Meet KUOW's summer 2021 RadioActive youth producers
KUOW's RadioActive Youth Media is proud to offer our 18th annual summer introductory workshop for teens. In our second all-virtual workshop, fifteen teens, aged 15-18, will spend four weeks learning about radio journalism and audio storytelling.
Youth participants will do all of the research, interviews, writing, voicing and editing to produce their own short radio stories from home. By the end of the four weeks, the group will have produced fifteen profile stories. Hear them at our public listening party event.
Adrian Guerra, Senior, Kamiak High School
Adrian comes from a very diverse cultural background as a Guatemalan Italian American. He has passions for guitar, fitness, and writing but dreams of becoming a successful journalist one day. This dream stems from him having always been a seeker of truth, willing learner, and having the desire to leave a positive impact on the world. He embraces unpredictability and looks forward to an exciting future.
Alayna Ly, Senior, Cleveland High School
If there had to be one word to describe Alayna Ly, it would be curious. Alayna’s curiosity and sense of wonder are the compasses she uses to navigate the world. Her love of stories stems from a childhood filled with books, as well as late nights spent reminiscing with friends. Alayna spends her free time making jewelry, writing poetry, and playing guitar and ukulele.
Colin Yuen, Junior, Issaquah High School
As a person who asks a lot of strange questions, Colin is always curious about all the interesting aspects of the world. With a mother who immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan and a father whose parents immigrated from Hong Kong, he is excited to learn all about the histories and cultures that make up the person he is today. He is constantly looking for new challenges and opportunities to take on and is excited to see how journalism will affect him in the future, whether that be through a career or as a new hobby.
Eva Solorio, Senior, Kamiak High School
Eva Solorio is an ambitious Mexican American teen with a bold voice. She enjoys writing, singing, songwriting, and participating in her school's choir. Eva grew up in a household where speaking up was extremely important, and she continues to strive for her community and family. She gained her love for writing in her eighth-grade English class, and she used writing to process the journey of her mental health. Carrying a good atmosphere with her, she hopes to create a safe place for everyone, where everyone feels included and loved; she is excited to share her journey through storytelling and hopes someone can potentially relate and not feel alone.
Jennifer Nguyen, Junior, Franklin High School
Jennifer Nguyen is a Vietnamese American girl who loves a good story that keeps her on her toes. In her free time, she likes to watch dramas, each with their own story that takes her away from reality. Jennifer is not one to stray away from a challenge as she is not afraid to try something new. She enjoys participating in new hobbies but her all time favorite things to do are binge-watching shows, hanging out with friends, and sleeping.
Josie Gonzalez, Senior, Chief Sealth International High School
Josie is a young Mexican American who loves baseball. Josie hopes to become a sports journalist one day. She loves to try new things and explore opportunities. She hopes to learn more about radio and have fun doing it.
Kemijah Slaughter, Senior, Rainier Beach High School
Kemijah Slaughter is seventeen years old. She loves to read and write, and she loves art. Her dream is to get into Howard University and study to become a midwife. Kemijah knows that as a young Black woman, she will have to work hard and be very dedicated to achieve her goals.
Khassim Diakhate, Recent Graduate, Garfield High School
Khassim Diakhate is an exiting senior at Garfield High School. During his time spent at Garfield, Khassim was a writer and sports editor for The Garfield Messenger. Khassim enjoys writing, playing basketball, and playing NBA 2K. You can also find Khassim hanging out with friends and watching sports.
Leila M’baye, Senior, Mariner High School
Leila is a young, Senegalese Nigerien woman that comes from a big family she adores spending time with. She takes pride in descending from a long line of influential, strong, and caring women and men. Leila has a passion for analyzing stories and ideas from movies, TV shows, and books. She’s an avid activist in her school and community for equity and support for students of color. Besides that she enjoys embracing her Wolof, Yoruba, and West African culture through food, dance, and music. In her free time she loves playing volleyball, reading, and hanging out with friends. She’s excited to listen and learn through this program and connect with those different from and similar to her.
Lily Turner, Junior, Nathan Hale High School
Lily is a young woman with a love for storytelling. Ever since she was little, Lily has been writing poetry and stories to share with her family. Lily is hard of hearing, and she is extremely passionate about issues affecting the disabled community. She hopes to bring attention to the ways in which our language and actions are harmful to those with disabilities. At school, Lily is studying American Sign Language (ASL) and hopes to incorporate ASL and deaf culture into her writing and projects at KUOW.
Muhammad Tunkara, Junior, Raisbeck Aviation High School
Muhammad Tunkara is an African American Muslim who likes to read books and learn new things. He likes to help his community by joining workshops and programs that benefit his community. He has a passion for science and has been part of the Science Olympiad team since his freshman year. Muhammad hopes to learn more about journalism and share his stories with others.
Najuma Abadir, Junior, Nathan Hale High School
Najuma Abadir grew up in a world where she was surrounded by many different cultures as a Black Muslim woman. She has always been interested in topics relating to her background and has a strong desire to lead. She enjoys making connections with others and learning different people's stories. She is always working to ensure that everyone is included in school, and she even helped form a Muslim Student Association (MSA) at her school. She writes as a form of activism and intends to do so for the rest of her life.
Rahmah Abdulazeez, Sophomore, Kent-Meridian High School
Rahmah believes her love for poetry and books will continue for the rest of her life, whether she’s reading “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe out loud or books by Sarah J. Mass. She strives to be a businesswoman one day. She wants to use her voice to raise awareness, take action, and get things done.
Ramell Beecher, Sophomore, Highline High School
Ramell moved around a lot when he was little. This gave him a passion for traveling and exploring. One of his biggest goals is to explore and see different countries one day.
Zana Stewart, Senior, Bethel High School
Zana Stewart will be graduating from Bethel High School in 2022. She is one of the founding members of The Root of Our Youth, a social activist group focused on equity in education and the mental health of students of color. In school, Zana is the president of FCCLA (Family Career and Community Leaders of America), a member of Bethel's Black Student Union, and a varsity cheerleader. Outside of school, she enjoys dancing, reading, and listening to music. Zana dances competitively in tap and hip hop for Charisma School of Dance and enjoys taking ballet and jazz recreational classes.
