Lost

Deepak is a 1st year MBA student at the Columbia Business School and he would like to become a writer someday. He is originally from India and recently moved to US. He believes that behind every pair of eyes there is a life full of stories. And he enjoys sharing his life stories and would like to know yours. You can connect with him at dprasad17@gsb.columbia.edu

Email: dprasad17@gsb.columbia.edu |

Cosmic Postcards: The Adventures of an Armchair Astronaut

Kamakshi Ayyar came to the Columbia Journalism School straight out of law school after seeing the light. Born and raised in Mumbai, India, her previous journalism experience included working on the college magazine and interning at a business publication. While at Columbia, Kamakshi has written on topics ranging from the elderly to a store dedicated to "The Big Lebowski" to international news analysis.

Twitter: @kamakshi138 | Email: kamakshi.ayyar@gmail.com |

Life, Love and Neurosurgery

Charlene K. Petitjean is a freelance journalist and health and science writer. She writes about subjects ranging from medical to environmental issues. She previously covered Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where she reported on community board meetings, the homeless, and the opening of a new charter school. Born on raised in Paris, France, she earned a bachelor in media studies and a minor in environmental studies from UC Berkeley. She contributed to the school’s newspaper, the Daily Californian, as an art and entertainment reporter. She is now a candidate for a Masters of Science in long-form journalism at Columbia Journalism School.

Twitter: @c_petitjean | Email: charlene.k.petitjean@gmail.com |

Hit Man: How Sean Taylor Left His Mark

Vidur Malik is a student at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He is a native of Fremont, Ca. and will be interning with Sports Illustrated For Kids in the summer.

Twitter: @vidurontwidur | Email: vidur.malik@gmail.com | Web: www.about.me/vidurmalik

Beyond the MTA into the World of Commuting Obsessives

Madeline K.B. Ross is a multimedia journalist based in New York City, where she reports on the intersection of business and culture. Her work has appeared in publications including Narratively, Interview Magazine and Grist. She currently works on the Dispatch Reporter mobile app and is the Features Editor at Vs. Magazine.

Twitter: @madelinekbr | Email: mkr2132@columbia.edu | Web: www.madelineross.com

King of the Casino

Originally from Singapore, Cherlynn Low has led a fairly safe, law-abiding life. She has never gambled at a casino, smoked a cigarette or taken any drugs. Growing up in a traditional Asian family, she appreciates and loves the many nuances entrenched in Chinese superstitions and practices. She hopes that through her reporting, she may improve the lives of the people around her. In her free time, she enjoys singing, shopping and sleeping.

Twitter: @cherlynnlow | Email: kl2670@columbia.edu | Web: www.cherlynnlow.com

No Condoms in Porn Country

Jacob Weis, a native Manhattanite, studied English literature before journalism at Columbia. He has worked on MSNBC morning shows Up with Chris Hayes and Up with Steve Kornacki, and as a staff writer for WHOA Magazine, where he covered N.Y.C.’s independent music and art scenes. He adores and despises the New York Knicks.

Twitter: @jacobtweis |

The Witness

Mary Ann Georgantopoulos is pursuing her degree at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in addition to being a full-time reporter for Metro newspaper. In her career so far Mary Ann has reported on a wide range of stories including interviewing former presidential nominee John Kerry and covering a parade put on by burlesque cross dressers that honored actress Renee Zellwegger. While Mary Ann is used to being the one asking questions during an interview, she’s had a surprising number of sources interrupt to ask if Leonard Cohen’s “So Long, Marianne” is one of her favorite songs.

Twitter: @marygeorgant | Email: mg3314@columbia.edu |

The Death of “Freedom”: Last Days of a Dying School

Emmanuel Felton is a New Orleans native and graduate of Emory University. After college, Emmanuel blogged about the first republican-controlled Mississippi Legislative session, did some political campaign work, and spent a year at the Southern Poverty Law Center. It was his experience living in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina that initially compelled him to tell others’ stories. He is currently interested in turning mind-numbing governmental policy into compelling, narrative human stories. He lives on Lower East Side, though he spends most of his free time planning a move to Brooklyn.

