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Audio Journalism

This section features my work for The Washington Post, HEARST, Illinois Public Media in both audio and web journalism, with a focus on impactful storytelling and immersive reporting that centers underrepresented voices.

My most recent stories

Explore a featured selection of my writing work below. All audio stories are accompanied by digital NPR-style stories.

Illinois Newsroom •

Regardless of their stance on the war, Iranians in C-U feel silenced by those who disagree with them - IPM Newsroom

CHAMPAIGN — The Iranian community in the U.S. is watching closely as the U.S.-Israel war in Iran continues to drag on.
Among Iranians in the Champaign-Urbana area, there are a variety of perspectives on the war.
Some say they support the war to get rid of the violent Iranian regime. Others are not as hopeful, citing numerous examples of failed external military interventions for democratization of the Middle East. 
Regardless of their stance on the war, many say they feel silenced by those who d...
Illinois Newsroom •

A new task force in Champaign County will set parameters for large-scale data center development - IPM Newsroom

CHAMPAIGN — Across the country, data centers are transforming rural landscapes, particularly those with abundant water sources and reliable energy grids. Cornfields give way to massive buildings humming with servers and drawing gallons of water every second. 
Champaign County officials want to be ready for the possible arrival of new large-scale data centers in east-central Illinois.
The County Board voted unanimously Thursday night to create a data center task force. In parallel, Champaign Coun...
Illinois Newsroom •

At IPM News forum, Champaign County Executive candidates discuss data centers, ICE and local finances - IPM Newsroom

URBANA – The two Democrats running for Champaign County Executive shared their views on data centers, federal immigration enforcement and whether the position of county executive should be appointed or elected, at a candidate forum hosted by IPM News.
Michelle Jett and Sanford Hess are competing in the Democratic primary on March 17. 
Jett has over a decade of experience in government, including state politics and local public administration, most recently as a director of administration for mor...
Illinois Newsroom •

Meet Michelle Jett, Democratic candidate for Champaign County Executive - IPM Newsroom

See also: Meet Sanford Hess, Democratic candidate for Champaign County Executive
CHAMPAIGN – Democrats in Champaign County will decide who will be the next County Executive in the primary election. Early voting begins Thursday, with the primary election set for March 17. 
Democrats Michelle Jett and Sanford Hess are seeking their party’s nomination for the role. The winner of the Democratic primary is presumed to be the next County Executive, since there are no Republican candidates. The new Cou...
Illinois Newsroom •

Meet Sanford Hess, Democratic candidate for Champaign County Executive - IPM Newsroom

See also: Meet Michelle Jett, Democratic candidate for Champaign County Executive.
CHAMPAIGN – Democrats in Champaign County will decide who will be the next County Executive in the primary election. Early voting begins Thursday, with the primary election set for March 17. 
Democrats Sanford Hess and Michelle Jett are seeking their party’s nomination for the role. The winner of the Democratic primary is presumed to be the next County Executive, since there are no Republican candidates. The new C...
Illinois Newsroom •

From Illini Hillel to a national movement: the Abram Sachar story - IPM Newsroom

This story is part of Illinois Student Newsroom’s series: Champaign’s Honorary Streets: the Stories Behind the Signs.
CHAMPAIGN — At the corner of John St. and Fifth in Champaign, an Honorary Street is designated to Abram Sachar.
Illini Hillel Executive Director Erez Cohen submitted an application to the City of Champaign to designate the 500 block of East John Street, where the Hillel building is located, as Honorary Abram Sachar Way in 2023, as Hillel at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champ...
Illinois Newsroom •

‘Our strength lies in letting many identities thrive’: U of I celebrates South Asian cultures - IPM Newsroom

CHAMPAIGN — The hypnotic tunes of South Asian music merged with the sound of ghungroo bells, as dozens of audience members clapped and moved along with dancers Thursday night, many joining in to sing familiar South Asian tunes.


The inaugural “Celebrating South Asia” event took place at the Siebel Center for Design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — a joint effort between U of I cultural houses, Grainger College of Engineering and many student organizations. 


