Like, what if not? Where's your hometown? If not? Where is it? Yeah,
like,
if it's not, where
is it? Oh, if it's not, I want to say it's your hometown or Bloomington, if not, where is it? That's what I meant to say, Bloomington.
Okay, first of all, we need y'all to introduce yourselves for the record. Okay, because you're the interviewers.
My name's Anaya,
full names,
Allen,
okay, I'm
13 and yeah,
my name is Mackenzie Cuba, and I'm 14.
I'm Aileen Sosa Robles and I'm 13. Speak
a little louder. Say that again.
I'm Aileen Sosa Robles and I'm 13, and I'm on the Wilson news team party.
I'm Nikolai Mather. I'm on the WH Q, our news team. I'm
Aliyah McConnell, and I'm also on the W, H, Q, R, news team.
What did y'all put NPR? Yeah, that's like the local station.
All right,
let it rip.
So how long have you guys been reporters for?
I have been a reporter since I was 20 years old. So I'm 525, now, five years,
I've been a reporter for about a couple of years. I started and officially in 2023
what is your sector? Was
my sector? Yeah, my sector. What is my sector? I cover rural communities. So Pender County, Brunswick County and Columbus County. Why'd you point at her? Because you
made the questions. I didn't know what to call it.
Our beats. Our sector is good, though, Yeah,
mine's criminal justice, all right.
Did you go to school for journalism? You're so aware? No,
so I went to school at Kennesaw State University. I did go through a journalism program. It wasn't like world renowned or anything. It was kind of like up and coming. They were still building themselves up as I was going through the program. It's probably a lot better now that I graduated. But that's like, so yeah. KSU,
how long is that program? Like the journal? Is
it like a semester, or is it it's a four year program? So that was my major. It declares it as my major. So yeah, pretty much four years. But
if you get a master's degree in journalism, usually that's a three year situation,
right? Yeah, yeah, you're a graduate. Good
follow up question that was good. Since you
didn't go to a program, what did you just go straight into journalism? Or did you go to a different COVID? That wasn't why are you in college? They
just hired me. I'm really stupid. No, no, I went to UNC Charlotte, and my degree at UNC Charlotte was political science, which don't get a degree in political science. I don't know how much I don't care how much like you like politics, it's just so boring. But I got a degree in political science, and that kind of translated nicely into journalism, because a lot of what I cover is politics. So and me and Alia are also part of this program called report for America, which places young, emerging journalists with, like, newsrooms that really need journalists, and basically teaches them how to do this job. Yeah, so that was kind of like, honestly, I got more out of report for America than any college. So that's how I kind of learned,
and that's the good thing about journalism, is that the barrier to entry is not to say that it's pretty low. It's not that, you know, news outlets have low standards by any means, but it's it's a field that wants more people to join it. It's not really exclusive. There are a lot of gatekeepers like that. Anyone can be a journalist, so if you have the like will and the curiosity, if you're able to talk to people, let's say like me, personally, I'm probably not the strongest writer, but I do love editing. I do love storytelling, and that's why being in radio was kind of a better fit for me. There's always a space for you. That's what I like about journalism, and that's what I like about rapport from America, is because they take people from multiple levels of their career journey. So I'm in the beginning stage. Nikolai, I would say you're kind of more advanced. You're kind of more I'm an old man. You're an old man too.
Yeah.
Yeah. You're almost, it's almost over. Hell, yeah, but yeah. So there's people who've been doing journalism for four years prior to joining report for America. So they, you know, almost have a full career starting off and. Even they can join the program. So that's what I really like about it. It's very inclusive.
