Meet the Fellows: Emi Sasagawa

Posted: June 16, 2015

NAME: Emi Sasagawa

SCHOOL: University of British Columbia, Canada, 2015 master’s graduate

BEFORE NEWS21: I recently graduated with a two-year master’s degree from the UBC School of Journalism, where I specialized in global politics reporting. At UBC, I worked as a research assistant at the SMARTTLab, a space dedicated to understanding the interaction between social networks, the media and public discourse. My work has been published by The Tyee, Megaphone, The Huffington Post and AlterNet, in addition to Brazilian publications.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON?: I’ve spent the last four months delving deep into Alaska’s experience with legalization. This story focuses on how Alaskans have reacted to changes in legislation and what that says about the state’s libertarian approach to cannabis. I’ve also been researching the cannabis culture in the United States more generally, including how this culture is created and transformed.

FUN FACT: I am a Lego fanatic. Growing up, Lego was my favorite toy. When my friends got me a set as a joke a few years ago, it was the perfect opportunity to pick up the hobby again. In the last two years, I’ve spent more than I would like to admit on new Lego sets. My favorite brick is #4618537.

CONNECT WITH ME: @emi_sasagawa on Twitter or @esasagawa on Instagram.