Yara Jouzy: Growing into a trusted storyteller

By Makaila Atsonglo

Yara's hometown: Palestine

MMJC'22 alumni Yara Jouzy understands that storytelling is not only a passion, but also a responsibility.

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Yara Jouzy is an MMJC 2022 alumni who has always been surrounded by story lovers— it’s no surprise that she became a storyteller herself.

“I’ve always been a storyteller,” Yara says. “I used to journal a lot and write non-fiction and fiction at a very young age. As a Palestinian, I have a very strong background in storytelling, especially my family’s history.”

Growing up in Dubai, Yara spent her days sitting with her father in his home library reading together in silence.

This mutual love of reading inspired her to write her first story at 10 years old. Yara doesn’t know why she chose to write about something as out-of-this world as aliens for her first-ever story, she just knows that she had a passion for creating. She recalls her aunt surprising her with a typed-out version of her story. While her aunt brought her story to life for her on paper back then, Yara continues to bring other people’s stories to life today.

Before moving to Canada to attend the MMJC program, Yara completed her bachelor’s degree in PR and Communications at the University of Maryland. Despite extensive experience in communications throughout her undergrad, Yara says the MMJC program was a perfect fit for her. MMJC introduced her to interactive and practical elements of storytelling she couldn’t have gotten anywhere else.

"Knowledge is power and that can never be taken from you. This motivated me to leave home and travel across the world in pursuit of higher education. - Yara Jouzy

“At MMJC, I learned to be bold and to give a voice to the voiceless. I, as a journalist, as a writer, as a communicator, have the opportunity to control the narrative and that ability is extremely powerful. It’s my responsibility to go above and beyond to tell the truth.”

Yara says the tight-knit and supportive MMJC community and hands-on learning empowered her to express her artistic self.

“You’re not just coming to the program and doing research and writing. You’re learning how to edit videos, you’re learning interview skills, and learning professional and personal storytelling skills.”

Fun Fact

Yara figure skated competitively in Dubai from age six until she graduated high school. When she started, there was only one ice rink in the entire city. She's also a fraternal twin!

Now living in Toronto, Yara is a communications manager at a non-profit tech company, ventureLAB. This role tailors her creativity to the niche industry that focuses on talent retention, commercialized technology, IP and customer acquisition. Her days are filled with securing interviews for media coverage and podcasts, preparing colleagues with media training and expertise in corporate communications. Writing about tech and semiconductors isn’t as far-fetched as aliens, but Yara always knows how to turn important stories into interesting ones.

When Yara isn’t communicating or writing stories, she spends her time volunteering for unhoused people in Toronto every month. She is training and fundraising for an upcoming half marathon, with the proceeds going towards university education for Palestinian youth.

While Yara is focused on telling stories for others, she knows she’s also living her own story.

“I think it's really important as a writer, as a communicator, to always stay true to who you are and your identity. Never forget that - to be true to who you are and always be bold.”

The MMJC program has allowed many students to launch successful careers in journalism, communications, marketing and other media-focused industries. If you’re interested in starting your media career, apply to Western’s MMJC program to Start Your Story!

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Profiles in the Start Your Story blog are written by students in the Master of Media in Journalism & Communication program, who are enrolled in MMJC 9604 - Professional Writing.