Phoebe Martel
WUSF Rush Family Radio News internI’m one of WUSF’s summer radio news interns, reporting on all things Tampa Bay for the next few months.
In May, I graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where I studied Communications and English. My introduction to journalism came through The Daily Tar Heel, UNC’s independent student newspaper, where I covered arts and culture, affordable housing and university governance.
Writing was my first love, and it shaped my path into reporting.
Outside the Tar Heel, I worked for a campus literary magazine and a local lifestyle publication. While I still love writing album reviews, community journalism is where I’m focusing my energy these days.
As an “NPR baby,” I grew up listening to Baltimore affiliate WYPR on car rides home, and my inner theater kid always secretly wanted to be on air. I first got my radio feet wet during a collegiate internship at Vatican Media in Rome, where I produced web stories and broadcast segments on human rights and migration policy — while also managing to meet Pope Francis and befriending several nuns.
In every place I’ve lived, storytelling has been my way of feeling connected to something larger than myself. Now back stateside, I’m excited to channel my curiosity into stories that reflect Tampa Bay in all its fascinating complexity.
In my free time, I do very amateur boxing and dance, write equally amateur screenplays and obsessively curate Spotify playlists.
-
The Clearwater City Council voted June 18 to hand over a downtown block to the Church of Scientology. Grassroots group Save the Garden is racing to collect 7,000 signatures in time to undo that decision. -
This year’s Florida Assessment of Student Thinking results show four Tampa-area districts received an A, but some parents and educators are not convinced the state’s standards encourage excellence. -
From now until July 25, visitors to the USF Contemporary Art Museum can see over 150 Andy Warhol black-and-white photographs, silver prints and Polaroids up close. -
On July 1, the ACLU of Florida filed a federal lawsuit challenging the domestic terrorist designation the DeSantis administration applied to the Muslim civil rights nonprofit. -
The Cemetery Society, residents and other lawmakers are calling on city officials to safeguard potential unmarked graves on an adjacent property where an architect wants to build single-family homes. -
Since 1991, the USF College of Marine Science has hosted Oceanography Camp Especially for Girls. Every summer, 30 eighth-grade grad go on a research expedition and do what marine scientists do. -
City government officials, local breweries, Celtic arts organizations and eager residents hoped the hard-partying but well-behaved Tartan Army would make a pit stop in Dunedin this weekend. -
The Safe Summer Series hopes to promote safe and structured fun as the Tampa Bay area sees a spike in "teen takeover" gatherings, a number of which have ended in shootings and arrests. -
The Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual Kids Count report shows that young Floridians' economic health plummeted between 2019 and 2024. As in 2025, Florida ranks 35th for overall child well-being. -
After 30 years with the Tampa Police Department, Chief Lee Bercaw is stepping down to teach criminology at USF. During his tenure, the city saw a significant reduction in violent crime.
