About Me

Born in London and raised in Macon, Georgia, Ruth Etiesit Samuel is a Nigerian-American law student & former journalist based in New York, NY. Through reporting on popular culture, fashion, race, and more, she seeks to amplify the voices of marginalized communities, namely Black women.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in Media & Journalism and a minor in Hispanic Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was also awarded the Morehead-Cain Scholarship. With over 5 years of experience in digital media, her writing has appeared in Teen Vogue, ESSENCE, Allure Magazine, Gothamist, NBC BLK, and more.

In June 2019, Ruth was a summer production intern at Radiolab, a long-form science journalism podcast from WNYC Studios. The following summer, she participated in NBCU’s Summer 2020 News Diversity Fellowship, subsequently serving as a digital editorial intern for the TODAY Show in January 2021. In May 2021, Ruth reported for the Los Angeles Times as an arts & entertainment intern.

She has also been featured in various outlets, such as the Columbia Journalism Review and NBCLX, and on panel discussions hosted by The Knight Foundation and the 92Y Center for Culture & Arts. Previously, she was a culture reporter at HuffPost, covering the intersection of entertainment, identity, and society. Now, Ruth is a J.D. Candidate at Columbia Law School. You can read her musings and more in her newsletter & blog, Ruth on the Runway.