Harmony Alumna Anisa Vietze (Class of 2018) has been listening to NPR’s RadioLab since she was about 13 years old, and this fall, she started working as an Assistant Producer for the podcast and public radio show.

“The show is super unique in its storytelling, because of the way they integrate sound design and music into stories. I mostly do things to support the work that producers and reporters are doing — cutting interviews down, producing reruns, and running our social media,” Vietze said. “Luckily, Radiolab is the most collaborative team I’ve ever worked on, so even though I am just an Assistant Producer, I’ve been so grateful that my opinions and ideas matter to everyone and I felt like I was a part of something as soon as I got here.”

Vietze’s passion for journalism dates back to her time at Harmony. As a high school student at Harmony, she said she became confident that she wanted to work in long-form journalism as a career and even completed a documentary for her senior project.

“For my senior project at Harmony, I made an audio documentary, driving around the country with Taylor Kobylka (also class of 2018) and a microphone. I based the project on a public radio icon, Scott Carrier, who got his start in radio in the ’80s when he hitchhiked across the country, interviewing the people who picked him up. I actually got to talk to Scott for my senior project!” Vietze said.

After her time at Harmony, Vietze went on to study journalism at Oberlin College where she worked as a journalist and Editor-in-Chief for the student newspaper, The Oberlin Review. She also completed a program at the Salt Institute of Documentary Studies and went on to report for an NPR member station in Anchorage, Alaska, where she reported on stories such as: Japanese mountain climbers who made it to the top of a treacherous climb only through the help of strangers, Alaska Native communities battling the existential threat of permafrost thaw, and a unique type of fishing called dipnetting.

Vietze credits many of her teachers at Harmony for making an impact on her field of study and career path, including now-retired teachers Ursina Hastings-Heinz and Kathy Boone. Lastly, she shared the significant influence of High School Teacher Sallyann Murphey.

“Of course, Sal, who came into my life at just the perfect time to encourage and grow my interest in journalism. I loved her current events class, and how she systematically taught us to keep up with the news and be good and critical readers,” Vietze said.

In addition to her teachers, Vietze partially credits Harmony’s unconventional education approach to her success in achieving her goals, despite life’s obstacles.

“It is definitely a difficult time to get into the public radio, or maybe even journalism in general, world right now. In the two years after college, I bounced around a lot, but along the way, had such great experiences,” she said. “I think the unconventional-ness of Harmony, and the fantastic love and support of my family, is what made it possible for me to have positive experiences during that period of bouncing around. Harmony set me up to appreciate unconventional ways of being in the world and that my worth is more than just a job.”