I have been working or volunteering for Troy Public Radio for a little over a year now. We do a multitude of things at the station from weather, new spots, and The Talk of Troy which is our student podcast about the university. Only a few weeks ago, I was doing a story for the department of theater and dance and their upcoming production of Into the Woods. I interviewed the director of the show along with some actors.
One of those actors that I interviewed was Lily Kate Gwin who played the role of the witch in the musical. Usually interviews for the Talk of Troy are around eight to 10 minutes long with only a handful of questions. However, when I interviewed Lily Kate, we ended up talking for almost thirty minutes. Gwin’s interview stood out to me because of how well spoken she was and how insightful and profound her thoughts are. Immediately following the interview, I tossed around the idea to my supervisor of doing a feature or two-way or something about Lily Kate. That’s when the perfect opportunity came along.
I applied for the NPR Next Gen program earlier that semester and was eagerly waiting for a response. Shortly following my interview with Lily Kate, I learned that I had been accepted into the program. I was so excited, not only because I was accepted into the program, but also I now had a platform and environment to tell Gwin’s story. I pre-interviewed her shortly after and I became invested in her story. Not only did she have a compelling narrative of found home, but her way with words made everything even more so. A story needed to be told, and my goodness, what a story we told.
Since I first volunteered at Troy Public Radio I have realized one thing about the station and the people that work there, they are always pushing and challenging me to be a better reporter, storyteller, and person. So, when my boss Kyle Gassiott presented me with the opportunity to apply for NPR Next Generation Radio’s producers program, I jumped in head first, excited about the challenge ahead. Everyone at the station and at Troy University have been so kind and helpful during this project as they pushed me to be the best I can be, and all I can say is thank you.
We started the program on Sunday and in a flash it is already Friday. I do not know where the time went. I also did not know what to expect from this program, but it was more than I ever imagined. I have never worked remotely before, but it was a great learning experience. Further, I have never put together a project on this scale in such a short amount of time with so many wonderful people. This project would not have been possible with everyone I worked with this week. They were the real backbone of this project and made this experience one of the best I have ever had. I learned so much this week and we told such a great story. I am sad to say it is coming to an end, but it is really only the beginning, as the lessons I learned this week will stay with me for the rest of life.