Hi!
My name is Alyanna. I am a writer and journalist in Toronto. I craft smart and moving stories that reveal the complexities of the human condition and hold power to account.
Currently, I am the assistant editor at Maclean’s, where I oversee the magazine’s back-of-book section, curating stories on arts, immigration and housing from across Canada. I also handle web essays and memoirs on diverse subjects like cost-of-living, human impacts of environmental disasters and societal trends.
I freelance on the side, too. My bylines include Toronto Life, Zoomer, Broadview, University Affairs and the Toronto Star.
Featured Writing
Here are some of my recent work that I’m proud of
Investigation, featured in Great Canadian Longform: The true cost of a Canadian education (Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3)
Feature, personal essay: The cash cows of U of T
Latest from My Blog
My newest blog posts
The Top 10 Books I Read in 2021
In the midst of yet another year marked by collective...
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Test Your Temper: 10 Films About Social Injustice
Social injustice and the movements it’s incited have a long...
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The Truth About Competitive Debate: Musings of a Former Debater
Back when I was in high school, when I didn’t...
Read More
What People Are Saying
"International students in Canada typically pay tuition fees two to five times higher than domestic students. But at U of T, international students pay almost 10 times the amount their domestic counterparts pay for tuition." https://t.co/VPaWsc4so3 (@TheVarsity @alyannadchua) pic.twitter.com/z41dkeduPc
— Great Canadian Longform (@GCLongform) March 29, 2022
The business of education can harm more than help. Maryam Juyan writes about how International students at UofT struggle to pay increasing tuition fees, costs of food, accommodation. Shout out to the amazing work of @alyannadchua @TheVarsity on this topic.https://t.co/T1Zb89k87j
— Girish Daswani (@girishdaswani) May 31, 2023
Congrats @alyannadchua Sounds well deserved. https://t.co/IuqIzprqbY
— Melody Viczko (@melodyviczko) February 14, 2023
For the CWA Award for Labour Reporting: Alyanna Denise Chua's (@alyannadchua) "After years of advocacy, international students’ work limit temporarily lifted" https://t.co/2AoKnqxOQz
— The Varsity (@TheVarsity) February 13, 2023
At @TheVarsity, we've released a three-part investigation into int'l student fees at @UofT. @alyannadchua is one of the most meticulous reporters I know, and she also has a knack for humanizing big issues. I am absolutely giddy that you can read her magnum opus now. Link below!! https://t.co/Pv4Rb11PQx
— Jadine Ngan (she/her) (@jadinengan) March 29, 2022
Hugely important reporting on the financial struggles of international students at U of T. The exploitation of international students is a shame on the Canadian university sector as a whole, but U of T is especially egregious—10x the tuition paid by domestic students!! https://t.co/HKnMkaXZfL
— Sarah Dowling (@SarahMDowling1) March 29, 2022
A must read investigative piece by the stellar @alyannadchua on how @uoft’s refusal to follow its own ph experts’ advices is harming immunocompromised and disabled folxs.
— Dr Katherine Blouin (@isisnaucratis) November 25, 2022
This is a moral failure.
Shame. https://t.co/KKzjzmPNZc
Last class meeting of ANTD05 @UTSCAnthroDept with these incredible soon-to-graduate students. This course was intense: yrlong original ethnog research projects leading to posters & publications. They surpassed every expectation. These right here are the very best of the best! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ZGPAVv8wVq
— Katie Kilroy-Marac (@kkilroy25) April 7, 2023
🎉🏆Congratulations to @UofT_Anthro students Sofia Champion, George Mantzios, Alyanna Denise Chua (@alyannadchua), Iakoiewáhtha Patton (@iakopatton), and Leann Ling who were recently awarded an Outstanding Graduating Anthropology Student Award from @CASCATweet! pic.twitter.com/E5jKLFjwnJ
— U of T Anthropology (@UofT_Anthro) May 25, 2023
Thank you, @alyannadchua, Zen Nguyen and @TheVarsity, for your thoughtful covering of UofT's Queen's death/Orange Shirt Day responses
— Dr Katherine Blouin (@isisnaucratis) October 3, 2022
This is what great journalism looks like 🔥https://t.co/M4ZMpmXVz3 https://t.co/jZRqwnP3pd
@alyannadchua is an absolute star of a writer — she has a sharp eye for detail and a natural sense for storytelling. I'm so very lucky to work with her at @TheVarsity and call her a friend.
— Jadine Ngan (she/her) (@jadinengan) December 31, 2021
You should check out what she published this year (start with Cash Cows, it's so good) ↓ https://t.co/HEEgnnk7C1
Without further ado, please @ your congratulations to this year’s Shared Bylines scholarships recipients, who each will receive $3,000: Daysha Loppie, @alyannadchua, Jermaine Wilson, @dominique_gene, Matthew Merkel and @kierstwilliams 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌 /4
— Shared Bylines (@sharedbylines) September 15, 2022
