EDUCATION
Columbia University — Graduate School of Journalism New York City
Master of Science (MS) in Journalism | 2024
Awarded Honors-in-Class for writing and master’s project
Reporting, Magazine Journalism, Narrative Writing, Feature Writing and Photography, with a specialization in covering literature, arts, travel, and culture
Worked on a long-form Master’s Project on New York City’s lost neighborhood of Little Syria
Published ‘He Asked For Her?’, a non-fiction short story in No One Ever Asked: An Anthology of Answers, Kindle Direct Publishing, 2024
Published ‘A Turmoil of Tongues,’ a reported 5000-word piece on language wars in Karnataka, India, in n+2, 2024
University of Mysore Mysore
Master of Arts (MA) in English Literature | 2022
Graduated top of class
Studied seminal works from all periods of English Literature
Electives included travel literature, Indian poetry in English, and myth and folklore
St. Joseph’s First Grade College, University of Mysore Mysore
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English Literature, Journalism, Functional English| 2020
Awarded for academic excellence for graduating top of class
Editor of the student newsletter. Also contributed three feature articles on city culture
Organized six state-level events, and won multiple essay and report writing competitions
WORK EXPERIENCE
PEN America
Communications Assistant | July 2024—present
A Hotel Life
Writer & Editorial Assistant | May 2021—June 2023
Silverfish Books
Curator | August 2021—August 2023
APO Group
Editor | Dec 2020—Jan 2021
Varthaman Newsletter
Student Editor | Jan 2019—March 2020
Campus Connect, Vijaya Karnataka
Student Reporter | Nov 2019—Jan 2020
Kalisu Foundation (NGO)
Teacher Intern | June 2015—Feb 2016
Hejje Magazine, Kautilya Vidyalaya
Student Editor | Aug 2014—Feb 2015
BYLINES
PEN America:
PEN America Speaks: How we defended and celebrated free expression the week of Aug. 26, August 2024
How Fact-checking Works and Why It Matters, August 2024
Columbia University:
A Turmoil of Tongues, n+2, May 2024
He Asked For Her?, No One Ever Asked: An Anthology of Answers, May 2024
Columbia News Service:
Alabaster Bookshop Thrives as Last Seller of Used Volumes on New York’s Book Row, Columbia News Service, February 2024
Art Stays Alive Through The Hotel Chelsea’s Many Lives, Columbia News Service, January 2024
Authors Take On Tech Giant OpenAI For Copyright Infringement, Columbia News Service, November 2023
A Hotel Life:
Hotel Reviews:
Dhensa, Bhutan, November 2023
Evolve Back, Coorg, April 2023
Culture Stories:
Journey To The Edge Of Space In The World’s Smallest Experience-Led Hotel, April 2023
Witty Haiku For A Hotel Review, April 2023
What Not to Miss at Miami Art Week 2022, November 2022
The White Lodge to Host Yoga For Bad People Retreat, November 2022
Best Hotels To Stay At During Art Basel Miami 2022, November 2022
Williamsburg’s Latest Hang Is Femme and Fantastic, October 2022
Six New Design Hotels Openings That We Are Excited About, October 2022
Celebrate 60 Years Of James Bond At GoldenEye, October 2022
Château Royal Is A Berliners’ Love Letter To The World, October 2022
Space Available Opens An Evocative Gallery And Circular Design Center, September 2022
Partly Cloudy with a Strong Chance of “Wow”!, August 2022
The Long Lane: London’s Latest Intimate Spot, July 2022
Berlin Art Diary: Chronicles of a Muse, July 2022
Veronika is Back and Reimagined, July 2022
Touriste + The Standard Hotels: Team Up to Double Up the Fun, June 2022
Jessica Nabongo’s ‘Catch Me If You Can’ Personal Tales and Unreal Adventures, June 2022
Mexico City Destination Guide, June 2022
Saira Hospitality to Take Root in London, June 2022
A New Way of Healing with Psychedelic Hospitality, April 2022
Doing Good, Looking Good — and Having a Great Time, April 2022
Home for Home to Raise Funds for Ukraine, April 2022
Barrocal Sound Brings World-Class Musicians and Earthy Tunes to Portugal’s Alentejo, April 2022
The Plaza on the Stage, April 2022
Tuleste Factory by Celeste and Satu Greenberg is the Coolest Creative Playground in New York, November 2021
How Will We Live Together? The Final Month of Venice Architecture Biennale 2021, October 2021
Choo-choo the Wes Anderson Way, October 2021
Atmos Vol. 5 Hive Is a Candid Portrait of Nature in Collaboration, October 2021
Imagine an Entire Hotel Just for You and Yours, October 2021
Old Meets New Meets Global in the We Are ONA Mexico Pop-up, October 2021
Fluorescent Baby Bears Flock Vegas, September 2021
Go Lightly: How to Travel Without Hurting the Planet, September 2021
Stuart Cantor Captures a Summer in Spain, September 2021
Hospitality Helps: edyn and Nights On Us Join Hands to Thank NHS Workers, August 2021
El Silencio Lands in Ibiza, June 2021
Write Your Senses Out In Mallorca, June 2021
