Education

She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Policy at the Harris School. She is a second-year student specializing in global conflict and international development. She is passionate about using her research skills for advocacy-driven storytelling. She is an avid writer, journalist, and digital media producer.

At Harris, Reema is a Pearson and International House Fellow. She is a Research Assistant for Professor Kara Ross Camarena and the Lead Producer for the Root of Conflict Podcast. She serves on the leadership teams for the University of Chicago Public Policy Podcasts and the International Development Policy Association. She brings a breadth of experience from research to storytelling. This summer, she is working for the Institute for Governance Reform, a think tank in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Previously, she completed internships with Freedom House, PartnersGlobal, Advocates for Youth, and the U.S. State Department.

Originally from South Carolina, she graduated from the University of Chicago with degrees in Public Policy and Creative Writing. During her studies, she founded the Partnership for the Advancement of Refugee Rights and received honors for her thesis, a qualitative study on the role of internet messaging in refugee aid. She was awarded the Boren Scholarship for Arabic studies in Jordan and studied abroad in Morocco.

Podcast Production

Reema is the Lead Producer for Root of Conflict, a podcast on violent conflict around the world and the people, societies, and policies it affects. She's gotten involved in all stages of the production process from research to booking guests, interviewing, editing, and marketing. Additionally, she's worked as a producer and editor on The Forum by University of Chicago Public Policy Podcasts, the Embracing Abilities, Expanding Possibilities by Easterseals Serving Chicagoland and Greater Rockford, and Bridging Knowledge & Policy by the Institute for Governance Reform.

Production, Interviewing, and Editing Experience

• "Geography is Destiny | Ian Morris," Root of Conflict
• "Decolonizing Palestine | Somdeep Sen," Root of Conflict
• "Early Intervention," Embracing Abilities, Expanding Possibilities
• "The Troubles | Jon McCourt," Root of Conflict
• "Everyday War | Greta Uehling," Root of Conflict
• "Somaliland's Independence | Bashir Goth," Root of Conflict
• "Trust After Betrayal | Erin McFee," Root of Conflict
• "A Conversation with Liz Hempowicz," The Forum
• "Gender and Conflict | Lina Haddad Kreidie," Root of Conflict
• "African Political Philosophy | Francis Njoku," Root of Conflict
• "How to Turn Around a Nonprofit in Crisis," Embracing Abilities, Expanding Possibilities
• "A Conversation with Teng Biao," The Forum
• "The American War in Afghanistan | Carter Malkasian," Root of Conflict
• "Training First Responders to Understand Autism," Embracing Abilities, Expanding Possibilities
• "Inflation and the Economy," Bridging Knowledge & Policy
• "Political Resistance in Myanmar | Jason Gelbort," Root of Conflict
• "Sierra Leone's Redenomination," Bridging Knowledge & Policy
• "African Solutions to African Challenges | Martin Kimani," Root of Conflict
• "Global Impact and Philanthropy | Liz Drew," Root of Conflict
• "Why We Fight | Chris Blattman," Root of Conflict
• "In Conversation with Carter Sanders," Embracing Abilities, Expanding Possibilities
• "Disinformation and Democracy | Nina Jankowicz," Root of Conflict
• "Quantifying Global Peace | Steve Killelea," Root of Conflict
• "Human Rights in Yemen | Afrah Nasser," Root of Conflict
• "Social Cohesion After Conflict | Salma Mousa," Root of Conflict
• "Refugee Mental Health | Aimee Hilado," Root of Conflict
• "Evaluating Peacebuilding Interventions | Ada Sonnenfeld," Root of Conflict

Photography

Since 2020, Reema has been dedicated to capturing life and people in Chicago. If you'd like to book her for a portrait session or to shoot an event, please reach out.

• Full Portfolio
• Get in Touch

Journalism

Newspapers and Magazines

• "The Specters of 'Yellowface,'" Chicago Review of Books
• "Title 42 Is Ending. What’s Next For Immigration?" Borderless Magazine
• "Found Family, Forests, and Fantastical Storytelling from In The Lives of Puppets," Chicago Review of Books
• "Poet José Olivarez Attempts to Resist Empire in ‘Promises of Gold,'" South Side Weekly
• "Changing of the Guard in Chicago’s City Council," South Side Weekly
• "A Breakdown of Key Ward Races," South Side Weekly
• "Steppenwolf’s “1919” Brings Eve Ewing’s Poetry to Vivid and Insightful Life," Chicago Maroon
• "'Blissing Out:' Ling Ma's 'Bliss Montage' Stretches the Familiar into the Surreal," South Side Weekly
• "Q&A with Fantastical Artist Martha A. Wade," South Side Weekly
• "Q&A with Little Village Oil Painter Sebastian Silverio," South Side Weekly
• "Community, Nostalgia, and Vaporub," South Side Weekly
• "South Side Photographer Akilah Townsend Captures the Palette of the City," South Side Weekly
• "'Leave Me Alone': Q&A with Hailey Marie Losselyong, Creator of HML Art & Design," South Side Weekly
• "Chicago’s Welcome of Ukrainian Refugees May Come With Challenges," South Side Weekly
• "Blue Tin Productions Lays the Foundation for Ethical Manufacturing," South Side Weekly
• “Q&A with Author Sok-Khieng Hardy,” The Overseas Dispatch
• "Stillness Complicated by Corners: A Reflection on Anne Carson’s Lecture Series," UChicago Arts

Professional Writing

• "Maintaining the Future of Public Infrastructure," Chicago Policy Review
• "Opening New Pathways to Resettlement in the US," Inkstick Media
• “Healing Resistance: A Conversation with Author Kazu Haga,” The PartnersGlobal Institute
• “From Deterrence to Decriminalization: Reimagining How Immigration Violations Are Penalized Under the Biden Administration,” Policy Papers by Women of Color, A New Normal: Redefining National Security Beyond 2020
• “Good vs. Toxic Polarization: Insights from Activists and Peacebuilders,” The PartnersGlobal Institute
• “Reconnected in Refuge: Navigating ICT Use by Migrants & Refugee Assistance Organizations in Humanitarian Contexts,” University of Chicago Public Policy Theses
• “Muddled Waters: Fighting the Delegitimization of Eritrean Asylum Claims,” The Rights Stuff: UC Berkeley Review
• “The Weaponization of Antiquities in Palmyra,” The Chicago Foreign Policy Journal

Creative Writing

Fiction

• “The Box Left Behind,” Euphony Journal
• “Sunday Peace,” MURAL Magazine
• “Scattered Memories,” Migration Stories: A Community Anthology

Poetry

• “Blossoms Snap from Painted Vases,” Sliced Bread Magazine
• “Sound Box Cackles.” Memoryhouse Magazine
• “Continental Drift,” Blacklight Magazine
• “Blinking at Self-Portraits,” MURAL Magazine
• “Berbere Blues,” Blacklight Magazine
• “Diaspora in Continental Drift,” MURAL Magazine
• “Light Switch,” The Flannel Underground

Videography

Members Only, directed by Fern Ramoutar, Glenys McGuire, Reema Saleh, and Chioma Nwoye explores the ongoing privatization of public space through a focus on the South Shore Cultural Center, challenging us to imagine beyond existing structures toward new possibilities for accessibility and community. This documentary was produced through the Department of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago and screened publicly on April 1, 2023. Please contact Reema to watch the film.

• Public Screening at the Film Studies Center

She creates regular video essays and media commentary on her YouTube channel, Night Owls Media, which she co-produces with her sister.

• “LGBTQ+ Representation in Children’s Media,” Night Owls
• “What Went Wrong with Fate: The Winx Saga," Night Owls