Meet the Staff: Marina Ali

Hey ya’ll!

My name is Marina Ali and I’m extremely excited to be a part of the staff at Brown Girl Magazine! I’m an energetic yet extremely awkward biomedical engineering student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. I’m obsessed with science fiction and am an avid Trekkie. I kid you not, I know more about fictional alien races from Star Trek than I know about molecular orbitals for my upcoming chemistry exam.

In my spare time, you can find me making food for people, watching Netflix and listening to music.

Writing has been one of my favorite hobbies ever since I was a little kid. When I was about eight or nine, I really got into writing fiction, especially science fiction. It kind of subsided as I was going through my middle school years until I took it up again in high school. I kept it all to myself. It was only after I took a creative writing class my senior year that I started sharing my work.

I’m so happy to be a part of Brown Girl Magazine because I love to write opinion articles on politics, fashion, tech and whatever else comes to my mind. This is the first time I have written in a journalistic way, but I’m gradually getting better as I continue writing.

When I’m not freaking out over schoolwork or something related to school, I like to do yoga and run. I’ve been running on and off on my own since high school, but I’m taking it up religiously to get in better shape. Yoga is a new obsession for me because it seems to be solving all my problems. The meditation, breathing and stretching aspect of it have been the most beneficial for me. I open my mind in those moments and I get a sense of clarity that I cannot find on a day-to-day basis. It’s really funny how I started, though. I saw a random Twitter post on an easy morning yoga routine and started doing it every Sunday. After that, I was hooked. I do everything by myself. There is no way I can afford to go to a good studio on a college budget. Still, I love everything that I have been able to accomplish with yoga and I’m definitely going to be doing it for a very long time.

In terms of goals, I’d like to be an astronaut-doctor. I’ve wanted to be an astronaut since I was a little kid. I want to make my dreams come true, but first I have get fit, because there is no way I would pass the physical exams. Also, I love learning about medicine and caring for children, so I am definitely considering being a pediatrician. I’m super passionate about everything I do. I get a lot of snooty comments on my career choices, but regardless, “Imma do me.”

Music is super important to me. I have been playing piano since I was in middle school, so it has always been in my life. I listen to practically every genre, but I tend to lean more towards EDM, rap and rock. My favorite artist changes from month to month, but I am currently listening to Burial, Flosstradamus, Chief Keef and Lykke Li. I go head over heels for good playlists, and I am always making them. If you look at my Spotify, you’ll see some of the most obscure lists. Subscribe to it if you want to keep listening and follow me if you want more playlists.

That is basically who I am, a conglomerate of random obsessions and dorkiness. If you ever want to hit me up on Twitter!

Thanks for all the support that you have been giving me, and I hope to hear from you guys because I love getting feedback. I’m really looking forward to writing the stories that matter to you guys!