Baala Shakya

Baala is a History and Political Science major in Trumbull College at Yale University pursuing certificates in Journalism and Medieval Studies. Her academic and professional work combines journalism and international history to examine how media shapes public discourse, foreign policy, and narratives of power, conflict, and national identity. She is particularly interested in European security and the historical roots of contemporary global affairs.

As an international journalist, Baala has reported from both the US and Nepal, covering economic development, human rights, and Eurasian relations. Her work has appeared in international publications, and she has collaborated with organizations across the public and international sectors, including the United Nations.

At Yale, Baala has written for the Yale Daily News, The Yale Historical Review, and The Yale Globalist. She has also worked in strategic communications at the Jackson School and MacMillan Center. Alongside writing, she conducts historical and political research. She has served as a Research Assistant to Professor Edward Rugemer, conducting archival research on 17th through 20th-century American imperialism, militarism, and isolationism. She has also worked as a Research Assistant for Professor Edieal J. Pinker at the Yale School of Management, studying how international news coverage influences public opinion through a project analyzing The New York Times' reporting on the Israel–Hamas war.

Department: History and Medieval Studies