After graduating from Wellesley College in 2003, Dania Akkad worked as a daily newspaper reporter at The Salinas Californian and The Monterey Country Herald, covering everything from crime to agribusiness. In 2008, she moved to Syria and worked as a staff writer for Syria Today before completing a Master's in Near and Middle Eastern Studies with a focus on politics at The School of Oriental and African Studies. Tweets at @daniaakkad.