Walaa Hussein has been writing for Al-Monitor since September 2013; she is the editor-in-chief of the parliamentary news division at Rose al-Yusuf. An expert in African affairs, Hussein has collaborated with the Nile Channel, writing and preparing newscasts.

Al-Monitor:  Why did you decide to become a journalist?

Hussein:  My passion for adventure and love for travel made me learn about different cultures and pushed me to be a journalist at first. It then developed into a passion for searching for facts, discovering and analyzing them, especially when it relates to corruption issues. I believe I have accomplished a lot in my career, which I adore. I enjoyed the adventures I had during my repeated trips to a number of the Nile Basin countries. I enjoyed sleeping in a hut in the Hydra forests in Tanzania, and spied on the work of an astrologer at the headwaters of the Nile in Uganda. I was held hostage for hours at the hands of the insurgents in South Sudan, and I had fun taking "selfies" at the confluence of the White and Blue Niles in Khartoum. I have enjoyed winning prizes and being honored.

Al-Monitor:  Did you have female role models to look up to when you were first starting out? Who?