Linda Abi Assi covers South Harlem. She was born in Beirut, grew up in Paris, and holds both Lebanese and French citizenship. Linda has a B.A in political studies from the American University of Beirut, and a master’s degree in journalism from the Sciences Po School of Journalism. She was sub-editor for a French-written Lebanese monthly magazine and interned at L’Orient Le Jour, Radio France Internationale, AP Television News in Paris and the TV channel France 2. Linda is an avid reader and devoted Manchester United fan. She is pursuing a master’s degree in broadcast journalism.

Kim Chakanetsa, who covers Harlem for Northattan.com, grew up in sunny Zimbabwe. She studied journalism in Paris before moving to the UK to read African Studies at Oxford. Kim also worked for a business consultancy firm in London. She has freelanced for the BBC and the Guardian. Kim is currently studying at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, pursuing a master’s degree in broadcasting. When not wandering the streets of Northern Manhattan, Kim can be found knitting long scarves in preparation for her first New York winter.

Sandhya Elina Wood Dirks covers Manhattan Valley. Previously she worked in local public radio in the San Francisco Bay Area, on topics like Oakland’s failing school system and a corrupt nonprofit housing developer. She received the Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence award for radio documentary and won a PRINDI award from the Public Radio News Directors for “The Fault Lines Project.” She studies broadcast journalism at Columbia University where she generally talks too much in class. She hopes to continue documentary and investigative reporting and do foreign correspondence from India.

Katrina Kaufman covers Manhattanville. She studies broadcast journalism and law at Columbia University. Prior to graduate school, she worked in the film industry and as a print journalist. In film, she worked on the movies “Avatar” and “It’s Complicated.” She was the Arts Editor for Venice Magazine, an arts and entertainment publication in Los Angeles, where she wrote profiles of artists, filmmakers and actors. She also interned at the Southern California PBS station KCET. Katrina graduated from Columbia College with a degree in English and Comparative Literature.

Bilal Lakhani covers Spanish Harlem. He is pursuing a master’s degree from Columbia as a Fulbright scholar. He was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and spent eight years of his life in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Bilal wrote his first book at the age of 17, which is currently being translated into Urdu. He is now working on a book charting his personal experience as an aspiring Muslim journalist in America, focusing on what it means to be a Muslim in America today and the influence of U.S. media on Muslim identity. Bilal plans to specialize in coverage of religion, politics and international relations.

Alex Luchsinger covers Harlem. He is originally from Washington, D.C., but spent his formative years in Florida. He enlisted in the Marine Corps instead of going to college right away, which he calls his “mature decision at an immature mindset.” The Marine Corps gave Alex the opportunity to live in Japan, travel to Australia and Korea, and deploy to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In Iraq, Alex conducted security operations and convoy missions throughout Al Anbar Province. After graduation, Alex hopes to pursue a career in international journalism or veterans advocacy.

Martin Markovits has been a freelance writer for the past four years. He has covered Hugo Chavez and Venezuelan politics for the San Francisco Chronicle, the New Statesman, the Earth Island Journal and the Free Speech Radio News Network. He also covered the hotly contested 2006 Mexican presidential election. Martin directed several video pods for Current TV and its website. Martin is a Los Angeles native and attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, majoring in political science. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. He covers East Harlem.

Carlos Mayorga covers East Harlem for Northattan.com. He is a graduate student in broadcast journalism at Columbia University. Carlos is originally from San Francisco, Caif. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication/News Editorial and Sociology from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. He most recently completed a summer internship at CNN in New York City. Carlos previously worked as a crime and breaking news reporter for the Standard-Examiner newspaper in Ogden, Utah. He was also a reporting intern on the justice desk at the Salt Lake Tribune.

Zahra Raja covers South Harlem. She was born in England and raised in Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Kenya. After graduating from the Heritage School in Harare, she moved to the Middle East to study Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Jordan in Amman. She then read Theology and the Study of Religion at Oxford. Zahra edited her school magazine in Pakistan, worked for her university paper in Oxford and interned at the Reuters East Africa Bureau. Zahra enjoys debating, rowing and mountaineering; she’s even climbed the two highest peaks in Africa. She is a Fulbright scholar at Columbia.

Robin Respaut covers Washington Heights for Northattan.com. She recently moved to New York City from New Hampshire, where she worked as a producer for New Hampshire Public Radio’s daily, hour-long live show “Word of Mouth” and as a reporter for NHPR’s News Department. She was also a beat reporter for more than two years for the Nutfield News, covering New Hampshire’s fourth largest community, Derry. Robin freelances for various magazines throughout New England. When not reporting, producing or writing, Robin enjoys cooking, bluegrass music and exploring the city by foot.

Ingrid Rojas covers Inwood for Northattan.com. She’s a Colombian journalist working towards a master’s degree at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism with a broadcast concentration. She has worked as associate producer on Bill Moyers Journal and as a freelance producer, shooter and editor for CNN Heroes, Currents, a faith-based nightly news program, and other news organizations. She received a scholarship from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists towards her studies at Columbia. Ingrid holds a B.S. in Film Production from the University of Texas at Austin.

Juliana Schatz covers Washington Heights. Prior to her studies at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Juliana worked in Boston as the associate producer for Kirk Documentary Group, an award-winning documentary film production company. She worked on 11 KDG films for PBS FRONTLINE, including Bush’s War and Cheney’s Law. She graduated from Northeastern University in 2008 with degrees in media studies and political science. Juliana is originally from East Hartford, Conn. and is a rock-climbing enthusiast with a passion for electronic cumbia music.

Ashley Semler covers Hamilton Heights for Northattan.com. She grew up in Portland, Oregon and California. She has a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Tufts University. Ashley has interned at the CBS News London bureau, as well as KOIN Local 6 TV in Portland. In Cambridge, Mass., she was a web intern for wbztv.com and a production assistant at Interlock Media, a nonprofit documentary film company. She has lived in Mexico, Panama, England and Spain, and hopes to experience many more places in the near future.

Chiara Sottile is a multimedia journalist covering Manhattan’s “top” neighborhood: Inwood. Previously Chiara reported for The Associated Press in Rome, solidifying her zeal for investigative reporting. She hails from wine country, California, and got her start as a senior news reporter for Daily Bruin Television at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA in 2009 with a degree in political science, international relations and public policy. She hopes to work in investigative television reporting after she graduates from Columbia in 2011.

Brett Teal covers Fort George and Hudson Heights. He previously worked as a sports producer at KTLA-TV in Los Angeles. There he covered the 2010 Lakers championship, interviewing athletes such as Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant, and Derek Fisher. He grew up in L.A., but don’t call him a Dodgers fan. Brett’s favorite team is the Atlanta Braves and his idol is Chipper Jones. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University Northridge. He plans to move back to California after graduating from Columbia University in 2011. His dream job is to produce for ESPN.

Karla Zabludovsky covers Spanish Harlem. She comes to New York from Mexico City, where she worked as a reporter for Canal 40, a TV channel operated by TV Azteca, covering domestic and foreign news. She studies broadcast journalism at Columbia. Karla obtained her B.A. in history and international relations from Boston College, and focused her studies on Latin America and the Middle East. She has worked at The Economist and freelanced for PODER magazine. Karla has lived in Mexico City, Miami, Lugano, Boston, Paris, Utrecht, and New York. She is passionate about dogs and desserts.

Northattan.com’s editors are Ann Cooper,  Betsy West, Merrill Perlman, Greg Gilderman and Diantha Parker.

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