Elissa Nadworny
Elissa Nadworny reports on all things college for NPR, following big stories like unprecedented enrollment declines, college affordability, the student debt crisis and workforce training. During the 2020-2021 academic year, she traveled to dozens of campuses to document what it was like to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. Her work has won several awards including a 2020 Gracie Award for a story about student parents in college, a 2018 James Beard Award for a story about the Chinese-American population in the Mississippi Delta and a 2017 Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in innovation.
Nadworny uses multiplatform storytelling – incorporating radio, print, comics, photojournalism, and video — to put students at the center of her coverage. Some favorite story adventures include crawling in the sewers below campus to test wastewater for the coronavirus, yearly deep-dives into the most popular high school plays and musicals and an epic search for the history behind her classroom skeleton.
Before joining NPR in 2014, Nadworny worked at Bloomberg News, reporting from the White House. A recipient of the McCormick National Security Journalism Scholarship, she spent four months reporting on U.S. international food aid for USA Today, traveling to Jordan to talk with Syrian refugees about food programs there.
Originally from Erie, Pa., Nadworny has a bachelor's degree in documentary film from Skidmore College and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
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Despite the omicron surge, college students are starting the spring semester on campus – and administrators are bracing for the worst. -
First things first: Get acquainted (or reacquainted) with your loans. And don't count on blanket loan forgiveness.
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While omicron has forced some colleges to delay spring start dates or go virtual, the majority of four-year colleges are starting the spring semester in-person.
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People are sitting out college in droves. During the pandemic, undergraduate enrollment has dropped nearly 7%. The long-term effects of this decline could have a dramatic impact on the economy.
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Husband and wife writing duo Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson say they wanted their show to subvert stereotypes about gender.
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Elissa Nadworny speaks with writer Juhea Kim about her debut novel, which explores the stories of people who's lives shaped — and were shaped – by the country's decades-long struggle for independence.
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The holidays can be a tough time for our clothes: you're always spilling SOMETHING — wine, salad dressing, pie. But those stains don't have to be permanent with this collection of expert advice.
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Neuroscientist and author Magdalena Bak-Maier shares her tips for how to stay well and practice self-care during a holiday season made more stressful by the rapidly spreading omicron variant.
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It's been a difficult year for many people. NPR's Elissa Nadworny talks with poet Danez Smith about using poetry to understand and process complex emotions like grief.
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NPR's Elissa Nadworny talks to Betsy Mayotte of the Institute of Student Loan Advisors about the latest extension on the student loan pause and what borrowers can do to prepare for repayments.
