July 9, 2013

I entered the MPAC Young Leaders Media Summit as a news junkie and communication student. I had been studying journalism as a hobby for a while  — since high school, but at this point I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to pursue it as a career. I knew it was a dying industry with the rise of blogs and social media, and I was concerned by the fact that journalism seemed detached from activism — the stories were covered, but left to others to act upon.

However, I left the summit realizing the power of storytelling, and the need for a Muslim voice in the media now more than ever.

The five days of the Media Summit were a blur, but thankfully, my notes refreshed my memory. MPAC is awesome for sharing their connections and professional network with youth like us who don’t know what the future holds, especially in this field. Thank you for believing in us, and encouraging us!

I loved that the program varied from political leanings such as The Wall Street Journal to "Democracy Now!" I know that many of my peers were more interested in public relations after visiting Weber Shandwick PR film. Personally, I am more interested in the world of academia after meeting with Dean Sree Srinivasan of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Even the workshops held by the MPAC staff — Marium Mohiuddin's networking tips, Edina Lekovic’s framework workshop and Salam Al-Marayati’s opening talk were some of the most valuable parts of the summit. I am planning on carrying forward that information and sharing it with my friends and Muslim Student Union at my university.

Overall, this experience was one of the best I have ever had. I am glad I participated, and I plan on telling all of my friends to get involved in the MPAC leadership summits. I thought it was a perfect balance between the professional and social worlds. I was able to expand my professional network, meet some great mentors, make memorable friends and explore the amazing city of New York, which I hope to return to soon, Inshallah

I feel lucky to be a part of this program, and I know that the experience will stay with me for a long time, if not forever. A huge, huge thank you to the organizers and MPAC!