Elise Blanchard is a multimedia journalist born and raised in the South of France. She is currently pursuing a MS degree at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York after spending a year studying journalism at Sciences Po in Paris. Elise mostly writes about Afghanistan, the refugee crisis, and conflicts in the Middle East and Africa. She developed a passion for these topics while volunteering at refugee camps in Paris helping homeless, unaccompanied minors and asylum seekers. Elise is currently learning Pashto, with hopes of working in Afghanistan. Elise also holds a BA in Creative Writing at Wesleyan University.