NPR: A Special Visitor

A Special Visitor

Aujeanette Jones-Staunton, 13, participates in the daily editorial meeting for NPR's Rough Cuts with Michel Martin as part of a three-day shadowing experience for school.

Lee Hill, NPR

Kelley Ellsworth with her husband and four children.

Pressed to make deadline, Aujeanette takes a final glance at show material with team members Monika Evstatieva and Marie Nelson.

Lee Hill, NPR

This particular piece isn't part of our "Who Knew Them When" series, but it very well could be someday...

We get visitors all the time here -- authors and experts, dignitaries and the like -- those who claim to be in the "know" about who's who and what's what in our world.

But, I'd like you to meet someone special. She is 13-year-old Aujeanette Jones-Staunton. Last week, she shadowed me and the Rough Cuts team for a school project. Well, we found her so interesting that we figured you'd want to meet her, too!

About Aujeanette: She's an eighth-grader at Thornton Friends School in Silver Spring, Md. (The school is based on Quaker principles. How cool is that?) She's very energetic, bright and has lots of creativity. So it should come as no surprise that we quickly adopted her as a part of our production family.

During her visit, she sat down with one of our team members, Lee Hill, for a little one-on-one about why she's such a radio fan, her first impressions of NPR and what makes her school so unique:

Lee: So what brings you here?

Aujeanette: I'm doing an eighth-grade project for my school. I'm supposed to be opening up new possibilities by shadowing someone to see what they do.

Lee: Why Michel Martin (and the Rough Cuts team)?

Aujeanette: She's in radio, and I like radio.

Lee: And why do you like radio?

Aujeanette: I love music, and music lives on the radio... I wanted to see (here) what other types of radio there was.

Lee: How do you know about NPR?

Aujeanette: A family friend listens in the car.

Lee: And what was your first impression?

Aujeanette: Boring. But now that I've been here, it's actually pretty cool...(NPR has) pretty useful information.

Lee: Tell us about your school.

Aujeanette: It's Quaker-based. We go by all the Quaker standards. It's peaceful. Everyone's a community. It's a small school. Twenty-four students.

Lee: Interesting. What have you learned from hanging out with us?

Aujeanette: You have to be patient with all of the things you (all) do -- sending e-mails, cutting audio files and writing -- but then, in the end, it makes a great show... or blog... or whatever!

Lee: Anything to share with our younger listeners and/or bloggers?

Aujeanette: Everything is hard before it is easy! That's my motto.

Great motto, I must add. We wish Aujeanette all the best in her studies. And if she's reading this entry, don't be a stranger!

Michel Martin

4:02 PM ET | 02-26-2007 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

"everything is hard before it is easy."

such wise words from one so young. i wish i'd figured that out earlier.

Sent by Gwen | 5:10 PM ET | 02-27-2007

Me too, Gwen!

Sent by Lee with Rough Cuts | 6:34 PM ET | 02-27-2007

Ajueanette is a really cool person. She's one of my best friends, and im really glad that you all like her as much as we(her friends/classmates)do.

Sent by Colleen | 6:55 PM ET | 02-28-2007

"Everyting is hard before it it easy", I love it. I'm going to post it in my kitchen for my children to see, and let them know that this quote came from a child not much older then them. What a bright child. She has some much insight.

Sent by Irena Hawkins | 9:42 AM ET | 03-15-2007

Send a Comment

Comments are reviewed and edited by NPR prior to display. All comments will be read, but not all will be posted.

NPR reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its Web site or in any medium now known or unknown the e-mails and letters that we receive. We may edit them for clarity or brevity and identify authors by name and location. For additional information, please consult our Terms of Use.

E-mail this Page

Recipient's e-mail address:	» Up to twelve addresses, separated by commas.
Your e-mail address:
Your name:
Personal message (optional, 600 characters max):
Your NPR member station:
Are you a member of your local NPR station?	Yes No
Would you like to receive information from your local NPR member station? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No
May we contact you with information about NPR programming and services? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No

(Information collected by NPR will be used solely for internal NPR or NPR member station purposes and only if you selected 'yes' above. See NPR's privacy policy for more information.)

E-mail Updates from the Tell Me More Blog

Share Your Story

What would it take to get your vote? Share text, audio or video.

'Tell Me More' with Michel Martin

"Nothing is assumed." That's the unofficial motto of Tell Me More, the new Monday-Friday talk show with host Michel Martin. Grounded in lively interviewing and compelling storytelling, the program seeks to present diverse new voices, cross borders, challenge conventional wisdom and discover how other people think.