StudentNation

StudentNation is a program of the Nation Fund for Independent Journalism and is made possible through generous funding from the Puffin Foundation. StudentNation focuses on first-person accounts from student activists, organizers, and journalists and has helped launch the careers of contributors to The New York TimesVoxBusiness InsiderTeen Vogue, the Guardian, and more. If you’re a student and you have an article idea, please send pitches and questions to [email protected]

TikTok is the most popular app among young people, with 68 percent of teens using the app and about one in five reporting that they are on it “almost constantly.” On the platform, almost all young women encounter health information.

When Texas Sex Ed Falls Short, Gen Z Women Turn to Social Media When Texas Sex Ed Falls Short, Gen Z Women Turn to Social Media

A 2025 study found that 70 percent of adolescents sought reproductive health information through social media platforms.

Sep 16, 2026 / StudentNation / Sarayu Bongale

Brendan Salisbury is an instructor with the Liberal Gun Club, a national nonprofit headquartered in Massachusetts. He’s one of many left-leaning gun owners in the state.

Assault Weapons Are Banned in Massachusetts. These Leftists Want to Change That. Assault Weapons Are Banned in Massachusetts. These Leftists Want to Change That.

The Liberal Gun Club, which has chapters in more than 30 states, reported a spike in interest as ICE raids ratcheted up early this year.

Sep 15, 2026 / StudentNation / Genevieve Morrison

How a 26-Year-Old Beat a 42-Year Incumbent—and What It Means for Democrats

How a 26-Year-Old Beat a 42-Year Incumbent—and What It Means for Democrats How a 26-Year-Old Beat a 42-Year Incumbent—and What It Means for Democrats

As the only undergraduate managing a primary campaign in the state, I helped a 26-year-old beat a 42-year incumbent. Here is what Democrats can learn from our win.

Sep 11, 2026 / StudentNation / Rishi Gurudevan

The School Behind the Billionaires and the Billionaire Tax

The School Behind the Billionaires and the Billionaire Tax The School Behind the Billionaires and the Billionaire Tax

UC Berkeley will inevitably be behind the defeat or victory of Proposition 40.

Sep 10, 2026 / StudentNation / Joseph Burney

What’s Behind the Dubai-ification of America’s Yemeni Cafés?

What’s Behind the Dubai-ification of America’s Yemeni Cafés? What’s Behind the Dubai-ification of America’s Yemeni Cafés?

Over the years, Yemeni cafés have become beloved establishments for students and coffee lovers alike. But recently they have undergone a conspicuous aesthetic makeover.

Sep 7, 2026 / StudentNation / Mohamad Rimawi

A student in Gaza's class of 2026 reviews for her final high school exam, the Tawjihi

Gaza’s Class of 2026 Gaza’s Class of 2026

Gaza’s 2008 babies were born during an Israeli assault, grew up under blockade, and completed their final high school exams this summer during a genocide.

Sep 3, 2026 / StudentNation / Taqwa Ahmed Al-Wawi

A downed street sign and stop sign are tangled in debris outside the Center Point Volunteer Fire Department after flooding.

A Second Year of Central Texas Floods Reopened Old Wounds. Communities Are Still Healing. A Second Year of Central Texas Floods Reopened Old Wounds. Communities Are Still Healing.

In July 2025, the Guadalupe River surged in a storm that killed more than 130 people. Only a year later, the waters rose again.

Aug 26, 2026 / StudentNation / Alice Scott

Children look through razor wire after crossing the US-Mexico border.

Trump Is Laying the Groundwork for the Mass Deportation of Migrant Children Trump Is Laying the Groundwork for the Mass Deportation of Migrant Children

Unaccompanied children have become a new front in Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

Aug 21, 2026 / StudentNation / Maggie Grether

What Happens When 8 Million People Lose Their Student Loan Repayment Plan?

What Happens When 8 Million People Lose Their Student Loan Repayment Plan? What Happens When 8 Million People Lose Their Student Loan Repayment Plan?

As the Biden-era SAVE plan ends, borrowers are facing unaffordable bills, lost payment records, and errors that have falsely put some into default.

Aug 14, 2026 / StudentNation / Kristin Collier

A scene from the film

Texas’s DNA Doesn’t Run As Red as the Right Wants You to Think Texas’s DNA Doesn’t Run As Red as the Right Wants You to Think

David Griscom’s new book “The Myth of Red Texas” undoes the idea of Texas as a place with conservatism inherent to its political bloodline.

Aug 7, 2026 / StudentNation / Lajward Zahra

x