Growing up, Malaka Gharib '08 struggled to find her identity as a first-generation American and didn't know how to balance embracing her Egyptian and Filipino roots with assimilating into American culture. Eventually, Gharib learned it was up to her to define her cultural identity. Today, Gharib covers the global health beat for NPR and is an award-winning author, illustrator and cartoonist. Gharib is also the author of "I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir" and is working on a new book, "It Won't Always Be Like This." Gharib discusses how she found her identity, her adjustment to life in the U.S., what it has been like reporting on the pandemic, how Syracuse University prepared her for a career as a journalist, and the most valuable piece of advice she ever received at SU.