LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Education and breaking news reporter turned young-adult author Sonali Kohli published her first book, “Don’t Wait,” this past June. A woman of color, journalist and fan of the YA genre, Kohli has a passion for uplifting youth activists which, fueled her to write a book about three girls in today’s society who “fought for change and won.” Through her writing and support of students and young reporters, Kohli inspires a new generation of social change.
Kohli grew up in San Gabriel Valley as an Indian daughter of immigrant parents who taught her that those who work hard will be rewarded.
“I’m nosy, and I like to write and talk to people. This is very fun,” Kohli said, describing what went through her mind when she first discovered journalism in high school. From there, she graduated with an English degree from UCLA in 2013 after working for the Daily Bruin.
In 2015, Kohli started covering education and breaking news with a specialty in student movements at the L.A. Times, where she worked for six years.
However, being immersed in fires, shootings and other tragedies in breaking news caused Kohli to develop post-traumatic stress disorder and seek a different means of giving young people a voice.
“I thought any feelings I have can’t be real because it’s not happening to me. Just suck it up and keep moving. (But) that’s not how brains work,” Kohli said.
Leaving breaking news behind, Kohli began to write her first book “Don’t Wait.” She joined the Spencer Fellowship in Education Journalism at Columbia University in 2020 to conduct research for her book.
To change the narrative and create history where these girls’ stories will be told, Kohli wrote her book for the youth who want to change their communities but aren’t sure how to make it happen.
“Don’t Wait” centers around three girls with whom Kohli spent time and attended protests to present a detailed, present account of their lives and movements, all based in California. One of the girls worked to defund school police after George Floyd was killed, another fought to reduce urban oil drilling and the third increased access to arts education.
“I love YA books because they’re rooted in hope,” Kohli said.
She also included Q&As with veterans of social movements who spoke about how to be part of a movement while maintaining one’s mental health.
Currently, Kohli works as a senior recruiter at Uplift, Respect, Love Media to recruit journalists from underrepresented communities and help them find jobs in the industry.
“I hope to destigmatize mental healthcare, so people can work in journalism in the long run and not burn out,” Kohli said.
Since working in breaking news, Kohli has sought out mental healthcare because of the high-pressure environment she worked in. Despite this, she said she’s become a “better, more empathetic” person because of her anxiety and PTSD.
“I’m more considerate to what people could be experiencing,” she said.
Kohli remembered walking into her favorite L.A. bookstore, Reparations Club, after “Don’t Wait” came out and seeing hundreds of copies for her to autograph.
“It was a surreal moment,” Kohli said.
Now an accomplished author and mentor to countless young reporters, Kohli continues shaping the lives of young women and activists of color who aren’t waiting to make change in their communities.
Sonali Kohli was a guest speaker for the features writing contest at JDay, an annual event for high school journalists hosted by the Southern California Journalism Education Association and L.A. Times High School Insider and held at Cal State Northridge. Kim attended JDay with the Griffin Gazette on Oct. 26.
