Rukiya Bernard is an award winning actress and bourgeoning writer/director. Originally from Toronto, she’s of Kenyan and Jamaican heritage. Her opinion piece, "Dear Becky" was inspired by the murder of George Floyd and garnered her much attention as a writer. It has been the launchpad for much of her writing including the inspiration for her debut short film "The Blactor" the play "Yoga For Black Women" and a web series. As an actress, she’s been featured on numerous TV series including, starring for 5 seasons on Netflix/Syfy's "Van Helsing" (LEO Award for Best Supporting Actress.) Other appearances include: Supernatural (CW), The Magicians (SYFY), Travelers (Netflix) Nancy Drew (CW) The Cabin In The Woods (Warner Bros), Wonder (Lionsgate), and others. Most recently she appears as "Simone" on the Emmy nominated, Yellowjactets (Showtime.)