Noel Gasca
General Assignment Reporter
About
Noel is a general assignment reporter for KUOW, covering everything from city hall to pickleball. Prior to joining the newsroom, Noel worked as a producer for KUOW’s midday show Soundside. Noel has also worked as an online editor and producer with KUOW’s web team, and she’s also a proud graduate of KUOW’s RadioActive program.
Noel is an alumna of Emerson College and has interned at NPR member stations WBUR in Boston and WAMU in Washington D.C. Originally from Lake Stevens, Washington, Noel is elated to be back in the Pacific Northwest and covering the people and places that make up the state she calls home.
When she’s not working, Noel enjoys perusing Seattle’s used bookstores, practicing her kata, and discussing the lasting legacy of Selena Quintanilla’s music with anyone who will listen.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: National Association of Hispanic Journalists, AIR
Stories
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'We built this together.' The 20-year legacy of KUOW's RadioActive
Late last month, KUOW announced the station was ending its RadioActive Youth Media program. For 20 years, RadioActive brought listeners the stories and perspectives of young people in the Pacific Northwest. Soundside producer Noel Gasca reflects on what the program has meant to the over 6,000 youth who participated - and what will be lost.
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Quick tips for avoiding the crowds and enjoying the great outdoors in the PNW
Whether you’re getting ready to hit the trails for the first time, or you’re a seasoned outdoors aficionado — Soundside is here to help you get prepped for hot hiking summer in the Pacific Northwest.
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'We built this together.' The 20-year legacy of KUOW's RadioActive
Late last month, KUOW announced the station was ending its RadioActive Youth Media program. For 20 years, RadioActive brought listeners the stories and perspectives of young people in the Pacific Northwest. Soundside producer Noel Gasca reflects on what the program has meant to the over 6,000 youth who participated - and what will be lost.
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What's the future of the UW's pro-Palestinian encampment? It depends who you ask
KUOW Director of Community Engagement Zaki Hamid sat down with Soundside to talk about his experience speaking with students, faculty, and counter-protestors at the University of Washington about the pro-Palestine movement.
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Elementary school closures could be on the way for SPS families
Like many school districts across the state and country, Seattle Public Schools is staring down a shaky financial future. The district is projecting a $105 million dollar budget shortfall next school year. Soundside host Libby Denkmann talks with SPS School Board President Liza Rankin about what these potential closures could mean for educators, families, and students.
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Lily Gladstone chronicles Blackfeet Nation's reunion with buffalo in new SIFF documentary
She’s an Oscar nominee, a Golden Globe winner, and the pride of Mountlake Terrace High School. And now, Lily Gladstone has an executive producer credit for her work with "Bring Them Home" a new documentary screening at SIFF next week.
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What would the reclassification of cannabis mean for Washington state businesses, researchers?
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is poised to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III. Cannibas researchers and business owners say the move is a good first step, but the feds are lagging behind when it comes to growing acce
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As a teen, they found belonging at this LGBTQ+ youth center. Now, they're paying it forward
Soundside revisits a story produced by RadioActive alum Avery Styer back in 2016. Eight years ago, Avery took us to a space in Capitol Hill that had a special spot in their life - Lambert House, a community center for LGBTQ+ youth. Since that original story, Avery has aged out of the youth programs Lambert House currently offers, but that doesn’t mean they’ve moved on.
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Hear it again: How Stephanie Land took on hunger and higher education
In this encore broadcast, Soundside guest host Diana Opong revisits a conversation with author Stephanie Land. Land had just published a book about her experience of going to college as a single mother, and the struggles she faced working towards her degree. Her second book is titled “Class, A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education.”
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How loopholes in Washington state law can protect abusive school staff
In Washington state, if a teacher or other certified school staff commits serious misconduct, like abuse, districts are required to report that to the state for investigation – and possibly the revocation of that person’s certification to work in schools.