Kimiya Shokoohi is an international journalist who's reported from four continents, as seen across the BBC and numerous publications.

 

Kimiya landed her first by-line in a story about a Canadian connection to the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama in 2008. The Obama administration signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the nuclear deal amid Kimiya's studies at the University of Southern California – alma matter to Crown Prince of Iran HRH Reza Pahlavi. Shortly after graduation, she pursued a personal public diplomacy project that helped the Olympic Broadcasting Services launch a multi-platform media studio. In all, she has been across seven editions of the Olympic Games. She joined the BBC in 2018 as part of the World 2020 project, where she and teams across Africa produced numerous short documentaries for the BBC. She is currently working on a special project about the role of sport, environment and economy in pre-revolutionary Iran as an independent researcher at the Bodleian Libraries of Oxford University.

 

Kimiya holds a Bachelor's Degree in Applied Journalism from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, named after the Kwantlen First Nation in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Kwantlen First Nation is committed to environmental sustainability and preservation of natural resources on its lands. In 2014, Kimiya graduated with a Master of Arts degree in Specialized Journalism, on full scholarship, from the University of Southern California. Los Angeles remains home to the largest diaspora of Iranians outside Iran. The Annenberg Fellowship is named after publisher and diplomat Walter Hubert Annenberg, appointed by President Nixon as US Ambassador to the UK from 1969-1974. Kimiya completed online studies in religion, conflict, and peace with Harvard University's Divinity School in 2024.