Malia Brown, a junior majoring in Journalism and Political Science has gone beyond the typical college experience of attending classes, meeting new people and joining student organizations. The talented California native has enhanced her time at Carolina because of her role as editor-in-chief of a magazine she created her junior year of high school.

As a natural hair extraordinaire and advocator for women’s empowerment, Brown felt the need to create a magazine that acts as a positive voice for young girls everywhere. The magazine also strives to challenge societal standards of beauty, especially those pertaining to women of color.

The publication, fittingly named Natura Magazine, is a free quarterly digital publication and active blog that caters to young women of color with interests in natural hair, entertainment, fashion, beauty, health, and fitness & wellness. The seventh issue of the magazine is set to be released April 6th.

As the date approaches, naturally, Brown has feelings of both excitement and anxiousness.

Brown

“I must admit that these past four months have been extremely challenging with putting this issue together, and making sure that it best represents our mission, while also working with a new team, and learning how to best lead them” said Brown.

“We haven’t put out an issue since the spring of last year, so I am both excited and very nervous to see how people will receive it.”

When asked what readers will gain from checking out the latest issue, Brown said, “We want all of our readers to walk away feeling more confident than they did when they first opened the magazine.”

“Natura is your one-stop destination to all of your natural hair, and lifestyle needs. Every image, and every article was created with our readers in mind,” concluded Brown.

Here is an firsthand look at the completed cover:

Until the highly anticipated magazine is released, head over to http://www.naturamagazineusa.com for updates, stories, and more information.