takes from her Afghan culture to build the bridge between the Motherland and the diaspora. She dives into the “pomegranate diaspora” through different mediums from writing, performing arts, fashion, and jewelry making. 

An intuitive and clairvoyant, you can find her diving into community healing and building across the Bay Area. 

 Frida is a contributing editor at MENAarts. She is passionate about equity and justice in society as well as public speaking. Frida is Iranian-American and enjoys learning about her family’s culture and eating her grandma’s food. Frida hopes to present more MENA topics to the public as she feels that the underrepresentation of MENA people has carved a harmful path of ignorance. Never afraid to speak up, Frida is always using her voice to advocate for what she believes is right. 

Arya is a staff writer at MENAarts. She is a recent graduate of San Francisco State University, graduating with a BS in Physiology and a minor in chemistry. Her parents immigrated from Afghanistan in 1989 to the United States. Being the eldest daughter of her immigrant family, she grew up always helping out whether it was with her siblings or just her parents with household responsibilities. She is passionate about helping others the best she can. She comes from a family that has always been strong, hardworking, and values education. Her goal in the future is to work as an OB-GYN. Arya is also very passionate about journalism and media arts and hopes to make a difference when it comes to the MENA community not being represented as much throughout the media. 

In her free time, Arya is either hanging out with friends, writing, reading, or working in a clinic.

 Armita is a staff writer at MENAarts. She hails from Irvine, CA. She immigrated to the United States from Iran in third grade and is passionate about preserving Persian culture and history. Armita is a member of the class of 2025 at Dartmouth College where she studies Government, English, and Middle Eastern Studies.

In her free time, you can find her reading 19th-century literature, writing plays, or engaging with theater. 

Sima is an outreach coordinator at MENAarts.  The ocean is her safe space, which is why she would spend all of her time at the beach if she could. Sima loves going out, helping others, being active, and everything creative. Music has been a huge part of her life and she goes through a new music phase almost every week. Sima loves learning new ideas and trying out new activities. She is also a huge believer in the concept of perspective. 

 Rose is a 17-year-old aspiring activist from Latakia, Syria. (She is Hala's sister!) Growing up in Syria, she's developed a passion for problem-solving and hopes to promote youth mental health in the MENA region. Not only is Rose an aspiring biology and anthropology double-major, but she's also a huge Francophile, graphic designer, medical drama fan, and musician. She will be attending Princeton University in the fall.

Patricia is a staff writer at MENAarts. Even though she is studying Industrial and Systems Engineering at USC, writing is one of her true passions. 

What captivates Patricia in writing is that it fuses art and advocacy in a seamlessly connected tapestry that pushes the fight for the underdog, unheard, and underrepresented. As a MENA person of color, Patricia feels that her identity and her story are almost always being erased. So, she aspires to use her position as a writer to highlight other unique MENA stories, talents, and gifts. 

Patricia is also intrigued by advocating for the MENA community and raising awareness about the implications of the lack of MENA recognition by the US Census and their refusal to include a unique MENA category on federal forms. She has also founded MENA VOICES FOR CHANGE, a place where MENA folks can share their experience with being identified as white, and how that strips them not only of having a unique cultural identity but also limits their access to equitable resources. 

On the side, Patricia created a petition to USC highlighting the need for a MENA Category on university forms and the Common App. Please show your support and sign the petition here!

Aya is the former social media manager at MENAarts. She is a newly graduated college student with a Bachelor's in Biology and a passion for all things science. As the eldest daughter of Jordanian immigrants, she's always been passionate about her identity as a first gen Arab-American and wants to help shine a light on her culture and how bright and beautiful being MENA is. She has experienced the struggle of not seeing herself in media firsthand and wants to help push the needle forward in seeing MENA representation in the media we consume. 

When she's not working in a lab, she's reading, writing, or curating #Booktok and Bookstagram content!