So you guys are mostly local now, but do you guys hope to go
national with where you are? I've
done national reporting, and I like it. I think I would like to go there at some point. But also, I really like reporting on Wilmington. I really like that. This is a sort of slow, sleepy environment, you know. I'm glad that we have a like, because you have friends who have done national news, and they were just like, on all the time, whereas, like, for example, this week, everybody in our office got sick, and our editor has just been kind of like, do what you can, you know. And that's really nice, yeah. So I
do like, okay, local is kind of harder for me. I do like reporting nationally a little better. Well, not even, you know, nationally, per se, because before the first newsroom that I worked in, it covered the whole state of Georgia. We were based in Atlanta, but we, you know, always had a bigger purview, but it wasn't, you know, the whole country. It wasn't fully national, but I do like having more of a broader spectrum, because one I feel like you can kind of gage what people's concerns are and what they're talking about within that region a little bit better. I do find that reporting like hyper locally, like here in Wilmington, and specifically in New Hanover County, you kind of have to find a way to wedge your foot in the door, and you have to kind of know people, to kind of know what's going on. And it can be a little bit more challenging if you're new to an area and it's and you're coming into a small town and you're used to writing on a more wider scale, so I won't say that me personally, I found that a little bit challenging. So I would kind of like to have a more broader curfew personally. Yeah, I do like writing locally.
What is your dream article to write?
Oh, so, interviewing Nina, person, who's the lead singer of the cardigans, interviewing Annie, who is another musician I really like, yeah, the cardigans, I know they are, yeah, they're like a 90s band. It is. They're Swedish. My mom really loves him because she's also Swedish. So love, love the cardigans. Think they're fabulous. Love Fool that one. And probably let me think, just like I would love to interview more people about music, you know, I'm really trying to I do, like freelancing on the side too, and I'm really trying to interview this guy who leads up, like, the first punk band to get its start in Estonia, which is where my family is from. And it's like, that's them, yeah, who's gonna hear that in the back? Exactly. I know it's fab. I want to interview more people about music. That's my dream article. I love talking about art with people. Love talking about music with people. Love talking about specifically, like punk music and techno with people. I think it's so much fun. So yeah,
okay, that's a good question. Of course, my obvious answer would be, Oprah.
Do you want to interview Oprah? I do. Oh, my God, that's bad.
And that's like, my, you know, it's like, top tier, yeah, but I don't know. I really, I'm into food a lot, so I was gonna interview somebody who's, like, a pretty cool chef. Oh, oh, oh, I want to interview the cast from the bear. Oh, my God, yes,
yes. And I can't remember a guy who plays carmy Jeremy Allen. Jeremy Allen, white people always say that, yeah, our five foot six King
Eagles, and it's like it looks like him.
Next question, we could have any other job. What
would it be? I would work at an Auto Zone. I would be a mechanic. Or I would be like, like, I would DJ for a living, yeah, that's those. That's, those are my jobs. Or, or I would be like, the studio assistant for like, some like crazy, like ridiculous artist out in like, like, Tribeca in New York. Yeah, yeah, it's very specific, yeah, or I would make dear stands your turn.
I don't know. I really have always wanted to be a talk show host. So yeah, that would be
Wendy Williams. Yes,
I don't know about
time. We need it. We need a world
is in balance. You know, literally, oh,
my God, when all that stuff was happening with like Drake and Kendrick Lamar, I was like, Where is Wendy? We need to see her. All right. Next question,
Where is your hometown? And if it's not Wilmington, I'm
from Pittsboro, North Carolina. We're way inland, tiny, little town that's like on the outskirts of Chapel Hill.
