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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A new study conducted by Dartmouth College found test scores could have helped less advantaged students gain access to the school. -
In a gesture of wartime support, the European Union has exempted Ukrainian truckers from EU limits on how many drivers can enter Europe. Polish truckers say that's destroying their businesses. -
Russia launched dozens of attack drones and missiles — including its advanced Kinzhal ballistic missile — according to Ukrainian officials. -
Russia launched dozens of attack drones and missiles — including its advanced Kinzhal ballistic missile — according to Ukrainian officials.
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Gay faced growing criticism from lawmakers, alumni and donors for not denouncing violence and hateful rhetoric against Jewish students more clearly or forcefully enough during congressional testimony. -
Across Israel, especially in the north, hospitals are setting up underground or fortified care facilities as fallout from war with Hamas intensifies fighting with militants in neighboring Lebanon. -
By the end of the window, NPR had not encountered anyone able to use this so-called safe passage. Several drivers said it was impossible for anyone to make it through. -
Palestinians from Gaza were working in Israel when Hamas attacked the country on Oct. 7. Now, many are unable to go back and in limbo in the West Bank. -
As the Israel-Hamas war continues, hospitals in Gaza are crowded and chaotic. Pregnant women face awful conditions: An emergency C-section may be conducted by the light from mobile phones. -
The teen fentanyl crisis is following students onto college campuses. Here's what students and staff are doing about it.
