Oles in the News: St. Olaf students named winners for College Emerging Voices
Four St. Olaf College students have been named winners of the inaugural College Emerging Voices showcase, hosted by Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and the Glen Nelson Center at American Public Media Group.
Competing against five other teams in the final showcase, the St. Olaf group won $4,000 for their program prototype –– Local Listening Hour –– for local communities to engage more with public news organizations. Devised by Will Christensen ‘26, Lizzie Elsenpeter ‘27, Sevag Koussa Ogli ‘28 and Paavo Rundman ‘26, Local Listening Hour was pitched as a recurring, in-person gathering for people to engage in local media together. As noted by MPR, the Local Listening Hour focuses on building community by bringing people together.
The winning St. Olaf team will have an opportunity to work with MPR staff in piloting their idea at a later date. Additionally, St. Olaf had a second competing team that placed as a runner up, comprising Maya Betti ‘27, Madi Dinneen ‘27, and Kenzie Nguyen ‘26.
Read more about the College Emerging Voices competition on MPR’s website.