About

Hi! I'm Annika Sunkara, a rising fourth-year at Northeastern University in Boston pursuing a major in journalism and minors in political science and public relations. I'm from Dallas, Texas, and love all things news, politics and social media.

I specialize in audience engagement, including social media, graphic design, newsletters and vertical video. Learn about the early-career experiences that have shaped my passion for audience journalism:

The U.S. House of Representatives — Washington, D.C.

For my first co-op at Northeastern, I was a press and digital media fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives from July to December 2024. In the office of Congressman David Trone (MD-06), I designed graphics, edited speech videos, compiled press clips, wrote press releases and newsletters and drafted talking points for speeches and interviews — all throughout the 2024 election cycle.

The Huntington News (staff profile) — Boston

At Northeastern, I serve on the senior leadership of the university's independent student newspaper as a managing editor of The Huntington News, overseeing the paper's editorial and business operations.

Previously, as social media editor (fall 2024 to spring 2025) and audiovisual editor (fall 2023 to spring 2024), I engaged and expanded the paper's audience by redesigning our graphic templates, spearheading vertical video production, developing visual branding and tightening our connection with our 4,000+ newsletter subscribers. I witnessed firsthand the tangible impacts audience engagement strategy can have, both for readers and a publication.

Awards

2024: Associated Collegiate Press third place in social media reporting for live, multi-platform coverage of Northeastern's 48-hour pro-Palestine encampment

2025: New England Newspaper & Press Association first place in in-depth reporting for "Campus Turned Processing Area," an investigation into Northeastern's arrest of 98 protesters