Following her emigration from Egypt nearly 20 years ago, one Orange County, California woman has dedicated her career in the States to philanthropy—with a global twist.
Mira Victor is known by many within California and Egypt’s sizeable Coptic Orthodox community for her news show “Ask Mira,” which is watched by thousands of Americans and abroad.
Victor provides content free of charge to Huntington Beach-based nonprofit media group Coptic Satellite TV. She also provides free youth soccer training and other community services to Huntington Beach residents through the nonprofit and is known for wearing “many hats,” as she additionally works as a paralegal on the side.
“I want everyone I meet to feel appreciated and loved,” Victor told The Epoch Times. “As a volunteer or through my videos, I want to capture those moments for all the people I meet.”
Her television show offers Coptic Christian children’s content, but Victor also uses the channel for local and national news, bridging the linguistic and cultural gap between the Arab community and American leaders and other known figures, whom she said she meets attending hundreds of political and cultural events each year.
“I love meeting new people and promoting [Coptic] voices in the news and media. It is very important to have such representation in politics and in the media,” Victor told The Epoch Times.
Those who have been interviewed by her include state senator Janet Nguyen, Huntington Beach Mayor Tony Strickland, Vogue Arabia cover star and Art D’Egypte founder Nadine Abel Ghaffar, and hundreds more, helping her to amass thousands of fans in the process.
It earned her an International Women’s Month award last month from the Cultural Inclusion Foundation, a local nonprofit supporting minority groups in California.
According to the nonprofit, Victor’s work has provided viewers with a diversified perspective in the media.
Among such perspectives includes one of Victor’s most anticipated episodes: the Art D’Egypt Arts and Cultural Festival, which will be held in Cairo, Egypt this October. There, Victor will showcase her audience with one of the most vibrant cultural initiatives in Egypt, which promotes artists from Egypt and other parts of the world.
“I love showing the [Egyptian and non-Egyptian] audience how special Egyptian art and culture is through events like [Art D’Egypte],” Victor said. “It is my favorite event of the year.”
Victor also invites doctors, business leaders, social workers, and others to appear on her show, to educate the public, she said, on important topics based on their expertise.
“I want to help the [local] community understand their rights and roles in the country and in society,” she said.
Viewers can watch Victor’s show Friday and Saturday on the CSat TV website, Roku, the CSat app available on Apple and Android, as well as on YouTube.