Twitter: @emmanuelfelton | Email: emmanuel.c.felton@gmail.com |

On Beauty, Grace and a Foot to the Brain: The Rise and Rise and Rise of Anderson Silva

Charles Eichacker was born in the Bronx, grew up in Maryland, lived in China and only recently returned to his city of birth as a print and radio journalist. When not flailing after stories, he likes fresh air and fine beer.

Twitter: @cheichacker | Email: ceichacker@gmail.com |

The Burden of Survival: How the Nazis’ Legacy Never Leaves Their Victims

Jonathan Wiener earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from Tufts University. He then wrote, edited, and produced for the current-events based mobile application Nubitt, and also was the Digital Media coordinator at J Street Boston. Jonathan currently is finishing his master’s degree at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where his concentration is Digital Media. This summer he will begin working as a Social Media Strategist for the News Distribution Network.

Twitter: @Jwiener87 | Email: Jonathan.wiener1@gmail.com |

The Paradox of the Proof

Caroline Chen was born in Hong Kong. She graduated from Stanford with a major in English and minor in Mathematics, and likes to keep both sides of her brain engaged by writing about math and tech, and using data to find trends and discover stories. She is also interested in covering education and the economy. This summer, she will be an intern at the Center for Investigative Reporting in Berkeley, California.

Twitter: @CarolineYLChen | Web: www.carolinechen.net

Demolished But Not Forgotten

When he's not writing, Paul loves cycling around New York City, enjoying all the places that most New Yorkers almost never go and searching for inspiration for his next story. Although previously a biomedical engineer by training, Paul has lived and traveled abroad throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia, teaching English and developing an interest in international urban issues. Now, he spends his time reporting in areas of innovative transportation and sustainable urban development, particularly in the dynamic city around him.

Twitter: @ipedaler | Email: ped2109@columbia.edu |

Healing Me Harshly

Before becoming a reporter, Keith Collins was a programmer and web developer for about seven years. In 2010, he interned with the Interactivity team at The Washington Post and the web news team at Philadelphia's Fox affiliate. In 2011, Keith earned a B.A. in magazine journalism from Temple University, where he was a student editor of Philadelphia Neighborhoods, the school's online news service. He is now completing the Digital Media program at Columbia Journalism School, where he mainly focused on covering science and technology. This summer, he'll be reporing for the Associated Press in Philadelphia.

Twitter: @collinskeith | Web: keithcollins.net

Death of Words — Death of Worlds

When she’s not chasing endangered languages, Iris’ work has taken her from covering elections and interviewing presidents, to impersonating Dolly Parton. Reuters, Time Out and The Brooklyn Ink are a few places she’s called home. You can find her tweeting (in English).

Twitter: @irisist | Email: irm2111@columbia.edu |

Escape to Obscurity

Before falling in love with long-form writing at Columbia Journalism School, Katie had essentially zero journalism experience. Most recently, she was a Foreign Service Officer based at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan. Katie frequently traveled to Darfur to report on the ongoing crisis in the region for the U.S. State Department. Katie also spent a year in Shanghai teaching history and English literature at an international school. Having studied and worked abroad for a number of years, Katie now enjoys writing about international issues, particularly stories coming out of China, Africa, and the Middle East.

Twitter: @KatieCampo1 | Email: campo.katie@gmail.com |

Death and Life in Brownsville

Sana has worked as a journalist for 10 years in New York—as a reporter and producer for the NPR affiliate in Syracuse and as a news anchor and producer for a television network in Buffalo. Most recently, Sana worked in conflict-ridden Kashmir, where she taught broadcast journalism at a university, helped set up the region's first community radio project, and worked as an editor for a weekly newsmagazine. During her time in Kashmir, she also helped produce content for Al Jazeera English's website. Sana is a graduate of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Twitter: @SanaABeg | Web: sanabeg.com