Mariah Robinson

Mariah grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio and received her BA in International Studies with minors in Ecosystem Science & Policy and Latin American Studies from the University of Miami, Florida.

In 2016, she received a Fulbright scholarship to study at SOAS, University of London’s summer institute in the UK. This opportunity ignited a passion for international travel and study that led to four semesters as an exchange student at universities in France, Australia, Argentina, and India.

During her time at the University of Sydney, Australia, Mariah worked on a permaculture farm and permaculture teaching institute, learning about holistic farming techniques and sustainability practices. Throughout her semester at Universidad de Belgrano, Argentina, she interned for the Buenos Aires Ministry of Education & Culture, where she conducted research on government-sponsored education initiatives.

Between semesters, Mariah backpacked and work-exchanged her way across numerous countries. Her time abroad included stints as a barista at a nonprofit-run cafe in Mexico City, a Sciences Po Model EU delegate in France, and three weeks spent hiking the Camino de Santiago trail in Spain with terrible hiking shoes and no idea how to hike. In the process of documenting and sharing her travels, Mariah became enthralled with the connective power of imagery and the ways in which great storytelling can transcend linguistic and cultural divides.

Mariah has a passion for creative writing, photography, and videography and a mission to use these mediums to drive positive social and political change. She hopes to combine practical policy knowledge with the power of the written word and the emotive nature of video and photograph to stir citizen and community-based action.

When not studying or working, Mariah enjoys being aggressively mediocre at the ukulele, accidentally taking the New York subway in the wrong direction, and preventing her cats from falling off their fire escape.

What drew you to the MA Arts Politics program?

Coming out of undergrad, I felt an intense push to dive into my creative passions and I knew that I wanted to use my art to drive societal change, but I had no idea if there were academic programs out there that would provide me with the tools and opportunities to do so. Discovering the Arts Politics program at NYU was incredibly affirming – reassuring me that the pull I felt towards using the arts as a medium for positive change was shared by incredibly talented and intelligent students and faculty - and it was the only graduate program I applied to. I am beyond excited to be surrounded by people with similar missions but vastly different backgrounds, perspectives, art forms, and ideas than my own. I want to be challenged, supported, and pushed to my limits both creatively and critically, and I see that opportunity and an amazing sense of community in the MA Arts Politics Program.