About me
Hello! I'm Khadeejah Khan, a first-year student at University of California, Davis majoring in Asian American Studies and a student journalist passionate about the power of the word to mobilize communities through storytelling that not only increases representation, but moves our communities towards liberation.
As a South Asian American, Muslim journalist from the Bay Area, I believe in the mission of journalism to bring voices and communities in conversation and to hold power to account. The past four years, I have immersed myself in reporting about transnational politics and identity, diasporic experiences, student activism, and education inequity, having been published in KQED, The San Jose Mercury News, The Daily Californian, CalMatters, PBS Student Reporting Labs, and The California Aggie.
We all have a story to tell; I'd love to listen to yours!
My Latest Work
LA colleges move classes online, offer services to students affected by fire
We talked to California college students about today’s election. Here’s what’s on their minds
KQED Youth Takeover: How Can San Jose Schools Create Safer Campuses? | KQED
In 2020 and 2021, against a backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement and Covid-19 pandemic, school districts across the country made the decision to remove police officers from their campuses. In the San Jose area, pressure from teachers and parents pushed several school districts to increase mental health support on campuses – hiring social workers and creating wellness centers – as an alternative to policing. As part of KQED’s Youth Takeover week, high school students Khadeejah Khan and Nic...
Amid Gaza war, South Bay Palestinian, Muslim students reach out to each other
Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.They want to display pride in their Palestinian identity. They want to educate their peers about Palestinian people and culture. And they want to reach out to fellow Palestinians and Muslims in America.As the war in Gaza intensifies and the death toll and suffering rise, Palestinian and Musl...
How some South Bay schools expanded mental health services
Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.The pandemic lockdown left many high school students with feelings of grief and disconnect from their school communities. When classes resumed in person, South Bay school districts, like those across the country, were offered federal COVID relief funding to address pandemic concerns.Some dis...
KQED Youth Takeover: From the Screen to the Writing Room, South Asian Influence in TV and Film is on the Rise | KQED
South Asian American representation in television and movies is on the rise. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe debuting its first South Asian superhero in 2021 and “Never Have I Ever” winning big at the People’s Choice Awards, Hollywood has begun to cast South Asians for big roles and tell authentic South Asian stories. But representation behind-the-scenes is just as important as it is in front of the camera: writers, directors and producers are the ones who determine who to cast and how to por...
South Bay students rally to help earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria
Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.After a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, killing more than 50,000 people, many high school students in the South Bay felt its impact.“So many of us lost family members, friends and people from our community who we were connected to,” said Khadija Masri, a Syrian-Ameri...
Is Western embrace of henna tattoos cultural appropriation?
Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.Growing up in this country, Foram Mehta was bullied when she got henna designs, or mehndi, painted on her hands at Indian-American community celebrations.“Henna was not a thing people understood, so people found it weird, especially kids,” said M...