When Buying Affordable Art Is An Even Better Idea, June 2021
BAM Brings NYC Back To The Movies, June 2021
Guides:
Fort Kochi, April 2023
The Best Hotels in Baja California Sur, February 2023
The Best Hotels in Los Angeles, January 2023
Mexico City Destination Guides, January 2023
The Best Hotels Of The Year 2022, December 2023
What Not to Miss at Miami Art Week 2022, December 2022
The Best Hotels In Miami Beach, November 2022
Six New Design Hotels Openings That We Are Excited About, October 2022
Doing Good, Looking Good — and Having a Great Time, April 2022
Editing:
California Is For Hotel Lovers, March 2023
Ace Hotel Kyoto Hosts noma, November 2022
Exceptional African Design Comes to London, November 2022
Other Publications:
Loneliness And Longing For The Self In Kamala Das' Poem The Freaks, Bookworm Digest, March 2023
3 Photographs, TRAxNaPoWriMo Editor’s Choice Anthology, The Remnant Archive, July 2022
Gifting and Globalization, Kajal Magazine, June 2022
Lore, The Open Culture Collective, May 2022
Remembering Tata, Heegiddaru Prabhushankara, April 2022
Finding Tata in Kuppalli, Spacebar Magazine Issue 4 Memory, November 2021
Mysuru: A Literary Trail, Varthaman, 3rd edition, February 2020
21st Century Poetry 2.0, Josephite Munnade (Annual College Magazine of St. Joseph's First Grade College), 2020
Of Aromas of Ambrosial Passions, Varthaman, 2nd edition, August 2019
A 21st Century Mysurean, Varthaman 1st edition, March 2019
A Memorable Day Out, Hejje, (Annual School Magazine of Kautilya Vidyalaya), 2015
3 articles in the Campus Connect section of Vijaya Karnataka, a major Kannada daily
APPEARANCES
Was a panellist and presented poetry on the ‘Emotions in Verse and Passion in Rhyme: Young Poets of Mysuru,’ at the Mysuru Literature Festival in July 2023
Performed poetry at Queerfest at Roy’s Café, Mysuru in June 2023
Conducted an online workshop with Catalyst.cm on 'How to Travel in India,' in February 2023
Performed poetry at Pride Open Mic at Roy’s Café, Mysuru in June 2022
Performed poetry at an open mic for a cause on Clubhouse in July 2021
ACHIEVEMENTS
Honors-in-Class in Master’s Project under the guidance of Prof. Keith Gessen, 2024, Columbia University
Honors-in-Class in Written Word module titled Write What Should Not Be Forgotten, taught by Prof. Alexis Clark, 2024, Columbia University
Prof. Mani C Mathew Endowment Award for the year 2019-20 for exceptional academic achievement from the Department of Humanities St. Joseph’s First Grade College, Mysuru, 2021
Several prizes in inter-collegiate and intra-collegiate Essay Writing Competitions, 2017-20
Won I place in three Report Writing Competitions conducted by Christ College, Mysuru, 2017-20
Won II place in Creative Writing (English) held by All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Manasagangotri, Mysuru, 2017
Won I place in several English and General Knowledge quiz competitions, 2017-20
Special Delegate Award at MICA Model United Nations, 2017
Essay on Pingali Venkayya awarded as one of the Top 68 Best Essays in the country by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in 2015
WORKSHOPS
Three-Day State Level Workshop on 'Screenplay Writing' organised as a part of Dasara Film Festival by the Government of Karnataka, 2019
State Level Symposium on 'Digital Society and Politics,' Christ College, Mysuru, 2019
State Level Workshop on 'Effective Communication Skills,' St. Joseph's First Grade College, Mysuru, 2017
State Level Workshop on Creative Writing, Teresian College, Mysuru, India, 2017
OTHER
Judged ‘Once Upon A Time,’ a short story writing competition held by BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru, in May 2023
Conducted a mentorship program on writing for four engineering students of BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru, in 2022-2023
Judged 'Bytes of History,' an essay writing competition as a part of 'Phase Shift 2022' by BMS College of Engineering, Bengaluru, in November 2022
Collaborated with ms.alwar on a poetry and art project in September 2022
Researched for dissertation in Functional English on the topic 'Conventional Television v/s Online Streaming Services: A Study of Preference Among Youth in Mysuru,' 2020
Volunteered at the 34th State Journalist's Conference held at Suttur, India, in 2019
Volunteered at Mysore Literary Fest-2018 held at Senate Bhavan, Mysuru, India
Judged a poetry competition for High School Students as a part of ‘Imperium 18’ held at Sapient College of Commerce and Management, 2018
Part of the organising committee for six state-level college events, handling administration, PR and communications and as an Emcee, at St. Joseph's First Grade College, Mysuru, India
Part of the organising committee of Model United Nations at MICA Mahesh Pre University College, Mysuru 2017