Media Maven’s Global Work Fuels New Student Enterprise
In law school — the latest stop on her globe-trotting tour — it helped launch a new student organization: Mass Media at Berkeley Law. After meeting classmates and fellow journalists Nicole Antonuccio (former art director at The Onion) and Caroline Lester (award-winning writer and audio producer) last year, common ground sparked a common goal.
“We wanted to bridge the gap between law and media, foster community among law students interested in media, and promote education and awareness about its legal challenges and implications in today’s society,” says Patel-Martin, former managing editor of a media tech company called The Juggernaut that covers South Asia. “We also wanted to bolster career development and exploration.”
Media Maven’s Global Work Fuels New Student Enterprise
In law school — the latest stop on her globe-trotting tour — it helped launch a new student organization: Mass Media at Berkeley Law. After meeting classmates and fellow journalists Nicole Antonuccio (former art director at The Onion) and Caroline Lester (award-winning writer and audio producer) last year, common ground sparked a common goal.
“We wanted to bridge the gap between law and media, foster community among law students interested in media, and promote education and awareness about its legal challenges and implications in today’s society,” says Patel-Martin, former managing editor of a media tech company called The Juggernaut that covers South Asia. “We also wanted to bolster career development and exploration.”
“I decided that living in India was the priority and the job would come later,” she says. “I had a burning desire to be at the forefront of innovation, work with like-minded individuals, and immerse myself in a country brimming with entrepreneurial energy.”
She headed portfolio growth for a new investment firm, encouraged women entrepreneurs through an Indian tech blog, and went in-house at a startup company that set up math learning centers across India and trained out-of-work women to become after-school math teachers.
Patel-Martin then joined Zipline, which facilitated last-mile delivery of blood and vaccine products in remote places by drone. She moved to Nairobi, forged government partnerships across sub-Saharan Africa, and spent time living and negotiating deals in several African countries. Later, while in Mexico to report on a story there, she met her now-husband and stayed 2½ years before moving to Berkeley.
“My goal was always to find the right voice to tell the story,” she says. “Working as a journalist outside the U.S. also let me see firsthand the challenges to press freedom that are emerging in other countries, and now in the U.S. as well.”
Patel-Martin worked last summer in Wilson Sonsini’s internet strategy and litigation practice group, and will clerk for Hawai‘i Supreme Court Justice Sabrina McKenna after graduating. She also aims to keep writing for nonlegal audiences about disinformation, court access, and other vital issues.
“The intersection of law and media is where I see my future,” she says. “I’m committed to helping create a world where media remains a trustworthy source of information, journalists and their news-gathering rights are protected, and internet platforms are better incentivized to create safe online spaces.” — Andrew Cohen