How Radioactive kickstarted my career as a journalist

By Amina Al-Sadi, Producer for The Record

I wasn’t always a radio producer. I was once a kid, sitting in the back of my parent’s car, listening to KUOW.

I loved public radio and the depth and care put into the stories I heard. I loved sitting in Edmonds and being transported to the streets of Kabul or the capitol building in Olympia. When I was 16, I decided I wanted to become a journalist. The first place I turned to was KUOW.

Back then RadioActive was called Weekday’s High School Internship Program. Just two days after starting the program, we headed to Pike Place Market with microphones to ask strangers about their favorite memories of the market.

I was petrified.

But that day, I discovered there is something magical about a microphone with a KUOW logo on it. People are interested and eager to share their stories. From that moment on, I was hooked.

My RadioActive training gave me the tools and confidence to find stories and produce them at a high-quality, public-radio level. After the program and college, I was hired as a producer on The Record. Now, every day, I work to find and report stories that help inform, delight and inspire listeners.

My entire career path was made possible by KUOW members. When you donate to KUOW, you’re not just supporting the programming you hear today, you’re lifting up the journalists of tomorrow and ensuring new, interesting voices are heard on-air and on our podcasts.

Thank you for your support of KUOW and programs like RadioActive that keep the future of public radio bright!