Elissa Nadworny
Elissa Nadworny is an NPR Correspondent covering higher education. She previously covered reproductive rights and abortion.
She regularly reports on international conflict, with a special focus on children and families. She has spent several months in Ukraine covering the war with Russia and in Israel, covering the war with Hamas and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
She guest hosts NPR radio shows such as All Things Considered, Weekend Edition and special election coverage.
In 2023, she tracked down a classroom of kindergarteners from eastern Ukraine, displaced by the war. The project took eight months, spanned multiple countries and continents, and told the story of children and families dealing with the trauma, loss, and fear that conflict brings.
Her work has won awards including a James Beard Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in innovation and several Gracie Awards.
She's a Livingston Award finalist for a story about college students getting their degrees from inside a state prison.
Other stories that have resonated with her include crawling in the sewers below a college campus to test wastewater for the coronavirus, sitting with the elderly living along the front lines in Ukraine's east, and the story of a pregnant woman in Gaza who gave birth amid abysmal and fast deteriorating hospital conditions.
In 2018, she went on an epic search for the history behind her own high school's classroom skeleton.
Before joining NPR in 2014, Nadworny worked at Bloomberg News, reporting from the White House.
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.
She can be reached via encrypted message at ElissaN.01 on Signal.
Sign up for the NPR Ed Newsletter, sent weekly.
-
Nick Carpenter, who makes music as Medium Build, talks about his new album "King of Having Fun" and finding moments that make him feel like a kid again.
-
NPR's Elissa Nadworny speaks with Adéla, about the rising popstar's debut album, Prima.
-
NPR's Elissa Nadworny speaks to singer Jessie Ware about finding her inner diva in her new album, "Superbloom."
-
NPR's Elissa Nadworny speaks to Rhiannon Giddens and Limmie Pulliam about their performance of "Omar" at Oberlin College's Finney Chapel as well as Cleveland's Maltz Preforming Arts Center.
-
Noah Kahan went from writing a pandemic album on his parents' farm in rural Vermont to selling out an arena tour and being nominated for best new artist at the Grammys. -
Mimi Parker, known for her chilling vocals and sparse drumming in the critically acclaimed rock band Low, died Saturday at age 55. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2020.
-
College students are heading back to campus this month — and with the delta variant spreading, many aren't sure what to expect from this school year. -
Undergraduate college enrollment fell again this spring, down nearly 5% from a year ago. "It's really the end of a truly frightening year for higher education," one researcher says. -
Colorado has become the first state to do away with legacy admissions in public colleges. The governor also ended a requirement that public colleges consider SAT or ACT scores for freshmen. -
A student who has been incarcerated for more than 10 years delivers a graduation speech about forgiveness, perseverance and making the most of a future he sees as rich with potential.
