selected work

10. 24. 2022

Can technology help us grieve? A TikTok face animation filter that brings photos "alive" is just one kind of technology that aims to help people grieve the death of a loved one. YR Media's Nina Roehl looks at whether this technology can cause harm or be a tool for healing.

Aired on NPR’s ‘Here and Now’ program.

11. 18. 2021

Seventeen-year-old Ichtaca Lira (he/they) is Mexican American with Indigenous ancestry. When a commenter on Instagram told him that’s not how they looked, it sent them down a path of self exploration: What does it mean to pass as White?

NOTE: This story was produced for a series about teens in America — how they’re grappling with race and their own identities with the people in their lives. This series was a collaboration between YR Media and The Washington Post’s daily podcast show, Post Reports. For this story on Ichtaca Lira, it’s the second segment of an episode of Post Reports. It begins around 16:41 in the episode.

Photo illustration by Pedro Vega Jr. and Marjerrie Masicat. Listen here on the Post Reports podcast. The story begins around 16:41 as the second segment of the episode.

11. 17. 2021

“All of them were excited to see artists they loved. And none of them were expecting the night to end in such a tragedy.”

- Nina Roehl

Aired on NPR’s ‘Here and Now’ program.

8. 19. 2021

“As people of color, we take on an additional burden of ‘fixing’ institutions. We don’t have the luxury or time to be ordinary students because we often need to push back in order to be seen.”

- Ivelisse Diaz

Photo courtesy of Ivelisse Diaz. Aired on KQED’s daily Perspectives series.

6. 7. 2021

After a year of remote learning, some colleges have turned to AI-powered virtual proctoring apps to administer exams. Here’s an investigation into how these technologies have impacted students in terms of biases, privacy and mental health.

Photo illustration by Pedro Vega Jr.

Homeless-Shelter.jpeg

12. 6. 2016

In 2016, Skarlett and her younger siblings lived in a homeless shelter in downtown San Francisco. She is the caretaker of her younger brother and sister. Here’s her story as told to me.

Illustration by Desmond Meagley. Published in the San Francisco Chronicle.