So for me, that's more of a loaded question, because I always consider San Bernardino, California, my hometown, but I moved from there when I was 10, and and I did the rest of my growing up in, like, the Atlanta, Georgia area. So I told people, I'm from California. They're like, No, you're not. You're from Georgia. I'm like, Yeah,
but they're so west coast, like, you talk to them and you're like,
so, so I kind of, I say that I'm more of like a bi, coastal person. I don't I've been everywhere. I've moved a lot around, a lot in my life. I've never been in one set place, so whatever. But yeah,
yeah, you go ahead and Alaska,
if there's a talk show host that really made you want to be into, like, interviewing and like this, who would it be like if there's a talk show Anthony
Bourdain. He is. Have you all ever watched anything by Anthony Bourdain? Okay, you would really like him. He's like this guy who his whole job was just traveling the world and trying different foods and interviewing people about food. And I loved what I love that show, because, number one, it's about food, which I love food. But number two, like, he just brings such a sense of, like, compassion and warmth to all of his conversations. Like, because he's like a white guy from, like, New York, or whatever he could be. He's very edgy. He could be, like, really, like, racist or mean, or just like, Oh, what is this? Like, a fried bug, disgusting, but, like, he's always open to trying things, and he always tells the story of the culture that produces the food. So I think that is just, he's so cool. You know, he's just cool,
yeah, yeah, the epitome of cool. I really love Anthony Bourdain as well. I would say it's a mixture between Bourdain and Oprah. Yeah, those are Midlands.
Those are holy, those are our saints, the devil and
yeah, I aspire to. Yeah.
When did you guys, like realize that you wanted to get into journalism?
Probably when I was like, 1515. Was the first time I, like, sent in an article to be published, and it got published actually in this really big alt weekly called indie week near my hometown. And I was like, oh my god, people actually want to read my writing. And I thought that was really cool, so I just went with it. I guess I used to do opinion writing, but now I do mostly like news writing, and I'm glad I made that switch, because opinion is good. People like to read other people's opinions. People like to get mad about other people's opinions, but news writing, I think, is better, because it gives people the facts and allows them to form their own opinion. You know what I mean? Yeah,
I still have to grapple with that myself, I still find it hard to believe that people want to read my writing. Sometimes. I'm
like, Oh, you did so good. I'm like, Yeah, all right, thanks. But, but yeah, I would say that I found out that I wanted to get into journalism. It was in college. I actually always had a passion for speaking up. You probably can't tell by now, but I was much more of a hot head, more of a firecracker. I was really radical. I was I always wanted to start some some stuff, like, I'm not definitely, I don't shy away from conflict at all. So I always question like, Hey, why aren't we talking about this? Why are we talking about these issues? Especially, you know, growing up black in America, that has always been something that's always on the forefront of my mind, is society and how we react to different people based on their intersectional identities. So I've always wanted to explore that. And when I was in college, I was I got an assignment to do a blog, and I was like, this kind of takes all of my creative abilities and puts it into kind of one thing. I don't work well with people, so I do like that in journalism, you kind of are everything you are the photographer. You're the editor, You're the writer, you're the composer of the story. And so it just fit with my personality. It accomplished the goals that I wanted to do, speaking up and bringing attention to certain issues. So that's what made me want to do.
It is journalism more of like a independent thing, or is it like a group effort?
Good question, though. I think that people who say that they can do journalism solo are stupid. And I think that journalism that when you do it completely on your own, it can work. But also a lot of times it like, you really benefit from being in a group. Like, before my job with wh Q are, I worked at this one paper called The Athens banner Herald, actually in Georgia. And like, I did not talk to any of my co workers. It was all remote, so it was just me on my laptop all day, and it sucked, because I just felt like very alone honestly. Like, I feel like I couldn't ask anybody about questions. I was new to the town, so, like, I didn't know what was going on. So I just, like, I don't know was googling a bunch of stuff, but since going to Wh Q R, I work in a newsroom every single day, it's open plan, kind of like this. And I'll be like, hey, Aaliyah, did you like go to that meeting last night? What did they say about like, kender County? And we can just, like, bounce ideas off of each other. So having like, people to, like, look at your work too, and like, tell you if you're being an idiot, like, that's really helpful. Or just, like, we'll do like these things called, like, story checks, where someone will be like, Hey, I got this email. Like, this tip about a story. Does this sound like? This could be a good story, and we'll all just kind of, like, talk like, oh, well, could go this way? Could go that way? You know,
