Mar Hernandez recalls a pivotal moment during the last stretch of college when she received a call informing her she had won the 2021 College Podcast Challenge. The competition, held during the pandemic while she was studying from home in Colorado Springs, changed her life. It led to her first radio job at KNKX, an NPR member station in Seattle. Now a freelance journalist, she works on NPR’s Inheriting series while reporting stories across the country, meeting memorable people along the way.
Reconnecting with Family
Miriam Colvin’s life also transformed through the College Podcast Challenge. As a freshman at Penn State University in 2021, she emerged as one of two winners. Her podcast explored family history and involved a story about a boxing match match involving her grandfather’s friend and a young Muhammad Ali. The experience gave her the confidence to pursue stand-up comedy and playwriting. Over time, Colvin has turned to stories from her elders for inspiration, seeing parts of herself in them and realizing the universal challenges everyone faces.
Bunmi Omisore faced a different challenge with her podcast in 2025. It earned an honorable mention as she chronicled her efforts to learn her parents’ native language, Yoruba. Post-contest, she committed to learning the language, with her father speaking to her only in Yoruba. This commitment paid off, allowing her to understand her family better, bringing to life her grandmother’s previously indecipherable humor captured in videos.
A Step Closer to a Dream Career
Bennett Cook, a self-described transitologist, participated in the 2021 competition while at Buffalo State University. His podcast highlighted the unusual music made by subway trains. Being a finalist fueled his ambition to join the transit industry, leading to a job with the Chicago Transit Authority. He now assists customers and dreams of operating the trains himself, with aspirations to help expand Chicago’s transit system.
Similarly, Jo Strogatz advanced her career after the contest. In 2024, as a student at Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, she won with a podcast featuring her original music and an interview with a lifelong friend. This success paved the way for her role at Radiolab, where she combines storytelling and science, a dream job enabled by her participation in the contest.
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