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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'Beyond Black & White.' Roosevelt High alumni explore the legacy of Seattle's busing program
In the early 1960s, Seattle Public Schools launched the "voluntary racial transfer program." A new documentary features voices of students, past and present, reflecting on the legacy of busing and racism in the halls of Roosevelt High School and the district at-large.
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Sound it out: messages from listeners
At its core, Soundside is about connecting with our listeners and bringing you stories you care about and that impact those of us living here in the Pacific Northwest. Each week we ask for your thoughts about our stories -- where they've succeeded and where they can improve. Here's what you told us.
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How are Washington's parks feeling the effects of climate change?
Last month, Metro Parks Tacoma announced the closure of the popular Five Mile Drive to vehicles, after a geotechnical assessment found that the erosion of the bluffs posed a safety risk. The report did not explicitly link the erosion to climate change, but park officials say they believe there is a connection. So how are Washington's parks responding to the effects climate change is having on our coastlines, forests, and mountains?
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Searching for his father and finding his family - a conversation with Nabil Ayers
What's the meaning of the word "family?" For musician, record label President, and Sonic Boom Records co-founder Nabil Ayers, this question has followed him throughout his life.
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Internal SPD memo raises questions about public safety priorities
An internal memo sent to the Seattle Police Department's interim police Chief Adrian Diaz is raising new questions about the agency's priorities.
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'This doesn't feel like love': SPU students sit-in for LGBTQ equality on campus
The end of the quarter crunch is looking a little different for some students at Seattle Pacific University.
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When Washington schools can't help youth in crisis, they're sent out of state
Pandemic disruptions have brought the gaps in Washington's special education services into sharp focus. Some families are having to make a tough decision: sending their children far across the country to specialized boarding schools with services that meet their needs.
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Monkeypox confirmed in King County, but this isn't like Covid-19
For the last couple of years, Covid-19 had reigned as the dominant virus on everyone's minds. But if you've been on social media, or followed the news lately, you've probably heard about monkeypox, a rare viral disease that's related to smallpox.
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For 50 years, Jean Walkinshaw documented the 'Northwest mystique' through everyday people
In 2013, an employee at KCTS — Seattle's PBS station — stumbled upon a box stacked in a hallway. Afraid that the rare tapes and reels would be thrown away, the employee tucked the box away. The decision saved an archive of Seattle's history considered so precious, the American Archive of Public Broadcasting added it to its collection, which also includes the Watergate hearings and interviews from the Stonewall uprising.
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'I really appreciate you being there for me': The importance of LGBTQ role models
It's become a lot more common for young LGBTQ people to see themselves represented in media. Just look at the variety of streaming shows right now with "Gentleman Jack," "Heartstopper," and "RuPaul's Drag Race." These are programs where people can see themselves, and their potential future, represented and celebrated. But just because you see a part of yourself represented on the big screen, doesn't mean you feel welcome within your own community.