Rachel Janfaza is an associate writer for CNN Politics in Washington DC, covering youth political culture and everything related to young voters in U.S. politics.

As CNN's first writer on the politics team dedicated to the youth beat, Janfaza's reporting has covered the first members of Gen Z to launch campaigns for Congress; the Biden administration's push to vaccinate young Americans; advocates urging the administration to prioritize youth mental health in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic; a political awakening in the cryptocurrency world, and high youth voter turnout in the 2020 election. She also writes for CNN's breaking news team, covering news of the day.

Before joining CNN in 2020, Janfaza first started writing about youth political culture for Teen Vogue and MTV News. Her reporting has explored youth activism around the world, from the fight against Brexit to the global climate strikes, as well as initiatives to lower the voting age.

Janfaza previously held roles at New York City's flagship public television station WNET THIRTEEN and VICE News, where she worked on "She's Running," the award-winning digital video series and newsletter following the historic political wave of women running for office in 2018.

As a graduate of Harvard University, Janfaza previously wrote for Fifteen Minutes Magazine, The Harvard Crimson's weekly student life publication. In her Honors thesis titled "Post the Change You Wish To See: The Role of Social Media in Youth Led Social Movements from 2010-2020," she traced the ways young leaders have utilized social media in mass movements throughout the past decade.