Another season of Orange Is the New Black (OITNB), another heartbreaking reality check with the injustices plaguing the modern world...

This time around, in its seventh and final season, the Netflix comedy-drama series introduced Shani Abboud, an Egyptian character with a moving, ever-relevant backstory. From homophobia to female genital mutilation (FGM), Abboud sheds light on pressing issues affecting Egyptian women, Arab women, and immigrants in the U.S.

So, who's the actress behind the character? Well, that would be Marie-Lou Nahhas, a New York-based actress and public health graduate from Lebanon.

StepFeed reached out to Nahhas, who spoke about her experience with the OITNB family and recalled her journey from biology to acting.