Meet Farah Abu-Hantash | Digital Creator & Community Manager at Yelp

We had the good fortune of connecting with Farah Abu-Hantash and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Farah, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
Born and somewhat raised in the 305, I’ve been lucky enough to call Miami my home. Being a Palestinian-American, I never truly felt like I had a place to call home until my early 20’s when I realized that Miami has built me into the woman I’m proud to be today.

Growing up in the Middle East, I was always too “American” to be considered fully Arab. My habits, accent and cultural norms were just different. The same was true once I moved back to the U.S. I was too “Arab” to relate to this westernized world. Cultural shock, political view points, society norms… you name it. Everything was just so different. I found myself in this grey area of never identifying with one specific society. Trying to fit in with a community that’s primarily Latinx, I didn’t know know who or what culture to relate to.

I eventually began to switch perspective. I decided to stop looking for a home and create my own. That is when I fell in love with the 305. Miami is my first love. It’s all I’ll ever give my whole heart too. This place means more to me than just fancy cars, and fancy night clubs. This place has an energy that will uplift you even on your worst days. It’ll bring out the hustle in you that you never knew existed and it’ll be there for you even when you think you can’t be there for yourself. It’s bright skies, shiny skylines, and most importantly: its lively people will show you to keep going and to keep pushing.

Being the child of immigrants in a city that was built from immigrants has shifted my mentality and opened my mind in so many ways. Miami is so much deeper than people perceive it to be. It is so much richer than you think. Its history, stories, and individuals living in it have taught me to always look forward while appreciating the present… To be grateful and proud of where I’m at but to never be afraid of wanting more. I’d like to consider my self an Arab-American that’s been highly molded and influenced by Latinx culture, so much so that I regularly eat pan de bonos for breakfast and can recite the entire album of Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti.”

With that being said, being influenced by so many different cultures, I’m so lucky to have found myself – it’s different, it’s a lot, it’s crazy, it’s strong but it’s me and I’m so proud of being unapologetically myself. It’s what got me my dream job, what’s given me my unique style and what keeps me going even on the worst days.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’d like to consider myself a person who’s ambitious to do so many things. I wear so many different hats on the daily and I have so many goals that I’d like to achieve. I’m currently a Community Manager at Yelp, and do creative photography on the side. I come from a background in marketing and played around different industries. Marketing for hospitality groups, marketing for fashion brands…I’d say fashion and food are two of my favorite things.

As I jumped from different roles, I began to realize my main goal within all these career choices was to feel fulfilled. I needed to do something with purpose. I didn’t know what it was exactly but I felt like if I was doing something that wasn’t benefiting society in some way or another I wouldn’t feel motivated in the long run. It took me quite sometime to realize this. The last job I quit I set myself a goal – to find my dream job. I knew it was take time for me to find it, I knew it would be hard, but I knew it’s what I wanted. I then began to set myself personal job hunt priorities like: work culture and career growth. As I scrolled through Linkedin one day, I saw the job title: Yelp Miami Community Manager. I read through the job description and thought to myself, this is me.

So I applied for the Yelp Miami Community Manager role, and I really tried my best. I gave it my all. The interview process was pretty long and I had gotten other offers at the same time, but I knew in the long run, working for a company that shared similar values to me, that believed in work/life balance, and that felt fulfilling was exactly what I wanted.

I guess the takeaway from all this is to go out there and find your dream job, or make it yourself. There’s nothing more successful and rewarding than doing what you love. Whatever that may be. As Community Manager, I love being able to support local businesses. I highlight them, support them and give them a helping hand to make them stand out. The impact I leave on others with the job I have is so rewarding and makes me so genuinely happy.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
With the job I have, I feel like I get questions like these all the time yet I always freeze when it’s time to answer, lol.

Here’s what a perfect weekend in Miami would consist of:

– Breakfast at El Bagel, Mr. Baguette, or Chugs
– Must try restaurants: Jaguar Sun, KYU, Itamae, Mandolin, Uchi
– Sunset hang out at Lido or Joia Beach
– Night out at Dante’s Hifi, Terras, ATV Records or maybe a surprise Space night (for that true Miami experience)
– Seeing Miami’s skyline at night is a must <3

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Ahh, love questions like these – they make you take a trip down memory lane. Well, first I’d obviously love to dedicate my growth to my city, Miami. The magic city always embraced my weird, which I now love so much.

I also think a good support system is crucial in anyone’s growth. Luckily, my mom, sister and besties always gave me that. They believed in my dreams as much as I did. They said my name when an opportunity came up and they inspired me to keep going.

Website: farahabuhantash.com

Instagram: @farahhantash | @fairyfilms | @YelpMiami

Linkedin: Farah Abu-Hantash

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=bPb3r7-zdrKnWFzP-OTdj

Image Credits
@fairyfilms | @lostbytheblue | @kimdavi