Her Story
About mariam
I have been working in my field for almost 20 years, and my journey has been shaped by my diverse educational background and passion for the arts. I studied at the American University in Cairo, which was a liberal arts education that really shaped the way I think - it was like a haven that taught us liberal ideas and gave us freedom of expression, encouraging extracurricular activities and creating leadership while making us well-rounded and aware of different disciplines. I earned two bachelor's degrees, one in mass journalism and mass communication with a specialization in integrated marketing communication, and another in interior design. I also completed two master's degrees, one in World Heritage at work and Cultural Studies, and another in Global Strategic Communication. I started my career as an art critic, art reviewer, and journalist, and in 2011 I published my first book called Sauraton, which was about young artists and the idea of generation. I created my own furniture business called Paradoxia, which combines two styles that may be unrelated, like East and West or past and present - that's where the name came from. I also won a Best Director award for a documentary I created, which was screened in different places around the world, including at Silver Spot Cinema here in Miami. I have taught at several universities in Miami, including FAU, Florida International University, the Art Institute, Miami International University, Miami Dade College, and Instituto Marengoni, an Italian institute. A typical day for me involves lecturing for students, working on my second book, and creating new designs for my furniture - I recently exhibited in a design week. My furniture brand is sustainable and environmentally friendly, not mass-produced, but sensitive to ideas like the environment, craft, and heritage. I'm very proud of my capability of working with diverse ethnicities and backgrounds and different ages - I've had students from different age ranges and from literally every place in the world, and being able to create influence and talk to them is something I'm very much proud of.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with mariam
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to learning. I'm always learning, and I'm always keen on taking courses - people sometimes even make fun of how much I'm always learning and taking courses. Even though I have two bachelors and two masters, up till every day I join a new course or a new workshop to learn something from someone who is ahead of me in the field. I'm not ashamed of continuing to learn, and I spend a lot of my money on education and learning - it always takes a bigger part in the priority in my list of things that I want to spend on. Even during COVID, while everybody was locked down, I was keen on taking online courses. Every opportunity that I see where I can take a workshop or a course, I do take it.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice was being open to meet professionals in your field that have made it and have made the impossible possible. Looking up to influential people that you meet in your life, people you aspire to be like them or maybe that they push you forward - that would be my answer. I can also say the worst career advice I received was when someone told me I was scattered or had different interests, which I didn't appreciate, especially since the same person asked to read my thesis at the same time, so it didn't make sense.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are sustainability and environmentalism, heritage preservation, and supporting women. In my furniture design, I'm always very much aware and keen on creating furniture that is sustainable and environmentally friendly. I practice this on a day-to-day basis - for example, I walk a lot instead of taking the car to help with CO2, and instead of buying water bottles, I use refills. In my furniture, there's a lot of recycling and reusing or repurposing materials. Preserving heritage is also a cause I'm very much keen on, especially intangible heritage, because that is something that could be lost through the years. I try to find ways to reuse old woodwork or textile that people think is obsolete and discard, renovating it so people can understand it can still be used today. The idea of archiving history and heritage through my writing and filmmaking is something I like to do. I also believe strongly in the idea of belonging to a community of women that support each other. People don't understand how women are fantastic in pushing and supporting each other - they're more empathetic to your conditions and help you grow. Just knowing that I have a support system on my back that supports me is something I'm always happy and proud to be part of.
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