KneeDeep invites the next generation of writers, artists, photographers, creators and storytellers to share their work and POV in our magazine. Read about our growing team of new journalists, interns, cub reporters, fledgling writers, and multi-media professionals here.
Aiyana Washington
is an undergraduate at Stanford University studying Earth Systems, science communication, and theater. As both a theater-maker and environmental advocate, her interests lie at the intersection of climate justice and artistic performance. She is especially captivated by human-environment interactions and exploring how multi-media storytelling can influence conservation attitudes and our perception of the natural world. Aiyana interned for KneeDeep in summer 2022.
4 PostsAlyson Wong
is a visual artist and writer who works at the intersection of culture, art, and the environment. She graduated from the University of California, Davis with a dual Bachelor's degree in Design and Cinema & Digital Media which led her to a career in animation in New York. She continues to expand her ability to tell stories and address social issues through her documentary photography and film work. Her fine art photo work has been featured in San Francisco gallery exhibitions and in her spare time, she enjoys sitting at the base of tall trees.
1 PostAmber Manfree
is an independent geographer. Her specialties are spatial analysis, cartography, and natural resources management. Her knowledge of landscape change informs her graphic design and allows her to communicate science in insightful ways.
3 PostsAnissa Foster
is a master’s student at Stanford University, studying Oceans, Atmosphere and Climate. Growing up in underprivileged parts of the Bay Area and witnessing how the effects of climate change are felt disproportionately, she has devoted her career to the fulcrum of climate change, from the injection of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere to the indigenous communities struggling to save their sacred lands from rising tides and scorching heat. Anissa has worked for the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, and the Stanford Severe Weather and Climate Lab.
1 PostAyla Burnett
is a local beat reporter and master's student at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. Her work centers on climate change and environmental justice through an investigative lens. Her writing has been featured in a variety of different publications, including The Trouble, The Oaklandside, and the Point Reyes Light.
1 PostBrittany Zendejas
is a Master's student at the Berkeley Journalism school with a focus on multimedia reporting. She currently works for the Investigative Reporting Program at Berkeley and interned for KneeDeep in the summer of 2021. She graduated from the University of California Irvine in 2019 with a degree in English and Literary Journalism. Her reporting has focused on local communities with a range in poverty, healthcare, and police misconduct. She hopes to continue reporting on underrepresented communities and create meaningful conversations pertaining to climate change, food insecurity, and everything in between.
2 PostsCallie Rhoades
is a multimedia journalist and master’s student at the University of California, Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. The majority of her work has been focused on climate change, outdoor recreation and freshwater issues. Her writing has been featured in Earth Island Journal, Berkeley Science Review, SKI Magazine and Oakland North. You can find her work at callierhoades.com.
2 PostsGeorge Alfaro
George Alfaro is a Latin American photographer / filmmaker documenting environmental injustices, socioeconomic inequality, and international affairs. Alfaro is focused on producing visual stories that highlight the human experience and offer a glimpse into the intimate moments that unfold in underrepresented communities. When he is not out in the field reporting or in the darkroom developing prints, you’ll find him hiking through the forest or bending corners at the local race track.
1 PostHoi Shan Cheung
is a freelance journalist, who spent her summer interning for two media companies and developing various digital media projects. She graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelor's degree in Journalism in 2020. She is from Hong Kong, a coastal city that suffers from insufficient waste management and the urban heat island effect.
3 PostsIsabella Eclipse
Is the Community and Social Media Editor at KneeDeep Times and is currently based in Mendocino County. She graduated from Cornell University in 2022 with a degree in Environment & Sustainability and a minor in Climate Change. She is especially interested in environmental policy, climate justice, and issues that impact the Latinx community. She has previously worked for organizations like the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
6 PostsJasmine Hardy
Jasmine Hardy is the editorial assistant for Atmos. She is interested in exploring themes of intersectionality, social justice, culture, and climate resilience. Her writing has been featured in a number of publications including KneeDeep Times and Essence magazine and can also be found on her personal website jasmine-hardy.com.
6 PostsJustin Lai
Justin Lai is a San Francisco native, freelance writer, and professional tarot card reader. You can find him at torwards.com.
7 PostsKate Raphael
is a freelance writer in Berkeley, California and a current student at the UC Berkeley School of Journalism. She writes about how climate change affects health, agriculture, and policy. You can find her running trails in the Berkeley Hills or on Twitter @KateRaphael1.
2 PostsKatie Rodriguez
is a freelance journalist and a graduate student at Berkeley's Journalism School. Much of her work has focused on environmental issues, environmental policy, art, culture, and the human connection to the outdoors. She is also a portrait, landscape and documentary photographer. During her time at UCB, she plans to pursue investigative journalism telling stories of climate change and environmental justice. She covers late-breaking news from Marin City for KneeDeep. Find her other work at krodcreates.com.
