Oakland, CA - Five Mills College students have been selected by KALW-FM and National Public Radio (NPR) to work with professional broadcast journalists on a week-long radio feature. NPR's Next Generation training project in conjunction with KALW-FM will bring seasoned journalists to Mills October 9–13, 2006, to work one-on-one with students to create a multi-part broadcast story. This year, the students chose the theme of "the generation gap" for their stories to be broadcast on NPR affiliate KALW (91.7 FM) later this year.

Mills students chosen to participate in the NPR project are aspiring journalists: Hallee Berg, Thea Chroman, Alexandra Kostoulas, Alma Nava, and LeJeana Reagan. They will be mentored by: Carrie Kahn, national desk reporter, National Public Radio; Doug Mitchell, director, Next Generation project, National Public Radio; Traci Tong, producer, “The World,” BBC/Public Radio International; Alicia Montgomery, producer, “Day to Day,” National Public Radio; and Ariana Pekary, producer, KGO radio. Ben Trefny, KALW senior producer will edit the series and Tom Krimkowski, of KQED (88.5 FM) will serve as the engineer. Holly Kernan, who teaches public radio reporting at Mills, will serve as executive producer.

About NPR's Next Generation Project
In partnership with minority journalist organizations, NPR member stations and the Collegiate Broadcasters Inc., NPR coordinates and leads week-long training sessions bringing professional producers, editors, and reporters together with college students interested in radio and journalism. Those who are competitively selected for these projects will report and produce their own radio stories after participation in teaching sessions on recording techniques, writing, voice and on-air presentation, and audio production. For more information, go to http://www.npr.org/about/nextgen/.

Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women, and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently recognized as one of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills currently ranks 16th for diversity among the country’s liberal arts colleges.

This year, the Washington Monthly College Rankings (September 2006) named Mills a leading liberal arts college based on community service, research spending, quality of preparation for graduate education, and social mobility. In addition, The Princeton Review’s annual guide, The Best 361 Colleges (2007) included Mills for the second year in a row among top U.S. institutions offering students an outstanding undergraduate education.

Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women’s leadership, social responsibility, and creativity.

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