Nyah Hoskins
By Victoria Williams
When Nyah Hoskins told her family she was moving to Chicago from New Jersey to attend DePaul University, her parents didn’t believe her. The third of six siblings, she was the first to move out of the state for college.
“Coming to DePaul from Jersey City was like entering an alternate universe. All of my friends back home had similar identities, and we came from similar backgrounds. Interacting with people of different identities forced me out of my comfort zone.”
Nyah has always been interested in journalism. Passionate about diversity and inclusion, she strives to cover stories on marginalized students and topics in pop culture.
During her first journalism class at DePaul, Nyah was also enrolled in an Explore Chicago course taught by Dr. Amor Kohli, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of African and Black Diaspora Studies. This class opened her eyes to a new academic interest.
Freelance Writer
BA Journalism 2019
BA African/Black Diaspora Studies 2019
By the end of Nyah’s first quarter, she picked up an African and Black Diaspora (ABD) minor. The following quarter, she took a winter ABD course on Latin America and the Caribbean. Learning about the history of her mother’s country outside of a colonial context was refreshing and empowering. By the end of winter quarter, Nyah was officially a double major in Journalism and African and Black Diaspora studies.
“My experience at DePaul has been nothing less than transformational. I have had the opportunity to learn so much more about myself and my identity. Making the decision to pair Journalism with African/Black Diaspora studies allows me to frame my work in a context that further explains the experiences of Black people globally.”
Along with newfound academic interests and passions, Nyah began to grow as a student leader on campus. She became an active member of the on-campus organizations S.T.R.O.N.G., the Black Student Union, the African Student Association, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Nyah is an advocate for the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional growth of women of color on campus through self-reflection, education, collective healing, and understanding. She wants to ensure that women from similar backgrounds at DePaul get to experience the comforting sense of community that she gained through her involvement.
