Marium Zahra

1 week ago | emagazine.com | Marium Zahra

EarthTalk Q&A Dear EarthTalk: How is air quality across the U.S. these days? —Paul Jackson, Washington, DCAir quality is defined as the degree to which the air of a set place is pollutant-free. In the United States, air quality is measured through the Air Quality Index (AQI) created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The AQI uses six categorizations of air quality, from Green (0-50) to Maroon (301<); the higher the index, the greater the pollution and health concern.

2 weeks ago | pangyrus.com | Marium Zahra

As a teenager who follows social and political issues, I am always hearing about the ever-nearing doom of the climate crisis, how humans are destroying the environment, and how we are the “super-generation” who need to save it all. How weird is it, then, that in the classroom we study virtually nothing about the environment? How can we work towards climate justice if we’re not even learning about it?

1 month ago | pangyrus.com | Marium Zahra

With half-closed eyes and reluctance, I opened my laptop to attend my first social studies class of 7th grade: Texas History. For me, history classes before then often meant hours of incorrect information and skewed perspectives that praised colonizers and attacked anyone of color. As a Pakistani immigrant, it’s easy to understand why I was so hesitant to attend this class at 8:30 in the morning. Nonetheless, I launched the Zoom meeting and prepared to introduce myself.

2 months ago | pangyrus.com | Marium Zahra |Andrew J. Neel

Pangyrus presents a new column, Voices in the Classroom by columnist Marium Zahra. Marium’s essays will highlight the perils of classroom politics. Whether the issue is local or national, she’ll cover it as someone who is seeing it and experiencing it firsthand — as a high school student. _______________________At first it sounded like a clear win: Two extra weeks of spring break in the second semester of my 6th-grade year? Amazing.

2 months ago | thebarbedwire.com | Marium Zahra

El Paso sunsets are unbeatable. Bright shades of orange, yellow, and sometimes pink and purple paint my hometown sky every evening as the sun slips under the horizon. I live right on the sweeping Southwestern border, or as we refer to it here the “Frontera,” which is Spanish for the border, between the United States and Mexico. The city is nestled between a small mountain range named the Franklin Mountains and the Rio Grande.