I do like that. So a lot of like the work itself is independent, but I do like the camaraderie and being able to talk ideas through with somebody that is very helpful. So I do like working in a newsroom versus working remotely. Nobody's like, unless we like, explicitly partner up. We're always just doing our own thing, though. We are kind of like, which is good, because I've always kind of been that person in high school anyway. Like, whenever there was a school project, I would be the one doing the whole project. Yeah, I
have a hard time collaborating with people, I think, like when it comes to writing specifically, because I'm very particular about the way that I write, I like to do like a sort of narrative type format, whereas, like, like Rachel, for example, she tends to do a little bit more, like just stating the facts. Yeah, so are those questions or, yeah, pretty much. Okay, the tables,
that's your names one more time. Anaya, Allen, Anai,
Allen, Mackenzie, Cuba, Mackenzie, Cuba,
Eileen Sosa Robles. Eileen Sosa
Robus, okay, my question for y'all, people always ask students, like, what they want to be when they grow up. What do y'all not want to be like, definitely not want to be when you grow up. Tell
us, oh,
I don't want to have like, a desk job, like, I hate sitting down, like, I hate just sitting in front of the computer. I can barely stay in school. I want to have something where I can get up and go do something, and I want to help people when I get older. So like, like, being a paramedic is what I'm like, that's what I'm set on right now. We're going into like, physical
therapy. Ooh, those are cool. Yeah, what about you
same with Mackenzie? I just really don't, I really don't like, I just can't sit down for a while. I just have to, always have to move like, I just don't like, just like, you know, and also, I don't want to work in the heat either, which is like, so conflicting my dad, my dad works in construction. He always gets home, he's always so hot. He's like, so he's so tired, and it's like, oh, I just don't want to do that. Yeah, so I don't know that's my opinion on that.
Yeah, my stepdad works construction too, and he's like, when he gets home, he's just, like, covered in sweat. It's nuts. Yeah,
I've seen my
dad. What about you? And I
don't really want to work with a lot of people at once, like public because I don't like talking to a lot of people at once. It's kind of, it's overwhelming to me. I like having small groups or, like, like a private like, you know, talking to someone like, not all, like, not public speaking or not nothing like that.
Yeah, so like retail or like fast food or something would like, suck basically, or just restaurants in general, because, like, you would just have to talk constantly, and you have to be nice,
and you have to be nice when they're mean to you. You,
yeah, all right, you ask a question, okay, who
has been your biggest inspiration in your life so far?
I don't got it.
My biggest inspiration has always been my older sister. She's She's literally my idol. She's, ever since I was little, she she's done everything for us. She learned English by herself. She's like, she does everything for my parents. She translates it. Never do what she does like, She's literally my inspiration. I want to be like her one day.
That's so cool. What's her name? The set? Yeah, that's a pretty name. How old is she?
She's 1925, yeah. Okay,
so about you, I'd probably say, like my older brothers and my parents, they like encourage, they give me confidence to like do stuff, and then also my best friend, like, whenever we're together, like, I have so much confidence, and I want to be I want to have that much confidence just like to talk people, like, without fear. I think that would help a lot with especially if I want to do something helping people when I get older, that's awesome.
Mine is probably like rivals, I guess, or friends, because I just want to keep up with, like, who I'm working with. And it really like makes me work harder to
be able to be good. That's cool. Exactly, yeah, having
haters.
Get some one
of those. Like, friend of me things, like, I'm friends all my friends. I love all my friends, but like, I want to keep up with everyone around me, so I work really hard to do that.
That's a good one. Yeah, all right. Last question, one word to describe yourselves. Go.
I can't think of one word. I can think of one to describe you.
Oh, yes, okay, yeah, okay. I like,
no, okay, Mackenzie knows what a word about you know what about you I lean,
knows I'm tall. That's what. That's my word. Okay,
tall, gotcha, gotcha.
You're like, 5152,
that inch, eager, that's a good one. First one that comes to mind. Goofy here. All right, all right. Goofy eager.
