A Part of Who I Am

Journalist Nadia Dreid Grows Up with Georgia Southern

“I love being a journalist,” said Nadia Dreid (‘15), who earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Georgia Southern. “My professors at Georgia Southern taught me to truly respect the journalism profession and I fell in love with it.”

Dreid was born in Statesboro and grew up surrounded by all things Georgia Southern. There was never a doubt that she would become an Eagle.

“I was homeschooled, so I kind of grew up with the University,” said Dreid. “It felt like home. I felt good about going to school in such a welcoming environment.”

PROFESSORS HELD THE KEY

Dreid has been a reporter based in Washington, D.C., for the past four-and-a-half years for Law360, a legal news publication. Journalism is a notoriously difficult field to get into, but Dreid’s perseverance and the expertise she gained from her work at The George-Anne student newspaper plus her internships, prepared her for success as a reporter. Still, she acknowledged it wouldn’t have happened without her professors at Georgia Southern.

“Dr. Jennifer Kowalewski was just amazing,” said Dreid. “And David Simpson, probably more than any other professor, helped shape my career. He’s the one who pushed me in student media. He pushed me to apply for the Scripps Howard Foundation Wire internship in Washington, D.C., and I’m really grateful
he did.”

INTERFAITH OUTREACH

Dreid is a practicing Muslim who wears a headscarf, also known as a hijab — a rare sight on Georgia Southern’s campus in 2010.

“My mother’s family are Southern Baptist and my dad is Muslim,” said Dreid. “Oh, what a combination! They divorced when I was young, so I was kind of raised in the middle, but with very little religious upbringing.”

As Dreid got older, she became interested in religion, especially the Abrahamic religions; Judaism, Islam and Christianity. After studying those three religions, she decided that Islam was right for her and started practicing the Muslim faith. She also minored in religion while at Georgia Southern.

During Dreid’s early years on campus, she helped found a Muslim student association. She was one of only two hijab-wearing women on campus and she said some people really didn’t understand why she wore the head covering. So, she undertook many outreach and interfaith events with the Hillel Jewish student organization.

“It was definitely a really big part of my experience at Georgia Southern that I cherish,” said the Statesboro native. “Speaking at interfaith events gave me a background in talking to people, which I definitely needed as a journalist.”

Dreid doesn’t think her faith stands in the way of her work as a reporter.

“Sometimes, if you are a different race or religion, visibly different, people think that you can’t write about certain issues because you won’t remain unbiased,” said Dreid. “But I think the industry has started to open up about that a lot more.”

ON TOP OF THE WHALE

Dreid met the man who would become her husband, Jonathan Capriel, during her Scripps Howard internship. Capriel is also a reporter with the Washington Business Journal, and a practicing Muslim.

Capriel and Dreid got married in 2018 at Georgia Southern’s Botanic Garden. But the story of their engagement is what’s most often discussed. Decades ago, Georgia Southern Professor Richard Petkewich, Ph.D., a paleontologist, is reported to have buried a pygmy sperm whale beneath Sweetheart Circle. But nobody is really certain where it is.

“Jonathan came to visit me and we were walking on Sweetheart Circle,” said Dreid. “I said ‘the whale’s right here’, just making something up, and I jumped on the spot. Then suddenly Jonathan proposed. He always tells people he proposed on top of the whale in Sweetheart Circle.”

AWARD-WINNING WRITER

Dreid’s career at Law360 has been blossoming. She has written many stories, but said there is one story in particular that gives her great pride.

“I talked to 15 or so Black attorneys about their experiences in the wake of the George Floyd incident”, she said. “I did hours of interviews with them about what they were going through. It was very difficult putting the story together. I was really proud of that and proud of how Law360 supported me.”

In 2020, out of thousands of stories, Dreid received the “Best Feature of the Year” award from Law360. Quite an honor for the young journalist who got her start in reporting at Georgia Southern.

“Georgia Southern is a part of who I am,” said Dreid. “It’s a part of who I was from the time I was two or three years old. And when Law360 told me that I could work remotely due to the pandemic, the idea of being able to once again spend time on campus made me very happy.” — Liz Walker