3 PostsKayla Zola
is a freelance journalist based in San Francisco with a professional background in corporate sustainability and policy. She is specifically interested in how these fields intersect with her passion for food and cooking. Much of her work explores sustainability, access, and culture in food systems.
2 PostsKelechukwu Ogu
writes about policies shaping the transition from fossil fuel. He explores the fallout of the rush to exit oil and gas assets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Kelechukwu is a Masters graduate student at the UC Berkeley School of Journalism.
1 PostKofi Ansong
is a freelance writer and software engineer based in San Francisco. He graduated from Yale College with a degree in computer science and is interested in society, technology, law and their intersections. When Kofi is not working, he is likely on a run or making a variation of miso soup.
4 PostsLujain Al-Saleh
is a labor organizer based in Oakland, California. She graduated with a Master of Public Health in Global Health & Environment from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health in 2020 and completed her undergraduate degree from the Environmental Science & Management program at UC Davis. Throughout the past decade, she has collaborated on a range of advocacy campaigns to address issues of environmental justice in the Bay Area and Central America.
5 PostsMaylin Tu
is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. She grew up in Maine and Beijing, is proudly #carfree and writes about whatever interests her.
4 PostsMegan King
is a senior at Stanford University studying Earth Systems and Italian. She is also a Master's student in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability working on a degree in Environmental Communication, with a focus in photography. Megan is passionate about climate issues in her home state California and around the world, seeking to tell environmental stories through multiple mediums.
1 PostMeka Boyle
is a freelance reporter and photographer in New York. She was previously a contributor at San Francisco Public Press where she wrote about nonprofits and community resilience in the Bay Area during the pandemic. Her work has appeared in San Francisco Public Press, Newsweek, ARTnews, DAZED, and Monterey County Weekly. She is interested in the ways communities and grassroots movements can organize to solve problems within their environments.
1 PostNicole Wong
is a freelance writer and climate resilience advocate based in Oakland, CA. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor's degree in Conservation and Resource Studies and has worked to advance racial and climate justice policies and campaigns ever since. When she's not writing, she loves to cook and share food, learn about plants, and sing.
2 PostsSachi Mulkey
is a science and environmental journalist and student at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. When she's not reporting, you can find her hiking around the Berkeley hills or elbow-deep in a sourdough experiment.
1 PostSierra Bouchér
is a freelance journalist who covers intersections of people and nature. They graduated with a master's in Science Communication from UC Santa Cruz and a bachelor's in Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation from Canisius University.
1 PostSkylla Mumana
is a journalist based in Northern California who enjoys uncovering and sharing local stories and narratives from communities of all sizes. She holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Baylor University, and is currently attending UC Berkeley for her master’s. Currently, she’s working as an Arts & Culture reporter for the Richmond Confidential, and she’s an editorial fellow for KneeDeep Times.
0 PostsTanvi Dutta Gupta
is passionate about whales, environmental justice, and savory scones. She grew up across Singapore, India, Hong Kong, and London before reaching the Bay to complete her undergraduate and master's degrees in ecology at Stanford University. Her writing and reporting can be found in Science Magazine, Atlas Obscura, and Current Conservation, among others. She is currently an editorial fellow with Bay Nature Magazine and a line editor with the Oxford Climate Review.
2 PostsVeronica Chan
is a landscape designer and artist. Born and raised in San Francisco, she currently works for SF Public Works. She graduated from Cornell University in 2018 with a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture and did her Bachelor’s work at the University of California, Davis. She is passionate about exploring climate resiliency and social justice through the lens of both landscape architecture and art. Her graphic illustrations can be found in KneeDeep articles and video. In her spare time, in the right season, she enjoys hunting mushrooms in the woods.
0 PostsVrinda Manglik
is a climate professional and freelance illustrator based in Oakland, CA. She currently contracts as a Storyteller for Google (via Adecco), and has previously worked for environmental organizations including the Pisces Foundation, Sierra Club, Environmental Law Institute, and Natural Resources Defense Council. She has a master's in environmental management from the Yale School of the Environment and a bachelor's in liberal arts from Sarah Lawrence College. She loves being outdoors, art, and music.
2 PostsZack Boyd
is a master's student at Stanford University, who spent summer 2021 working on the Stanford Educational Farm and sharing ideas for how young people can contribute to KneeDeep. His studies combine Earth Systems and Environmental Communication. He grew up in rural Kintnersville, Pennsylvania and currently lives in Stanford, California.
1 Post