From Washington to New York

By Harrison Golden

Growing up in Washington, D.C., Rey Mashayekhi has always had a knack for the arts and sciences of politics.

“It’s about so many substantial things that go on and how they all affect us,” said Mashayekhi, the 20-year-old sophomore at Eugene Lang College. “It’s always interesting. When you’re in close proximity, it’s easy to understand why it’s so important.”

Although he is a fairly new contributor to the world of journalism, he strongly believes that writing has provided him with the ability to create outlets and forums for which to discuss his knowledge and ideas. While studying at Pace University in his freshman year, he wrote for the Pace Press, the college-wide paper, where he gained an affinity for the many processes of journalism, including interviewing and storytelling. However, despite helping him become more interested in news writing, the newspaper lacked aspects of professionalism. According to him, editors would rarely perform their edits and failed to even acknowledge the power of the news lede.

But with time spent traveling the world, visiting places such as New Orleans, London, and Madrid, and Brussels, Mashayekhi as developed a new-found sense of worldliness and a perspective intent on informing the public. Furthermore, with specific journalistic experience, has developed into a more well-rounded presence. Not only is he now beginning to understand the future of journalism, such as that seen on an ever-growing amount of websites, but he also comprehends how these technological changes can help contribute to the most basic aspect of the craft.

“I was always interested in writing. The great thing about it is that these things that interest me are the things I like to write about. Journalism gives me such a great opportunity. I get to develop ideas on how things impact our life,” Mashayekhi stated, remaining hopeful about his future. “I see myself writing for some publication, trying to repay my loans. But I know something interesting will happen along the way.”