Columbia Journalism School Graduates Take Their Theses to the Newsroom

Columbia Journalism School students are turning thesis projects into published work in top news outlets, including The New York Times, Al Jazeera, BBC and more. Refined with guidance from CJS faculty, these stories reflect the skills, curiosity and journalistic rigor that CJS helps students develop at the highest levels. 

Below are examples of graduates whose master’s projects have reached audiences around the world, showing how the program prepares students to report thoughtfully and tackle complex topics. 

Investigative Reporting

For Al Jazeera, Gagandeep Singh, ‘25 M.A. Politics, chronicled California’s introduction of an anti-discrimination bill amid concerns of the Indian government’s alleged efforts to target Sikh dissidents in North America. In addition, Al Jazeera published Singh’s reporting on a string of murders in Canada that sparked calls to label India’s Bishnoi gang as a “terror” group. For the BBC, Singh recently published a feature about the economic consequences and harassment impacting the Sikh trucking community in California following a fatal crash. New Lines Magazine published Singh’s reporting of how Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s 2023 assassination reshaped South Asian Diaspora Politics in Canada.  

Education and Migration

Duaa E Zahra Shah, ‘25 M.S., published her master’s project, Across New York, Educators Socioemotionally Support Their Newly Arrived Students, with Prism Reports. Shah’s work explores migration-related trauma experienced by nearly 40,000 migrant children from Latin America, Yemen, and other regions, who have recently enrolled in New York City public schools. Shah completed her master’s thesis under the guidance of Aida Alami, James Madison Visiting Professor on First Amendment Issues.

Bonus reporting from CJS students:

In spring 2025, Cameron Fozi, ‘26 M.S. Journalism/Computer Science, Chloe Rosenberg, ‘26 M.S. Part-time, and Reeno Hashimoto, ‘25 M.S., began reporting on cryptocurrency scams in their Investigative Projects class. The New York Times recently published their investigative report, How Fraudsters Use Cryptocurrency A.T.M.s to Target Victims, on the the front page of section B.

Arts, Culture and Social Issues

Jerry Elengical, ‘25 M.A. Arts & Culture, covered Harlem’s architectural and cultural transformation in his master’s project, published by STIRworld. His thesis followed the design and community impact of the Studio Museum in Harlem’s first-ever purpose-built home, highlighting the intersection of architecture, Black cultural history and urban space.

Carolina Abbott Galvão, ‘25 M.A. Arts & Culture, explored how agribusiness shaped Brazilian country music in her master’s thesis, “Under the Cowboy Hat,” published by The Dial. Her reporting examines agronejo, a musical subgenre that glorifies industrial farming and cattle ranching while influencing youth culture in Brazil.

Francesca Maria Lorenzini, ‘24 M.S., profiled two transgender people navigating abortion in her master’s thesis, “Becoming Me,” published by The Delacorte Review. “This story means more to me than I can fully express. It took persistence, care and more than 25 rejections from editors before finding the right home,” Lorenzini said of the project, via her LinkedIn announcement. “I’m deeply grateful to my supervisor, Juan Manuel Benítez [Philip S. Balboni Professor of Professional Practice of Local Journalism], for his guidance throughout the process.” Her thesis won the James A. Wechsler Memorial Award during Columbia's Journalism Day in May, 2024.