During the peak of the pandemic, I found myself completing my college education in Colorado Springs. My dining room table became my classroom. One day, NPR education reporter Sequoia Carrillo called to inform me that I had won the 2021 College Podcast Challenge. This pivotal moment led to my first job in radio at KNKX in Seattle. Currently, I am a freelance journalist, contributing to the next season of Inheriting with LAist and NPR. Over the years, I have reported from diverse places like Owens Valley, California, and New York City, meeting exceptional individuals along the way.

As the contest returns, I reconnected with previous participants to see how their lives evolved after the competition.

Reconnecting with Family

Miriam Colvin, a freshman at Penn State University in 2021, won the first College Podcast Challenge. Her podcast explored a family legend involving a boxing match between her grandpa’s friend and a young Muhammad Ali. The win encouraged her to pursue stand-up comedy and playwriting. Colvin frequently seeks inspiration from the elders in her life. Her grandfather’s tales of adventurous childhood experiences constantly remind her of the importance of creating memories with loved ones.

These stories gain meaning for Colvin as she grows older. She sees reflected parts of herself in the stories of her grandparents, despite the different worlds they grew up in. “You realize that we’re all going through similar challenges,” she notes.

For Bunmi Omisore, preserving family stories depended on understanding them. Her podcast, earning an honorable mention in 2025, documented her quest to learn her parents’ native language, Yoruba. Initially, she had little comprehension, but with determination, she immersed herself in learning. Her father’s decision to communicate only in Yoruba propelled her progress. Within a year, she gained proficiency, granting her a deeper connection with her Nigerian heritage. Understanding her grandmother’s humorous tales, once forgotten, now humanizes her family’s past for Omisore.

A Step Closer to a Dream Career

Bennett Cook, a self-proclaimed transitologist, entered the College Podcast Challenge in 2021. As a Buffalo State University student, Cook created a podcast about the musicality of subway trains. Train machinery, he observed, could mimic the sound of instruments like cellos. Cook, becoming a finalist, embraced his passion for transit as a career. Now with the Chicago Transit Authority, he aids passengers as a customer service assistant while nurturing ambitions to expand Chicago’s transit system.

Jo Strogatz’s journey echoes a similar theme. Winning the contest in 2024, while at Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, her story’s success landed her a job at Radiolab. Through her role, she combines her love for science and storytelling. “I feel fortunate to have this opportunity,” she reflects.

Edited by: Janet Woojeong Lee and Nirvi Shah