By Noorhan Maamoon
Noorhan Maamoon is a journalism student at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. She transferred to USC from the American University in Dubai shortly after finishing her sophomore year.
Noorhan hopes to study law after she earns her Bachelor's degree.
Noorhan graduated from Al Salam Private School in 2013 after completing her IGCSEs and AS-Levels. An Egyptian born and raised in sunny Dubai, Noorhan traveled back and forth between Cairo and Dubai frequently while growing up.
As a child, Noorhan loved reading stories, which later evolved to writing stories. For a while, she thought she might study literature and creative writing in university, but after the Arab Spring, she knew in which direction her career should go: journalism.
When in 2011 the Arab Spring happened, Noorhan's interest in politics was born. Watching Egyptians protest peacefully in Tahrir Square was transformational for Noorhan, whose journalistic ambitions shifted towards politics and war correspondence.
Noorhan strongly believes in freedom of the press and freedom of speech, both of which are lacking in the MENA region. She hopes to become an honest journalist, exposing corruption and reporting from the frontlines in Palestine and Syria.
Noorhan's previous journalism experience includes: writing for the MBRSCPost as well as serving as Managing Editor during the summer of 2015; interning at The Khaleej Times; writing guest posts at RedLipsHighHeels.com, a blog about feminism and the Middle East/North Africa region; copyediting for the Daily Trojan as well as serving as an Assistant City Editor and authoring a feminist literature column in the Daily Trojan's Lifestyle section, titled "The Hijabi Monologues."
During March of 2016, Noorhan participated in NPR's Next Generation Radio program at USC, where she was paired with a mentor and had to record and produce a non-narrative radio piece about the topic of her choosing. Noorhan chose to do a story on Mirvette Judeh, a Buena Park Muslim woman who chose to put on the headscarf, also known as the hijab, after she noticed other Muslim women being harassed for wearing it.
Outside of journalism, Noorhan enjoys a wide array of extracurricular activities. This academic year, she serves as the Media Relations officer for the USC Muslim Student Union, and last year she served as the MSU's International Affairs Chair. She also serves as the Internal Events Co-Chair for Lambda Pi Eta, Annenberg's honor society. She is a member of Phi Alpha Delta, USC's first and only pre-law society. At the American University in Dubai, Noorhan served as the Vice President of Operations of the Model United Nations club, participated in youth leadership programs, and organized the Harvard Model Congress Dubai for two years, also serving as an assistant chair the second year.
Noorhan is the News editor of the Daily Trojan.