NextGenRadio

University of Nevada, Reno

Finding, coaching and training public media's next generation.

Our Reporters

Isaac Hoops

Isaac Hoops is a senior at the Reynolds School of Journalism. He has worked as a freelance photojournalist for multiple publications in Nevada, and is currently interning as a reporter for Reno’s NPR member station, KUNR Public Radio. He is passionate about the outdoors and spends much of his free time climbing and hiking through the Sierra. To celebrate his 26th birthday, he rode 200 miles on his bicycle in a day.

The best experience of my college career

This is by far the best experience I have had in my college career and I am beyond grateful to have been a part of it.

Andrew Mendez

Andrew Mendez is a rising senior at the University of Nevada, Reno, dual majoring in Journalism and Spanish Literature. Originally from Las Vegas, he started his reporting career at The Nevada Sagebrush where he is the editor-in-chief. His work can be found in KUNR Public Radio, Reno Gazette-Journal, The Nevada Independent, The Santiago Times, and soon to be in the Los Angeles Times. He aspires to be a reporter focused on immigration and the Latinx community and to continue to promote bilingual media. In his free time, Mendez enjoys spending time with his friends, reading, and listening to podcasts.

From doubting my skills to realizing I belong in these spaces

I was nervous to even apply for Next Generation Radio because I wasn’t sure if I’d make the cut. It took a lot of people to encourage me to apply, and I am so glad I did. It was honestly a life changing experience. At the end of a hard week people usually feel tired...

Maria Palma

María Palma is a journalist from La Serena, Chile, currently pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Nevada, Reno. Palma’s goal is to make a social impact through journalism. She is interested in community improvement, justice, equity, truth, and is passionate about cultures, travel, social causes, nature, food, photojournalism, art, fashion, trends and diversity. She is starting her career as a bilingual reporter (Spanish-English) and has been contributing to some media outlets in Northern Nevada. In her spare time, she likes to play with the pets, cook new recipes and meet new people.

In just five days, I learned so much

When I applied for NPRs Next Generation Radio, the first thing I heard was that it would be an intense week but it would be very short. And it's true. The teamwork and the quality of professionals that the program has makes me think: "I wish it lasted longer," because...

Carly Sauvageau

Carly Sauvageau grew up in Tonopah, Nevada, and started attending the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, in 2016. She is now earning her master’s degree at the Reynolds School and plans to graduate in December 2021. Sauvageau is the editorial manager for the Center for Basque Studies Press. She also works freelance as an audio reporter for This Is Reno and as an article writer for the University of Nevada, Reno’s Political Science department. In her free time, Sauvageau enjoys reading and writing poetry, traveling, and working on animation, audio and video projects. Her dream job would be to work for This American Life.

Feeling enriched by the support of an entire team

I went into NPR’S Next Generation 2021 bootcamp in Reno knowing basic skills of producing a radio story from classes and freelance work, but never experiencing what it’s like to work in a newsroom with various teams. It amazed me to see so many different people...

Jarrette Werk

Jarrette Werk, A’aniiih and Nakoda, is an independent journalist, visual storyteller, and portrait photographer based in Northern Nevada. He is a member of the Native American Journalists Association. He was selected as a 2018-19 Generation Indigenous Movement Builders Fellow, co-creating “Reclaiming Our Narrative” project, and spotlighting young Indigenous leaders from around the world. His work aims at providing an in-depth look at Indigenous communities, helping to shape a narrative often set by outsiders. He has been published in the Associated Press, Indian Country Today, FNX, IJNET, the Center for Native American Youth, First Nation’s Focus, and the Lahontan Valley News. In his free time, Jarrette likes taking his dogs, DiMaggio and Miley, to the dog park.

I want to share stories of my people

I went into journalism to share the stories of my people, and to have someone just as passionate about sharing the stories of Indigenous people, was so refreshing.

Kylene Yumul

Kylene Yumul was born in San Diego, California, and grew up in the Philippines. She served as a radio operator and communications specialist in the U.S. Army and later worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs as a public affairs officer. She is currently a graduate student at the University of Nevada, Reno, earning her master’s degree in journalism. In her free time, Kylene enjoys meditating, learning languages, and playing brain games, as well as spending time with family and indulging in Japanese anime and Korean pop culture.

Note: Kylene was an apprentice digital editor for this NextGenRadio project.

I proved to myself that I’m still a fighter

If these walls could talk, they'd say there is life beyond soul-crushing government work. It was five minutes until the Sunday meet-and-greet and I was meditating to slow my heart rate down. I was that nervous, but I felt the love right away and I'm so honored to have...

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Reynolds School of Journalism
1664 N Virginia St., Reno, NV

Acknowledgements

The Next Generation Radio Project is a week-long digital journalism training project designed to give competitively selected participants, who are interested in radio and journalism, the skills and opportunity to report and produce their own multimedia story. Those chosen for the project are paired with a professional journalist who serves as their mentor.

This edition of the #NPRNextGenRadio project was produced in collaboration with University of Nevada, Reno, Reynolds School of Journalism in May 2021.

Managing Editor – Traci Tong, Editor, Public Media Journalists Association
Digital Editors – Amara Aguilar, University of Southern California; and Kylene Yumul, University of Nevada, Reno
Audio Tech – Selena Seay-Reynolds, Freelancer Audio Engineer, Princeton, New Jersey; and Perla Gomez, University of Nevada, Reno
Illustrators – Lauren Ibanez, Houston; Ard Su, Baltimore; and Emily Whang, Los Angeles
Visuals – Erica Lee, Freelance Visual Journalist, Jersey City, New Jersey; Michelle Baker, Media Producer, U.S. Senate; and Perla Gomez, University of Nevada, Reno
Web Developer – Robert Boos, Metropolitan State, Minneapolis

Our journalist/mentors for this project were:

Nico Colombant, University of Nevada, Reno
Anh Gray, Public Health Editor, KUNR Public Radio
Cintia Lopez, Producer, CapRadio
Itxy Quintanilla, Associate Producer, KPCC
Paolo Zialcita, General Assignment Reporter, Colorado Public Radio

NPR’s Next Generation Radio program is directed by its founder, Doug Mitchell.