Aakanksha is a fourth year journalism student at the University of Toronto, Canada. She has experience in television, print, radio, magazine and online. Aakanksha has worked for news organizations in South Asia, the Middle East and North America.
She is currently the Toronto Chapter Coordinator of the South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), headquartered at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in New York City.
Aakanksha was a media officer with the Summits Management Office (Government of Canada) during the G-8 and G-20 Summits held in Canada in June 2010. During this period, she coordinated press briefings and media inquiries and escorted media pools to events such as the commemoration of the Air India Memorial held by the Prime Minister of Canada and the Canada-India bilateral hosted for the Indian and Canadian Prime Ministers. She received a 'Certificate of Appreciation' and a letter from Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, commending her public service excellence at the Summits.
Aakanksha is the co-founder and editor of InFuze Magazine -- Toronto's first magazine for international students -- which was named the 'best new niche magazine in Toronto' by the Independent Publishers Association of Ontario. She has interned at TIME Magazine, New Delhi Television (NDTV 24X7), Khaleej Times and Oxford University Press, among others. She also hosted her own radio show on Radio Spice, 105.4 FM (UAE) in the summer of 2009. Her academic achievements include being designated as an Ontario Scholar for outstanding academic achievement by the Ontario Minister of Education and she is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship for outstanding academic achievement.
Born in India, raised in Dubai and schooled in Toronto, Aakanksha's diverse upbringing and work experience enable her to connect with people from different walks of life. Her interests include human rights, public policy, social networking, South Asia, Middle East and travelling. As a journalist, she hopes to report on world politics, global affairs, human rights and social justice issues.
