Radio Rookies from WNYC

When people think about teen parents, they usually picture a young mom. But what about the dads?

Cece Rodriguez may be tiny at 5 ’4”, 100 lbs, but she’s physically strong. Despite her family’s concerns, she dreams of testing her toughness by enlisting in the U.S. Marines.

Nearly 100,000 Americans suffer from a disorder called Sickle Cell Anemia. Radio Rookie Bree Person hates talking about Sickle cells – but she put together this report nevertheless.

At 17-years-old Tangeneka Taylor moved to the U.S from Guyana with her dad and sister. Along with having to adjust to a new country, she’s had to adjust to life without her mom.

Fresh grass. Freedom. Success. That was the sensation Edward Munoz experienced every time he walked onto a soccer field. But in school, he felt like he wasn’t meant to be there.

In New York City the high school graduation rate for black males was 28 percent in 2010. Radio Rookie Mike Brown is a young black man living in Harlem and being raised by a single mom.

In some ways, being feminine made life harder for Dakota than his sexuality.

When 18-year-old Radio Rookie Mari Santos recognized that her older sister Alison was in abusive relationship, the hardest part was figuring out how to talk to her about it.

Destiny Mabry had a lot in common with her older sister: a love of dance, a bright smile, and excellent jump rope skills. They also both had experience with abusive relationships.

Rainy wanted to understand why she stayed with an older boyfriend who humiliated and physically abused her. So she spent two years reporting from inside the relationship.   

Many teenagers live half their lives on social media sites, and they're writing the rules as they go. One online trend Radio Rookie Temitayo Fagbenle finds disturbing is "slut-shaming" 

Jairo Gomez's nine-person family lives in a one-bedroom apartment. He knows education is the way out of poverty, but sometimes being poor makes it difficult to make good choices.

Aired December, 2012. Danielle was 13 when she left her home and her mother in the Congo.  She came to New York to pursue the American dream, but she wound up living in a homeless shelter. 

Aired October, 2010. Radio Rookie Helen Peng lives in Flushing, Queens and calls herself an ABC, or American-born Chinese. But a lot of FOBs, or Fresh-off-the-boat Chinese people, also live in her neighborhood. Helen identifies with both the ABC and the FOB cultures and struggles with how to identify herself.

Aired October, 2010. Radio Rookie Andrea Lee's parents came here from the Philippines in the 1990s. She is not sure she agrees with at least one decision her parents made - not teaching her their language.

Aired September, 2010. Although 40% of all game players are female, players of hardcore games like Grand Theft Auto are mostly male. That means the games are designed with boys and men in mind. Rookie Reporter Jessica Cernadas finds that very frustrating.

Aired September, 2010. Rookie Reporter Melissa Best has always dreamed of becoming a US diplomat — living abroad and helping people; but then she found out how much work it is to become one. Melissa wonders if she can really live up to her high–achiever persona.

Aired June, 2010. Radio Rookie Hawa Lee reports on the sometimes spooky connection between vampires and teenagers.

Aired June, 2010. 18-year-old Radio Rookie Alexis Gordon is struggling to understand her dad's decision to stay in the Army and go back to the Middle East.

Aired September, 2010. The Staten Island Radio Rookies look into what motivates the bias attacks in their community. They wonder whether the beginning of school year will impact the tension in their neighborhood.

Web exclusive. Amana Kashakzi loves chicken, but with all the fried chicken restaurants in her neighborhood, she starts to wonder if there is a conspiracy to entice black people to eat chicken.

Aired March, 2000. Marc Delgado lives in Washington Heights, with his mother and his sister Candice, who is severely disabled. Candice was born with Trisomy 13 and doctors thought she would die before she was two, but somehow, she's made it past her 13th birthday. Sadly, Candice passed away after the initial airing of Marc's story.

Aired March, 2000. 14-years-old Kady Bulnes reported on what it's like to be a gay or lesbian teenager in a neighborhood like Harlem.

Aired March, 2000. 15-year-old Jimmy Belfon Jr. reports on the Graffiti Hall of Fame, which covers the walls of his school playground. Jimmy says traveling the streets of New York City is like visiting a museum.

Aired March, 2000. Danielle Beckom's brother is a member of the world-renowned Harlem Boys Choir, and that inspired her to report on a lesser-known choir: The Harlem Girls Choir.

Aired November, 1999. 12-year-old Antoine Bazilio is a DJ at a local community radio station and did his report on the show he hosts: The Literature Show. "I think a show like mine is important because I am trying to bring our literacy rate up in the Projects."

Aired June, 2004. On her first Mother's Day, Harlem Radio Rookie Janelle Lewis shared her first experience with motherhood. For Father's Day, 24-year-old Janelle contemplates how different these two holidays are in her household.

Aired August, 2002. Jesus Gonzalez, with reporting help from Hunts Point Rookie Janesse Nieves, advises Mayor Bloomberg on how to improve New York City schools.

Aired May, 2002. Janelle Lewis' commentary about giving birth to her first daughter, Jandora, aired as part of a Mother's Day Special on WNYC's Radio Lab. Right after Janelle gave birth, she called out to her mom for the tape recorder.

Aired January, 2001. David Ford has been working on car since he was a little boy. Now he attends the Automotive High School and hopes to go into the automotive trade.

Aired January, 2001. 16-year-old Karla Saavedra moved to Brooklyn from Mexico two years ago. She documents her adventures in learning English.

Aired April, 2002. Christy Loo reports on what happened to her family after her dad got hit by a car and became permanently disabled.

Aired October, 2003. 17-year-old Rizwan Aslam always sees Bashir -- a homeless man who walks with a cane and moves between nearby restaurants and shops. Rizwan's interest in Bashir set him on a mission to learn more about him.

Fourteen-year-old Derrick gets in trouble a lot, and this often leads him to fight with his brothers. A big part of why Derrick loves football is that he can hit people -- without getting in trouble.

Aired June, 2009. When seniors at a small public high school in the Bronx cast their votes for "Best Couple" earlier this year, they chose a pair they admire but who definitely defy the stereotype of best couple. Radio Rookie Vikky Cruz reports.

Short Wave Rookies report on Main Street in Flushing, Queens.

Short Wave Rookies report on Main Street in Flushing, Queens.