Kristin Kihara enjoys picking up a magazine, flipping through its glossy pages and landing on something unexpected and interesting. One thing she鈥檚 noticed, though, is that many magazines tend to highlight 鈥減eople who have already succeeded in life, who are accomplished and have made their millions.鈥�
Midway through her first year as a biomedical engineering major at UMass Lowell, Kihara decided to create a magazine of her own, one that would shine a light on 鈥渁 community of Black creators, artists and writers that aren鈥檛 really seen.鈥� The Brockton, Massachusetts, native reached out to people she knew through social media and asked if they鈥檇 like to submit photos and stories.
Kihara鈥檚 side project soon became 鈥渁n obsession,鈥� and in just two months, she finished her debut issue of , a 118-page lifestyle and fashion magazine that鈥檚 currently available in digital form 鈥� but that she hopes will one day be on newsstands alongside publications like Vogue and Essence.
鈥淢y dream is to be a magazine publisher,鈥� says Kihara, who changed majors in her sophomore year to business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship. 鈥淚 liked engineering, but pursuing a magazine career is something I loved.鈥�
A first-generation college student whose family immigrated to the U.S. from Kenya, Kihara was drawn to UML by its diversity.聽
鈥淭here鈥檚 a big African population here, and I wanted to go somewhere where I鈥檇 feel comfortable,鈥� says Kihara, who was a member of the River Hawk Scholars Academy and joined the as a first-year student.
Besides stylish spreads on fashion, music and entrepreneurship, Kihara鈥檚 magazine features essays on social justice and Black empowerment 鈥� issues that have been at the forefront of the national discussion over the past two years.
鈥淚鈥檓 not saying the timing was good, but it鈥檚 something that people need to see right now,鈥� she says. 鈥淎 lot of people are very interested in empowering the Black community, and that鈥檚 what my magazine illustrates.鈥�
Kihara, who taught herself how to lay out the magazine using desktop publishing software, is working on her second issue, which she hopes to publish before the end of her sophomore year.
While she could have simply built a website for the content, Kihara is determined to make Black a printed product.
鈥淓veryone has a website, but it鈥檚 not as powerful and cool as a magazine,鈥� she says. 鈥淓veryone鈥檚 dream is to be in a magazine. You feel seen.鈥