Allan Kew was a reporter for Civil Beat. He recently graduated with a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism, where he covered New York City housing, development and subcultures. His thesis documented the lives of the city’s canners – people who survive and thrive off can and bottle deposits.

He was born in Minneapolis and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2016, he graduated from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations. He worked in government and public affairs in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., before transitioning to journalism.

He is an avid photographer and you can find his work on Instagram at @asckew. You can follow him on twitter at @AllanSCKew.