I am currently an undergraduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Literature, Media and Communications, on track to graduate in May of 2026. I do understand that the title of the major is quite nebulous and gives very little information of the actual program, so I’ll break it down here!

The Literature, Media and Communications major at tech has four different threads, or concentrations. Meaning that there are sixteen different combinations that I was able to select from upon my arrival at Georgia Tech in 2022.

My threads are Media & Design, and I now realize that even “Media & Design” are very large umbrella terms. In my classes, we focus on the theoretical but also on the applications of that theory. For my Media thread, I have taken film classes, video production/editing classes, and media studies classes. It is in these classes where I have developed a firm grasp of the power of media as a communication tool, and have studied several examples of written, photographic, artistic, and cinematic pieces of media and assessed them as something more than the sum of their parts. In my Design thread, I have taken graphics classes—both for game design and general graphic design—and in there I have had the opportunity to reflect on and explore the limitless possibilities of Graphic Design and Interactive Media.

This major has expanded my worldview in ways that I never thought possible when I got here, but as I rapidly approach the conclusion of my college career, the question has become “what’s next?”

To me, understanding “what’s next” comes from understanding who I am. I am the second daughter of two Egyptian immigrants, who came to the United States at different points in their lives. My father was partially raised here, having immigrated with his family when he was eight, and my mother moved here upon her marriage to my father when they were both thirty. My experiences as a second-generation immigrant reflect that, their perspectives were a combination of the cultural expectations from Egypt, but were adjusted to reflect their status as United States citizens. My parents raised me and my two sisters to be independent, and encouraged us to forge our own path, make our own decisions.

Growing up, I was always talking. At least, that is what I was told. I was always talking, asking questions, giving my opinion, and engaging in conversation with people I hadn’t ever met before. I was also infatuated with learning. If I was scared of something? I went to the library to check out a book about it. If I didn’t understand something? I would ask my mother thousands of questions until I felt as though I had a grasp on that topic.

Eventually, I started drawing, taking pictures, making things with my hands. Anywhere I went, my goal was to take a piece of that place with me, and leave a part of myself behind. Of course, I didn’t know that was the case at the time, but hindsight is always 20/20. My pursuit of knowledge extended to my art, and I was determined to polish it into a skill I would be able to use later. I was, and still am, an avid consumer of media—the news, children’s TV, films—whatever was on at the time, I was there watching it.

I am here today with those same traits, those same skills—though refined. As time passed, the central focus of my interests changed, but the young girl driving the interests and beliefs remained unchanged. It is for her, because of her, that I have accomplished what I have today.

I have always believed that it is the job of those who are privileged to extend a hand and either speak for, or cultivate a space for, those who are not so privileged. As a second-generation immigrant pursuing a degree from a prestigious university, I recognize my own privilege. I see it in my mentors, my peers, my living conditions.

My mission today, as a creative, is to take the stories of others, those who do not have the same privileges that I do, and weave them into narratives to convey messages to those who otherwise could not hear them. It is to, one day, have the space to invite other creatives to speak their own stories into existence, so that they too can leave their mark.

My goal will forever be to use my art to reach people, to communicate with them. To share the stories of others, to foster productive discussions about how we feel, about what to do next. Throughout my schooling I have learned that media is a powerful tool, but it’s power is only as effective as who it is that is wielding it.