Zoya Alam

Zoya Alam is a 2025 Puffin student writing fellow focusing on politics and young people for The Nation. She is a student and journalist at the University of California, Los Angeles.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signs bills related to redrawing the state’s congressional maps on August 21, 2025, in Sacramento, California.

“We’re Asking the Voters to Have a Say”: Inside California’s Redistricting Fight “We’re Asking the Voters to Have a Say”: Inside California’s Redistricting Fight

Proposition 50 is an opportunity to “restore fairness in our democratic process,” according to organizers, by countering gerrymandering in other states.

Oct 30, 2025 / StudentNation / Zoya Alam, Rani Chor, and Amara McEvoy

Police on the UCLA campus in May 2024.

“True Bruin Values”: How UCLA Justified a Crackdown on Protest “True Bruin Values”: How UCLA Justified a Crackdown on Protest

More than a year after the Gaza encampments, the university’s newly enforced “time, place, and manner” restrictions have spread to any sort of contentious content on campus.

Oct 9, 2025 / StudentNation / Zoya Alam

The Widener Library on the Harvard Campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

We’re Thinking About College Rankings All Wrong We’re Thinking About College Rankings All Wrong

The annual list from U.S. News and World Report is helpful for affluent families and those with the resources to compete for a spot at elite universities. What about everyone else...

Sep 30, 2025 / StudentNation / Zoya Alam

Ken Martin, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, who leads a counter-resolution to Allison Minnerly’s proposal.

A DNC Member Is Calling for an Arms Embargo on Israel. Will the Party Leadership Listen? A DNC Member Is Calling for an Arms Embargo on Israel. Will the Party Leadership Listen?

Allison Minnerly speaks about her upcoming resolution urging a ceasefire, an arms embargo on Israel, and recognition of Palestine as a state.

Aug 26, 2025 / Q&A / Zoya Alam

Thousands of people gather on No Kings Day to protest Trump, his administration, and ICE activities in Los Angeles, California.

From the City to the Suburbs, First-Time Protesters Are Showing Up From the City to the Suburbs, First-Time Protesters Are Showing Up

Here’s how the protests against President Trump and increased ICE raids have affected communities and galvanized residents in and around Los Angeles, California.

Jun 18, 2025 / StudentNation / Rani Chor and Zoya Alam

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