#MeetTheClass: Zach Jaworski, ‘26 M.S.

Where are you from and what program are you pursuing?

I'm from the Buffalo, N.Y. area, and I'm pursuing an M.S. in the Stabile program.

What inspired you to attend Columbia Journalism School?

Columbia Journalism School's reputation for being at the forefront of the industry, and the chance to learn from some of the great talents and minds that have set up shop in Pulitzer Hall. Ever since I started working around journalism as an undergraduate, attending CJS—where so many of the industry's best have gone—has been a dream of mine. Being here is an honor.

After the J-School, what would you like to do?

I'm hoping to sharpen my journalism skills further. Specifically, I want to take my passion for reporting on politics and other policy-adjacent things a step further. I want to learn how to hold truth to power and go beyond the talking points to figure out what's really going on in governments, especially in local communities that often aren't covered. I really hope to bring what I learn at CJS back to Buffalo, or the North Country where I completed my undergraduate education, and help provide vital local reporting to those communities. But at the end of the day, I really just want to report anywhere.

What is your favorite activity/location in NYC so far?

I'm really loving walking around Riverside Park. I'll purposefully divert course on my walks home to go through it. I've also really enjoyed taking advantage of all the guest speakers that the other schools at Columbia University have brought in.