The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Morning Mix announces the addition of staff writers Kyle Melnick, Praveena Somasundaram and Daniel Wu

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December 2, 2022 at 11:34 a.m. EST
WASHINGTON DC, MAY 24: The Washington Post Building at 1301 K St. NW in Washington DC, May 24, 2016. (John McDonnell / The Washington Post)

Announcement from Deputy Managing Editor Sharif Durhams, Morning Mix Editor Gina Harkins and Deputy Morning Mix Editor Jessica Lipscomb:

We are excited to announce that Kyle Melnick, Praveena Somasundaram and Daniel Wu are joining Morning Mix as staff writers.

Kyle covered high school sports for The Post for five years. He became a leading voice for D.C.-area youth athletics coverage while exploring athletes’ and coaches’ motivators, challenges and personalities on and off the field. He also contributed to professional and college sports coverage and wrote human-interest stories for Inspired Life.

Kyle reported on the lasting effects one football injury created for two players — the victim and the aggressor. He wrote about a father of two who turned to coaching after his wife died of covid-19. Kyle also covered the wild recruitment process for middle school football players in one of the country’s most talented athletic regions, and how a star high school quarterback dealt with losing his sister to cancer.

Kyle began his journalism career at the Diamondback, the University of Maryland’s independent student newspaper. There, he served as the sports editor and a staff writer covering Maryland athletics. In college, Kyle interned with USA Today and The Post and covered the Washington Nationals as an associate reporter for MLB.com. His work has been recognized by the Hearst Journalism Awards Program, Associated Press Sports Editors and Society of Professional Journalists.

A Montgomery County, Md., native, Kyle received a multiplatform journalism degree from the University of Maryland in May 2018. He rejoined The Post that August. In his free time, Kyle is a movie enthusiast and enjoys reading fiction novels.

Praveena joined The Post in June as an intern on the General Assignment desk, pitching in on breaking news coverage of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Highland Park mass shooting, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and the Seoul crowd crush, among others. Her reporting has covered a wide range of topics, including sneaker authentication, California wildfires and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Praveena came to The Post after four years on the staff of the Daily Tar Heel, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s student newspaper, serving as its editor-in-chief during the 2021-22 school year. She led the paper to two Pacemaker awards, won first place in news writing from the North Carolina College Media Association and received UNC-Chapel Hill’s Ernest H. Abernethy Prize in Student Publication Work.

During the previous two summers, Praveena interned at the Dallas Morning News and the Charlotte Observer, writing features and covering breaking news. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in May with degrees in biology and journalism.

And while she is a huge fan of Carolina basketball, Praveena was raised in Louisville, Ky., and her loyalty is divided by her love for the Kentucky Wildcats. She looks forward to going on runs around D.C. to explore her new home.

Daniel joined The Post as a Metro intern in June, where he reported on elections in Prince George’s County, the resignation of the Montgomery County planning board and a foiled plot to smuggle firearms from Baltimore County to Cameroon.

Before coming to The Post, Daniel interned at the Seattle Times in 2021 and the San Jose Mercury News in 2020. In Seattle, Daniel investigated referral rates to Seattle homeless shelters and how a small Chinese American community in Tacoma reckoned with racism in the city’s history. The year prior, he reported on a Bay Area summer beset by wildfires, heat waves and the outbreak of covid-19.

Daniel studied history and communications at Stanford University, where he served as a reporter, editor and proud flag football captain for the Stanford Daily. He’ll miss the California weather but is excited to make a home in the District.

Please welcome Daniel, Praveena and Kyle to their new roles. Daniel and Pravenna started Nov. 28 and Kyle starts Dec. 5.