Now more than ever, the voices of the Ames and Iowa State community need to be heard — and the Iowa State Daily is here to listen.  

My name is Amber Mohmand, my pronouns are she/her and I’m the Voices editor for the fall 2020 to spring 2021 school year. 

The Voices Desk is an extension of the Diversity Desk at the Iowa State Daily. This section has been around for a while — since 2015 —  and it’s meant to write and uplift the voices of the Ames and Iowa State communities. 

It’s a place to tell stories of what makes us different, yet similar, in our experiences, in our values and in our beliefs. This is a place where journalism will take the form of narrative storytelling. 

Each article will have high-quality reporting, writing and visuals. 

The views expressed by individuals contributing to this project don’t represent the views of the Iowa State Daily but are reflective of the views of individual voices from around the greater campus community. 

The Voices section is meant to tell someone’s story — to give the effect of “putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.” It’s to give you, the reader, a glimpse of someone else’s life, their struggles and their successes. 

Here’s the catch: before this summer, I had never written about diversity-related issues. 

You may have seen my byline in articles about local politics, most frequently in covering the Ames City Council or breaking crime-related news stories. 

I enjoyed writing in-depth stories and having deep conversations with people. That’s why I started the “Talk About It” series, which is about mental health, how it impacts students and what resources are available to them. 

It wasn’t until I began covering the Black Lives Matter movement throughout the summer that I learned how important it is to ensure the Black, indigenous and people of color communities’ voices are heard through journalism. 

I’m a third-year journalism student at Iowa State, and I identify as a first-generation Afghan American. My parents were born and raised in Afghanistan. They both studied to become lawyers — but they had to evacuate their home country because of the war. 

I was born in India and moved to the United States in June 2000. I’ve spent almost my whole life in Ames, Iowa. I’ve grown up with two clashing cultures — a struggle, but hey, I’m here — and I’m now a journalist-in-the-making. 

Let me reassure you that I’m here to listen, to have a conversation and to understand your journey so far. Whether that’s writing about your international classmates, students advocating for change or a nonbinary police officer’s journey at Iowa State, Voices is a place to share, listen, educate, learn and inspire. 

Currently, I am still working with Editor-in-Chief Sage Smith to create a content model — how often this desk will be publishing stories and what days. But as soon as that happens, I will let you know. 

We hope to create an environment to challenge your thoughts while respecting others’ beliefs and backgrounds for future students and community members.

In the meantime, if you have any story ideas, critiques or questions please reach out to me, [email protected], and I’d be happy to virtually speak with you. If you’re interested in writing for the Voices Desk, I would be overjoyed to welcome you to our small but mighty team.