Yalda Hakim

Yalda Hakim is an Australian broadcast journalist currently working for BBC World News.

Early life and education

Born in Afghanistan, Hakim arrived in Australia as a three-year-old migrant. When she was six months old, her family fled Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War. The family traveled on horseback overland to Pakistan with the help of people smugglers. After two years in Pakistan the family settled in Australia in 1986.

Hakim attended Macarthur Girls High School in Parramatta, Sydney, where she played the violin and became a sports captain and prefect. She also attended Parramatta West Public School. She went on to study for a Bachelor of Arts in Media from 2002 to 2004 at Macquarie University, where she was also a board member of the Macquarie University Union. In 2005, Hakim obtained a Diploma in Journalism at Macleay College, Sydney. She graduated with a journalism degree via distance education from Monash University in 2007, in addition to a cadetship at the Special Broadcasting Service.