Faces Of NPR is a weekly feature that showcases the people behind NPR, from the voices you hear every day on the radio to the ones who work outside of the recording studio. You'll find out about what they do and what they're inspired by on the daily.
This week's post features Code Switch News Assistant, Leah Donnella.
The Basics:
Name: Leah Donnella Twitter Handle:@AskLeezul Job Title: News Assistant Where You're From: Philadelphia, PA
An Inside Look:
You're a News Assistant at Code Switch. What does that mean?
Basically anything people need it to mean. Code Switch has a podcast, blog, radio and social media presence, so I do a combination of writing, research, interviews and promotion.
How did you get started here? Or what advice do you have for someone who wants a job like yours?
I got started at NPR largely by accident. I was in between jobs and met one of my now-coworkers at a wedding. He was like, "You like race? You like writing? Apply for this job!" So I did. And I've been here ever since. My advice for someone else would be to read everything, write every day (even if it's just a diary entry about your complicated relationship with peanut butter) and don't be afraid to talk to strangers.
What's your favorite #nprlife moment?
Having a Martha Stewart style cooking class in Sound Bites where we learned to make fancy vegetarian dinner party food. Also, the semi-regular intercom announcements that warn us when there's a particularly beautiful sunset. ("Colleagues — God's paintbrush must've been dipped twice today...")
Read the full interview here.
Photo: Lauren Zillinger/NPR
