ABOUT
Welcome! My name is Isabelle Charles and I am a senior at Tufts University studying Africana studies and English. I am an aspiring writer and journalist with an interest in cultural creations (predominantly food and language), issues related to the Black diaspora and history, Caribbean literature, and relationships between fictional characters and their constructed worlds. Please see my resume below and my writing portfolio in the menu above.
SKILLS
-
Research
-
Proficient with Stata Data Science Software, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
-
Social Media & Publishing Platforms: PRX, Prezi, Canva, Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Website Platforms
-
Organizing & Planning
-
Advanced Spanish
-
Intermediate German
-
Creative Writing
-
Food Photography & Gastronomy: Food Instagram
EXPERIENCE
Fall 2021 & Summer 2022
GBH’s Basic Black Show Production Intern
Intern for Basic Black, the award-winning and longest running show on public television that focuses on the interests of people of color. Researched the show topics and created packets for the host and guest panelists; Co-wrote the show’s opening for the host; logged each of the show tapings; pitched show ideas; attended morning newsroom meetings and pitched news story ideas; prepared soundbite clips; posted to the show’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts on relevant issues; uploaded the show’s podcasts to the PRX platform; wrote and published article on Immigrant food culture for GBH News
Boston, MA
Summer 2022
Editorial Intern for Harvard Transition Magazine
Editorial Intern for Transition Magazine at The Harvard Hutchins Center for African and African American research. Born in Uganda in 1961, Transition is known as "The Magazine of Africa and the Diaspora." Over the years, Transition has attracted literary authors and scholars from Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, to Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Chinua Achebe, V.S. Naipaul, James Baldwin, Julius Nyerere, and many others. Read through submitted pieces and made suggestions; discussed the pieces with senior editors; created the newsletter; conducted archival research; wrote and published article for the Transition website
Cambridge, MA
Present
Editor-in-Chief of Onyx Magazine, Tufts’ only Black Magazine
Edit all of the pieces in the magazine; edit the final version of the magazine; write the letter from the editor; reach out to the e-list for submissions and upcoming events; put together the e-board; formulate themes for the issues, host workshops and events
Medford/Somerville, MA
Present
President of The Tufts English Society
Run weekly e-board meetings; interview all e-board members before onboarding; meet with each committee (which includes Treasury, Event Planning Committee, Underclassmen outreach rep, and literary discussion groups for weekly and upcoming events), reach out to the e-list for events and updates, formulate ideas of events that the society hosts (including Professor panels, creative writing panels, and author visits, english major meet-and-greets)
Medford/Somerville, MA
Fall 2021
Poetry and Prose Editor for The Tufts Observer
Edited articles for the poetry and prose section of Tufts’ oldest student publication, The Observer; wrote articles for all sections; Editor-in-chief of the Creative Issue (formulated the issue theme, sent out the prompts, sorted through written and visual submissions, selected final submissions, edited all written pieces, wrote the editorial letter, and oversaw the layout process with writers, editors, and designers)
Medford/Somerville, MA
Spring 2017
Swanee Hunt Alternatives
Edited staff profiles, updated the website, and conducted research on Swanee Hunt’s most recent book, “Rwandan Women Rising.”
Cambridge, MA
Summer 2017
Research Assistant in Panama
Provided photographs in Panama to support research on oral history and storytelling in the region. Project was part of commemorative effort to celebrate the life and work of Reverend Dr. Ephraim Alphonse, my great-grandfather
Bocas del toro, Panama
Other Projects:
A food instagram to document and tell the stories of the edible art I make, bake, and create (@justpeachykeennn)
EDUCATION
Senior, Class of 2023
Tufts University
Double Major in Africana Studies & English
Medford/Somerville, MA
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
-
Awarded The Tom Shapiro Memorial Scholarship for Oral History Research under Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora department at Tufts University, one out of six award recipients (Present)
-
Tufts University Dean’s List (2019- Present)
-
President of The Tufts English Society (Present)
-
Published writer for The Observer, Tufts’ Oldest Student Publication, and The Palmier, The Tufts Culinary Magazine (2019- Present)
-
Selected to be a National Youth Correspondent representing Massachusetts and Concord Academy at the Washington Journalism and Media Conference at George Mason University (2018)
-
Student Writer with the New York Times Program at University of Oxford (2017)
-
Awarded Medal by the American Association of Teachers of German and Presidential Honor Roll for German (2017)
-
Certificate of Excellence in Spanish from Middlebury Interactive Language Academy (2016)