This evening was...
Illinois Newsroom •

Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee sparks anxiety among international students and economists - IPM Newsroom

URBANA — This is Naavya Shetty’s final semester at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She’s an international student from Mumbai, India, who chose the U.S. as the destination to pursue her dreams of bridging liberal arts and hard science. 
But following recent changes to federal policies that impact foreign workers, Shetty worries her goal of securing a job in the U.S. post-grad might become significantly harder. 
In September, President Trump signed an executive order requiring compan...
Illinois Newsroom •

The National Arab Orchestra debuts in Central Illinois, increasing Arab visibility - IPM Newsroom

URBANA — It’s not what you’d expect from a traditional orchestra performance when the National Arab Orchestra takes the stage. 
The audience whistles, dances and cheers in Arabic, while dancing dabke, a traditional Levantine folk dance shared across many Arab cultures. The space fills with the luring sound of Arabic music instruments like oud, the ancestor of the guitar, and the qanun or nay, an Arab flute. The beat of iqa’ and velvet voices sing in Arabic. 
The sense of community and pride for...
Illinois Newsroom •

Virtual water: Inside Illinois’ data centers, water flows quietly — and unchecked - IPM Newsroom

URBANA — The steady hum inside the National Petascale Computing Facility (NPCF) is so loud that it’s hard to hear anything else inside. But beneath this noise is a hidden current of water. 
“Today, it’s not much water,” said Mohammad Rantisi, the engineer monitoring NPCF operations. He pointed towards one of the pumps: “This is 575 gallons per minute.”
On that day, at least three pumps were moving water in quantities ranging from 179 to 400 gallons per minute. This is a relatively small load, ac...
Illinois Newsroom •

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk remembered on the University of Illinois South Quad - IPM Newsroom

URBANA – Standing in a circle with American flags in one hand and phone flashlights in the other, more than 80 people bowed their heads and prayed, mourning Charlie Kirk’s death on South Quad at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Thursday night.
Some of the attendees wore MAGA and 47 hats, some in shirts with “Jesus Saves” or “Jesus Loves You.”
Born in Arlington Heights, Charlie Kirk built a career as a conservative political activist and debater, becoming a prominent leader for Republi...
Illinois Newsroom •

Abortion laws are all over the map. A new online tool from U of I researchers will help track them - IPM Newsroom

URBANA — Ever since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, abortion laws have been literally all over the map, and difficult to track. But Robin Fretwell Wilson, a professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, is working to make it easier to track abortion laws.


Wilson presented her team’s research on April 10 during Urbana-Champaign Reproductive Justice Week in Champaign-Urbana. The goal is to create a new website designed to help people understand abortion laws across all 50 states....
Illinois Newsroom •

How Trump’s tariffs could threaten construction and housing affordability in Champaign-Urbana - IPM Newsroom

CHAMPAIGN — This spring, the lumber yard at LS Building Products in Champaign looks different: stacks of two-by-fours, vinyl siding and plywood stretch higher than usual, packed snug into every corner of the yard. 
“There’s a ton of overstock lumber in the yard right now,” said warehouse manager Gilvie Zook. “And honestly, in this yard alone, we haven’t had probably this much lumber here in five or six years.”
This is the first time they have overstocked to this level since COVID-19, he said, an...
Illinois Newsroom •

Fueling change: UIUC students vote on fossil fuel divestment this week - IPM Newsroom

URBANA — Voting season for students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign begins this week. Elections for the Campus Student Election Commission will be held online from Feb. 25 through Feb. 27 through the One Illinois platform.
One of the questions on the ballot asks students to weigh in on the issue of campus financial investments in fossil fuel companies.
The referendum asks students: “Should the University of Illinois System remove its fossil fuels investments within 5 years?”
“It i...
Illinois Newsroom •

C-U advocates respond to Trump executive orders that take aim at trans rights, bodily autonomy - IPM Newsroom

URBANA – Local advocates for reproductive justice gathered in Urbana Saturday, Feb. 8, to address growing concerns about the erosion of bodily autonomy in the current political climate. 
Since President Trump took office, he’s signed numerous executive orders aimed at limiting the rights of transgender people and curbing access to abortion.
“In the current administration, we feel more attacks on the areas that we’re working in,” said Julie Laut, the founder of Urbana-Champaign Reproductive Justi...
Illinois Newsroom •

Accessibility blocked: U of I senior dropped disability studies minor over inaccessible bathrooms - IPM Newsroom

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was a pioneer in campus accessibility, and remains one of the most accessible schools in the world. But issues still persist, creating barriers for some disabled students, like Alyx Bibbs, a U of I senior and a wheelchair user. 
Bibbs is majoring in recreation, sport and tourism, and for the past three years, they have been working hard towards their minor in disability studies.
But with one required class left, Bibbs said they had to drop the minor —...
Illinois Newsroom •

Some worry ‘Middle Eastern North African’ census designation will be misused if Trump wins - IPM Newsroom

The category of Middle Eastern North African, or MENA, was added to the U.S. Census earlier this year. It’s a change the MENA community had been trying to achieve since 1997 when the last major changes to race and ethnic categories in the Census were made. 
The MENA race category was proposed during the Obama presidency and was ignored by the Trump administration in 2016. Then, in March, the Biden administration announced adding MENA as a race category to the next Census. 
But with a potential T...