More than words: National Geographic virtual photo camp helps Somali refugee share her story
Posted May 10, 2021
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Through her writing and photography, 17-year-old Rayan Mohamed is a storyteller.
Mohamed, a junior at Henninger High School, participated in National Geographic’s week-long photo camp earlier this year, which teaches students to use photojournalism to tell stories about themselves and their communities. The program is led by world-renowned photographers Andrea Bruce and David Guttenfelder, focusing on students’ perspectives on important issues. The program began in 2003 and has been run in over 35 countries.
This year’s virtual camp focused on “Democracy in Action.” The group of students met on Zoom and held discussions on what democracy meant for them. For Mohamed, whose family left Somalia and lived in refugee camps in Ethiopia until she moved to the United States at age 11, a personal definition of democracy is important. Coming to America, Mohamed said she experienced racism and social injustice that she had not had to worry about before.