At first sight, Dena Mekawi’s Instagram message to our magazine would have passed as one of a bunch we get now and then, and they would normally go into the editorial cycle to decide whether or not the story would fit in with one of our monthly themes. But the Egyptian name, along with the impressive titles associated to it caught my attention, and I thought of taking another look before passing on the message.

“Dena Mekawi,” I googled; and the first result was a website under the name of “Style and Resilience,” along with a bio of the founder, Mekawi, who “used her experience of self-discovery as an Arab American to work collectively with private sector and mainstream media to diversify voices in underrepresented communities” using her media and lifestyle website to achieve inclusivity within mainstream media. The website also carried a series of videos featuring Mekawi standing behind a UN podium, hosted on TV shows, sitting at UN discussion tables, and even featured as a Miss Arab US contestant.



“My name is Dena Mekawi. I am an Egyptian first-generation American. Growing up in America, I have always felt like I had an identity crisis. I was always ashamed of telling my peers my nationality and my religion due to the stereotyping that existed, so I lied and told people that I was Italian. But I went home and realized that I was trying to hide from my identity. I had self-esteem issues that stemmed from the bullying and the desire to achieve ideal beauty standards. This is why I spend my career [as a] self-esteem educator,” Mekawi introduced herself in the first video, as she moderated the UN International Day of Peace in 2016.
 

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