Erie’s Elissa Nadworny connects Erie to NPR and the world By Heather Cass Photos contributed by Elissa Nadworny and NPR
Elissa Nadworny interviewed families who shared memories, recipes and meals with her in Ukraine.
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lissa Nadworny, an Erie native and higher education correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR), may seem to lead a glamorous life in media – residing in Washington, D.C., traveling across the country to do interviews, guest hosting popular shows like All Things Considered – but she said it’s more low-key than you might think. “Most of the time it’s just me in sneakers 6 • Lake Erie Lifestyle • June 2022
with a microphone,” she said. The simplicity opens doors. “Radio is a magical medium because people will really let you in,” she said. “I’m able to be so much more intimate with the people I interview because it’s just a microphone and not a camera.” That said, Nadworny, 33, is comfortable with a video camera, too. She thought she
wanted to be a filmmaker, something she was inspired to pursue after helping produce a weekly show at Collegiate Academy’s student-produced KING-TV. After high school, she went to Skidmore College where she earned a bachelor’s degree in documentary film. “As a young person, I didn’t really know much about journalism,” she said. “I learned a lot more about it in college and decided to apply to graduate school.”
