Next City welcomes Punnya Kalapurakkel as our Summer 2023 Emma Bowen fellow and editorial intern. Originally from Boston, Punnya is a rising junior at Boston College, where she is pursuing a double major in communications and psychology.
“We’re thrilled to have Punnya join our newsroom this summer,” says Aysha Khan, managing editor at Next City. “She’s got a strong background in many of the issues Next City readers care about, from climate organizing to sustainable construction, and a keen interest in working toward solutions for more equitable cities.”
As a student at Boston College, Kalapurakkel has been a columnist for the independent student newspaper The Heights and dance captain for its Bollywood dance team, Masti. Outside of her academic commitments, she has a background in social justice advocacy, particularly involving environmental justice, early education and childcare. She also has professional experiences in digital marketing and social media management, skills she plans to use to explore multiplatform storytelling at Next City.
Kalapurakkel looks forward to covering stories related to climate justice, economic equality and cultural restoration— subjects that are dear to her heart.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to explore solutions journalism through the creation of both editorial and social media content,” says Kalapurakkel. “Being able to use two skills that I am interested in to represent issues that I care deeply about will make this internship incredibly special.”
Since 2018, Next City has partnered with the Emma Bowen Foundation to help train students of color and change the face of the media industry. Named after the prolific community activist Emma L. Bowen, the foundation equips a select group of students with multi-year internships and access to an extensive alumni network. In supplying these privileges, the foundation carries out its mission of granting equal opportunities to underrepresented students in the tech and media industries.
Next City is a nonprofit news organization amplifying marginalized voices while covering workable, evidence-based solutions for more equitable cities. The publication covers a broad range of topics pertaining to urban affairs worldwide, including sustainable environments, technology, transportation and housing. The magazine also produces ebooks, podcasts and webinars to further its mission of making representative journalism more accessible.
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