Fazilat Soukhakian is an Iranian artist, photographer and scholar who is currently an Associate Professor of Photography at Utah State University. She started her career as a photojournalist in Iran and became one of its very few female photojournalists in a highly patriarchal society. She moved to the United States in 2011 and received her Master of Fine Arts degree and her Ph.D in Architectural History from the University of Cincinnati.  She is a visual storyteller who reflects on the social and political issues of her surroundings as a means for social change and justice. Her work revolves around depicting the stories of bravery and strength of those marginalized by society, highlighting the act of overcoming struggle and inspiring others.