Civil War-era Congressman Thaddeus Stevens was a fierce abolitionist and advocate for racial equality. His life and legacy are now being celebrated in a new museum in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Liz McKenna of our journalism training program, PBS News Student Reporting Labs, has the story.
Press
PBS News Student Reporting Labs ‘On Our Minds’ Podcast Returns
We were big fans of “On Our Minds” last season, especially its prompt to teens: “Who Inspires You?” For high school students Marium Zahra and Aruja Misra from El Paso, Texas, it was their school librarian, who is beloved on campus for his outgoing personality and for being a proponent of reading banned books. We invited Zahra and Misra to join us on our “How I Library” podcast to discuss their experiences on the show and their school librarian. It was an illuminating conversation with some incredible young minds.
I Love Libraries
How podcasting can teach students to be better news consumers and American citizens
Where former generations might’ve been able to look to the news as a gateway to civic engagement and a resource to build their opinions, young people now have little trust in the media.
The Democracy Group
A Rockingham County teen is co-hosting a PBS News student podcast
Helena Ortiz, a sophomore at Rockingham Early College High, was chosen from a pool of nationwide applicants to co-host PBS News Student Reporting Labs’ sixth season of “On Our Minds.”
EdNC
North Carolina representation at SXSW EDU 2026
A sophomore from Rockingham Early College High School, Helena Ortiz, is working with PBS News Student Reporting Labs and sat on a panel with fellow student reporters. She is cohosting the upcoming sixth season of the On Our Minds podcast which talks about teen life in all corners of the nation.