Congratulations to HHS freshman AyaSophia Abdrabo on being selected as a finalist in the 2024 NPR Student Podcast Challenge.

While an eighth grader at the middle school, AyaSophia created her unique audio storybook titled, “Part-Time Egyptian” as the final project in the Content Creation Foundations class with Mr. Heit.

In her podcast, AyaSophia shares her personal experience of being teenager with strong cultural attachments to both Egypt and the United States. Her podcast includes candid interviews with her mother, stepfather and grandmother and explores what it’s like being an Egyptian American and whether she must choose to identify as one culture or find a way to be hybrid.

“We are so incredibly proud of AyaSophia and grateful that she chose to share a glimpse into her family and culture with her fellow students and our Herricks Studios podcast audience,” said Mr. Heit. “Her story was truly told from the heart and had an authentic quality that will resonate with countless students from multicultural families and backgrounds living throughout America.”

AyaSophia’s podcast was one of ten middle school finalists selected from over 2,000 entries from throughout the United States.

Click here to listen to the podcast