Firangiz Gasimova is the Editor-in-Chief of Hayat.

Gasimova was born along the ancient Silk Road in Azerbaijan. During the Soviet era, Communist authorities Russified her ancestor’s name “Qassimbeyli” into the family name “Gasimova.” Her first name reflects Turkish and Persian cultural influence.

She grew up following the collapse of the Soviet Union in a largely secular society. In high school, Gasimova won a program conducted by the Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State called “FLEX Future Leaders Program” for leaders of the future to study in the U.S. She also served at the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan as a Public Affairs Intern, and worked for Massachusetts State House of Representatives as a legislative aide.

Gasimova is a graduate of Boston University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She earned her Master’s degree in Political Theory from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Coming to the United States opened her eyes to the rich diversity of cultural Muslims in the West. The Hayat project is an opportunity to explore, celebrate, and study that diversity through compelling human stories and cultural innovation.

Kamilla Mehdi is the digital media producer and videographer for Hayat.

She was born and raised in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Since childhood, Mehdi was interested in visual arts, which led her to pursue her Bachelor’s degree in Multimedia Arts in Vilnius, Lithuania. During her studies, she learned filming and animation and practiced photography skills on the side by taking street photography and participating in the Erasmus+ Social Photography project in Timisoara, Romania.

Coming to Europe, Mehdi encountered many misconceptions of what being a person with Muslim heritage means for the majority of her university friends and people outside the campus. This realization urged her to try to broaden people’s perception of Muslims — cultural Muslims. She happily joined the Hayat team to use her videography skills to share interesting and informative stories about people of Muslim culture with the rest of the world.

Mehdi is fluent in Azerbaijani, Russian, and English and is conversant in French and German.

Maha Qadri is the Managing Editor of Hayat. 

Qadri is a second-generation Pakistani-American. They use they/them pronouns and identify as bisexual and nonbinary.

They moved around a lot before settling in Austin, TX. They went to the University of Texas in San Antonio where they received a B.A. in Professional Writing and Communication. They are currently pursuing a B.S. in Astronomy. Qadri also works as the Production Director for Glaze Zine based in Austin, TX. 

Qadri is fluent in English and Urdu and is conversant in American Sign Language.

Munira Pulodi is the event coordinator for Hayat.

Pulodi’s journey from the beautiful landscapes of Tajikistan to the bustling streets of New York City is a story of ambition and cultural exploration. After moving to the U.S. as a teenager, she adapted to a new life while holding onto her roots. Pulodi’s passion for technology and her role in the tech industry keep her at the forefront of innovation.

Her work has given her numerous opportunities to interact with diverse cultures, deepening her appreciation for global traditions and viewpoints. This aspect of her career fuels her desire to continually learn about different communities. Academically, she’s a proud graduate of the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch where she earned her Master’s degree.

Pulodi speaks Russian and Farsi fluently, connecting her to her heritage and enabling her to engage more deeply in multicultural environments. In her downtime, Pulodi enjoys unwinding with a good book and exploring NYC’s vibrant coffee scene. This simple yet fulfilling personal routine adds balance to her dynamic professional life. Pulodi’s story is one of resilience, continuous learning, and a genuine love for cultural diversity.

Amarys Dejai is a contributing author at Hayat.

Lucy Owens is a contributing author at Hayat.

Owens is a screenwriter, poet, filmmaker, and editorial photographer living in Austin, TX. She received her B.A. in directing at Arizona State University, and in 2016, she co-founded the production company Lemon St. Pictures with music composer and frequent collaborator Vincent Piccirilli. Recently, Owens was named a semifinalist in the Austin Film Festival for her short screenplay “Sittin’ Pretty in Hell” and was featured as a young artist to watch on the Filmmakers Connect 30 Under 30 list. Her directed works include “Ruby Woo” (streaming on Amazon Prime) and the award-winning short film, “The Magician.”

When not toiling away on her screenplays, Owens works professionally as a news writer, contributing author, and editor for various online and print publications.

Stephanie Dominique is a contributing author at Hayat.

A native New Englander, Dominique is the daughter of a Haitian immigrant and third-generation Irish-American. Growing up on the East Coast surrounded by hundreds of traditions opened her eyes to the beauty of all unique cultures.

Dominique is a self-taught copywriter, novelist, and voice actress. She considers herself a person of the world who strives to learn something new every day.
Dominique joined Hayat to learn more about Muslim Culture through her work and to amplify the voices of Muslim individuals.

Zoya Zia is a contributing author at Hayat.

Nina Taylor-Dunn is a contributing author at Hayat.

Taylor-Dunn grew up in Boston and earned her BA in art and architectural history from Boston University. She has a background in the performing arts, having studied as a singer in a performing arts high school and earning a dance minor at Boston University.

The first U.S.-born citizen on her mother’s side, Taylor-Dunn’s family hails from the Soviet Union. Her ancestry is both Jewish and Russian Orthodox. This religious and cultural diversity extended to an interest in languages; she dabbled in Spanish and Arabic in high school before studying Russian for two years in college.

She met Firangiz Gasimova at Boston University while participating in a global studies program to improve her Russian language skills. Having completed a writing and research-intensive degree, Taylor-Dunn was excited to return to journalistic writing for the first time since high school after broadening her knowledge and experience at university.