MY EVOLUTION IN AUDIO

I have always believed that sound holds a power few other mediums can match. Its intimacy, its space for reflection, its ability to pull us into a conversation or a memory—that drew me in from the start. I was ten years old when I first stepped into a recording booth. As a child voice actor, I learned instinctively what many only discover later: that timing, silence, tone, and breath are as much a part of storytelling as words themselves.

That early spark became a lifelong pursuit. I wanted to understand not only how to deliver a line, but how to control the entire ecosystem of sound. I trained in sound engineering and studio production, and I spent years independently testing, failing, adjusting, and perfecting my craft. It gave me an engineer’s discipline and an artist’s obsession for detail.

When I entered journalism, I approached audio not as an accessory to reporting, but as a primary language. In 2017, I launched my first independent podcast, “Owlia’s Opinions.” I did everything: writing, researching, interviewing, editing, publishing, promoting. It was an education by fire. I learned how to structure a show arc, how to prepare an interview that invites—not demands—insight, and how to design an editorial pipeline to deliver consistently.

At the same time, I pushed those same sensibilities into traditional newsrooms. While working at The Triangle, Drexel University’s student newspaper, I spent years advocating for an audio journalism section to complement the paper’s decades-old print identity. In 2020, I founded Tri-Pod, the paper’s podcasting section, became its first Podcast Editor, and hosted “Last Call,” the newspaper’s first official podcast series. That taught me how to collaborate inside an institution, how to merge creative vision with organizational limitations, and how to guide a team to launch something entirely new under real deadlines.

Then came the pandemic. Isolated like everyone else, I launched Shadow Gallery Seminars, an experimental remote podcast exploring global issues, sustainability, and the question of how we as a society move forward. It forced me to rethink what makes a compelling conversation when the world is collectively exhausted. I learned how to design dialogue that didn’t just inform, but gave space for reflection.

In 2021, I launched “For The Community / The Aut Cast,” a multi-platform series focused on amplifying autistic voices and lived experience. As creator, host, and editor-in-chief, I designed and produced podcast episodes that centered autistic voices and experiences, often overlooked in mainstream narratives. That project taught me how to handle sensitive subject matter with care, how to build trust with contributors, and how to let others speak while I quietly shaped the arc behind the scenes. It was during this time that I also conducted my two-part interview with Dr. Temple Grandin—a moment that pushed me to a new level as an interviewer. That conversation challenged me to balance structure and flow, to know when to lead and when to follow, and to create space for vulnerability without ever sacrificing the integrity of the interview.

In 2022, as part of my Master’s work at UC Berkeley, I developed “This American Divide,” a forward-looking multimedia thesis project exploring the complexities of social media and political polarization. The project combined longform narrative, original interviews, podcast segments, and photography to offer a holistic investigation of how legal, psychological, political, and journalistic forces shape our polarized landscape. I anticipated regulatory and societal shifts with remarkable accuracy, earning recognition for both the project’s predictive analysis and its commitment to balanced, multi-voice discourse. It became the conceptual foundation for what would eventually evolve into “divided.” at AfroLA.

Much of my earlier work, like many independent podcasts from that era, has since gone offline as platforms changed and projects concluded. But what remains is the foundation it gave me: a deep understanding of how to shape sound into narrative, how to layer reporting with creative direction, and how to design editorial pipelines that respect both journalistic rigor and the listener’s experience.

Today, I bring everything I’ve learned to my work as Host and Executive Producer of “divided.” at AfroLA. I lead a narrative investigative series examining the intersections of AI, democracy, and cultural memory. I guide the process from concept to script to edit to delivery, drawing on every skill I’ve built along the way: the precision of the sound engineer, the eye of the storyteller, the restraint of the interviewer, the systems-thinking of the investigative reporter.

My journey has taken me from the isolation of a recording booth at age ten to the complexities of newsrooms, classrooms, community projects, and investigative studios. Along the way, I’ve learned to master the tools of sound, sharpen my reporting instincts, and respect the responsibility that comes with telling stories that challenge institutions and expand public understanding. I’ve built my career at the intersection of research and narrative, of independent voice and collaborative inquiry. As I look ahead, I remain grounded in the same conviction that started me on this path: that journalism must interrogate power, center marginalized voices, and help audiences make sense of the systems that shape their lives. Audio remains my lens—but accountability, curiosity, and truth remain my mission. Wherever this evolving medium goes next, I intend to meet it with the same determination, rigor, and relentless commitment to asking the questions that matter.