Trail Blazing Alum: Eli Tan ’17- Blazing Trails in the World of Journalism

“I didn't know I wanted to be a journalist, but I was always passionate about writing,” said Eli. “After I wrote a couple articles for my college newspaper, I knew this was what I’m meant to do.”

Eli attended Bush from Sixth to Twelfth Grade and took advantage of the extensive art and writing opportunities that were offered as creative outlets. In his Sixth Grade year, Eli participated in an E-week led by Beatriz Troncoso titled: "What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?" During this interactive week, he visited different workplaces, including the Seattle NPR office.
 

“It was my first time in a professional newsroom and I found it fascinating,” Eli shared.

He reflects fondly on his instructors and the efforts they put towards polishing his writing, which propelled his current skills.

“I studied English in college, but some of my best classes were taken at Bush,” Eli shared. “I was a confident writer by the time I got to college.”
  

After graduating from The Bush School, Eli moved to Northfield, Minnesota and attended St. Olaf College, where he played on the baseball team and wrote for various newspapers across the state.
 

“The highlight of my time in college was hitting a one-career home run, a grand slam, in my final game.” Eli shared.
 

After graduating, he moved to New York City and earned his first role as a technology reporter for a trade publication called CoinDesk, where he covered the rise and fall of the cryptocurrency industry.
 

Eli furthered his education at Columbia University in New York, where he earned a master’s degree in journalism. He then moved to Washington D.C., to work at the Washington Post, where he covered business and Congress.

Eli has since settled in San Francisco and works as a journalist for the New York Times. His most recent story about A.I. dating clones was turned into a podcast episode for Modern Love.

Eli has written countless business and technology-themed articles, highlighting stories reported from potato towns in Central Washington and crypto cafes in the Philippines, to the courtroom of the Sam Bankman-Fried trial, and factories that recycle stolen catalytic converters.

“I’ve enjoyed getting to live in different cities and working in some really storied newsrooms with really great editors,” Eli shared. “Getting to experience this early in my career has been incredible.”

He values his academic journey and contributes his current success to the faculty, staff, and immersive curriculum at Bush. When asked about one of the most rewarding parts of his Bush experience, Eli immediately thinks of the personal connections he’s built with best friends and fellow alums.

“On the first day of Sixth Grade, I made a group of friends who are still my best friends to this day,” Eli said. “We live in different places, but we make an effort to hang out whenever we’re all in Seattle. The small classes at Bush made it easy to make those kinds of connections.”