As I reflect on 2025, I realize how much our newsroom has been able to cover about our community. Louisville Public Media faced financial uncertainty this year following federal funding cuts, but the newsroom never wavered in its commitment to keeping Kentuckiana residents informed and inspired.
We covered a lot of ground this year, and arts and culture is no exception. I have really enjoyed meeting so many changemakers in Louisville’s arts scene, and sharing stories that may not have gotten much coverage otherwise.
The stories I reported meant a lot to me, but here are a few I think deserve the spotlight:
Perception brought to life: Multi-sensory art installation opening in Clifton
Since becoming arts and culture reporter in July, I have learned so much about different communities in Louisville. During my internship in graduate school, I would always pass the Kentucky School for the Blind on my commute. Little did I know, an alumni and two local artists were planning an art display nearby.
The trio created a 57-foot-long mural that pays homage to Clifton neighborhood history. The project used specific colors and materials to make it an inclusive, multi-sensory display for the neighborhood’s blind and low-vision residents.
Before it was completed, I met with the artists, Liz Richter and Kristen Falkirk, and Darren Harbour, a disability advocate with retinitis pigmentosa. I was amazed to hear how every element was meant to help visually impaired residents interact with the display. This included the colors, the ceramic tiles, the shade of grout holding it together, as well as the wall’s shape and its placement.
‘My biggest fear’: Undocumented Louisville man leaving U.S. to avoid deportation
In the first few months of Donald Trump’s presidency, it was unclear how much his administration would crack down on immigrants.
In February, I met an undocumented man who told me he and his 13-year-old daughter were deporting themselves to their home country in Guatemala. He said it was better for him to leave the U.S. before immigration enforcement agents forcefully took him away from his daughter.
This was, by far, one of the hardest stories I’ve written in my career. I listened to this man tell his story through tears for hours. I didn’t know at the time that this moment was foreshadowing what was to come. Since then, ICE raids have dramatically increased nationwide and the man’s fears have come true: parents have been taken from their homes and their children nearly without warning.
To this day, I don’t know if the man and his daughter made it back. I often still think about the man, and the strength and bravery it took to share his story with a complete stranger.
Curious Louisville: Who is the voice of the crosswalk?
When I started at LPM in 2023, I did some digging through WFPL’s old podcasts and a particularly curious series caught my attention.
Nearly seven years since the podcast began, I — with help from founding producer Laura Ellis and managing editor Amina Elahi — rebooted “Curious Louisville.” In this series, we answer audience questions about Kentuckiana folklore, history, architecture and more.
For our first episode we looked into a longstanding mystery: Who is the voice of Louisville’s crosswalks? I enjoyed bringing the question-asker along for my investigation and giving our listeners a behind-the-scenes look into how we make stories.
The question took me on an adventure through Louisville’s history that I likely would not have experienced on my own. It was nice to take a break from the harsh and often disheartening news cycle and explore something lighthearted. I’m not originally from Louisville, so this series also gives me an opportunity to learn more about the city I now call home.