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Farah Shoheib: Merging Creativity, Research, and Social Justice
By Josiane N'tchoreret-Mbiamany
Farah's hometown: London, On
For Western University student Farah Shoheib, media is more than just a creative outlet - it's a powerful tool for storytelling, activism and research.
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Farah’s journey to Western University’s Faculty of Information & Media Studies (FIMS) began long before she stepped into a classroom.
Born in Cairo, Egypt, and moving to London, Ont., at age seven, Farah has long been drawn to creative expression. “I remember coming across my first camera in my parents’ room, and I took it and claimed it—it was mine,” she laughs. That moment ignited a lifelong passion for photography and videography, leading her to explore media and storytelling in her academic journey.
Throughout her undergraduate years in the Media & Communication Studies (MACS) program, also offered by FIMS, Farah explored her creative instincts. “I did all the videography courses that were available,” she recalls. One of her most memorable experiences was in her third year, where she had the opportunity to create a short film as a final project under Professor Juan Bello.
Yet, as much as she loved the creative side of media, Farah found herself increasingly drawn to research and social justice—a shift that would ultimately define her path.
Initially, Farah planned to take a gap year before pursuing further education. “I was ultimately going to do a gap year because I just wanted experience—I wanted to figure out what my research interests were, work a little, and then come back to academia,” she explains.
That plan changed the summer before her fourth year when she joined the Surviving Memory in Postwar El Salvador research project through the Western Undergraduate Summer Research Internships (USRI). Working under FIMS professor Amanda Grzyb, she primarily focused on video editing testimonies of massacre survivors—an experience that left a lasting impact.
“That was my project for the summer,” she recalls. “I continued working with Dr. Grzyb as a work-study student, still focused on editing survivor testimonies, and then I took her course [MEDIACOM 3955: Environmental Crisis in El Salvador] in my fourth year.”
Fun Fact
Farah has been inside the pyramids of Egypt and is passionate about film and soundtracks.
Recognizing Farah’s passion for research, Professor Grzyb encouraged her to apply for the master's program. At first, she was hesitant, feeling she needed more time to gain more life experience and learn more things outside the classroom. But when the application deadline was extended, she took it as a sign. “That’s kind of what convinced me to apply,” she says. “I was like, ‘okay, let’s just do it’.”
Now pursuing her Master of Arts in Media Studies, Farah is researching gender-based violence and peace-building efforts in Liberia. Her work, supervised by Dr. Erica Lawson, a professor in Western’s Department of Women’s Studies and Feminist Research, is centered on working with the women of the Totota Peace Hut —a community space where women mediate disputes, promote justice and support post-war reconciliation.
Her research doesn’t rely on traditional academic methods alone. Thanks to the MA program's Independent Research Creation Project (IRCP), she is integrating her creative skills with academia, making research more immersive and engaging.
“I think that’s really awesome,” Farah says. “I’m able to take my career skills—photography, videography, video editing—and merge that with research. My goal is to present the research in a story map, which is an interactive and accessible storytelling tool. The story map can consist of videos, audio, and maps as well.”
Similar to her research, Farah envisions a career where her creative and academic passions intersect, using media and research to uplift marginalized communities. Whether through visual storytelling, advocacy, or immersive research, she is committed to merging her skills in a meaningful way.
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Profiles in the Meet Our Students section are written by students in the Master of Media in Journalism & Communication program, who are enrolled in MMJC 9604 - Professional Writing.
