Avani Yaltho '26 Wins the NPR Student Podcast Challenge!
Senior Avani Yaltho won the NPR Student Podcast Challenge with her thoughtful piece on family, memory, and identity. Read the full story of her journey and podcast!
By Sequoia Carrillo and Janet W. Lee
We are delighted to announce that senior Avani Yaltho ’26 has been named the high school winner of the 2025 NPR Student Podcast Challenge. This remarkable achievement exemplifies the St. Agnes Academy spirit of curiosity, creativity, and courageous storytelling.
Learn more about Avani's journey and the amazing story she shared with a national audience.
The Podcast: The Things We Buried
In her winning podcast, The Things We Buried, Avani invites the audience into a richly-layered exploration of her family’s roots spanning three generations – from her grandmother’s mango trees to stories of migration, belonging, and memory.
The piece opens with the haunting trill of a wooden flute and the line:
"My grandmother says mango trees used to belong to everyone."
From there, Avani’s narrative transports listeners to the villages of Kerala at India’s southern tip, where her grandparents, Molly and Jacob George, once grew up.
She describes a childhood in Kerala: “No fences, no ownership – just laughter, sticky fingers and the simple joy of being together.”
Today, the mango tree that once anchored her grandmother’s house is reduced to “just a couple of bricks and a stump.” And the field near where her grandfather played? Now subdivided into small plots full of houses.
In crafting the podcast, Avani enlisted a cousin in Kerala to help with ambient field recordings of children playing and the calls of birds. But she discovered changes: traffic now dominated the soundscape, and the elusive koel bird eluded capture.
Back home in Houston, she observed that while she never picked fruit from a garden as her grandparents once did, a humble curry-leaf tree now thrives beside her house. It brings a little bit of Kerala to Houston, if not in sound, at least in taste and smell.
Why This Story Matters
Winning the podcast challenge aligns with our mission to amplify the voices of young women telling meaningful stories. It reflects positively on our Dominican tradition of truth, compassion, and social justice:
- Personal and universal: While rooted in Avani’s family history, the story speaks to displacement, change, and identity — themes that resonate far beyond one household.
- Three generations in one conversation: Avani brings together her grandmother, mother, and herself to reflect on what was buried (and what was unearthed).
- Sound as memory: The wooden flute, ambient soundscapes, and layered voices reveal how podcasting can be a powerful form of storytelling.
Avani’s Reflection on Winning the NPR Student Podcast Challenge
Avani said through this project, she wanted to honor her family’s story and ask how memory shapes identity. In doing so, she said, she discovered a “language of belonging” — the words we use, the silences we keep, the trees we remember.
Out of hundreds of entries from across the country, Avani’s podcast stood out for its depth, audio craft, and emotional clarity.
One judge commented: “It was a beautiful exploration of what can be lost over time… and she smartly shepherds conversations with her family while holding the hand of the listener in a cool way.”
What This Means for St. Agnes
At St. Agnes, we believe our young women don’t just prepare for college — they prepare for a life of purpose. Avani’s journey from idea to finished podcast is a testament to what can happen when curiosity, mentorship, and authenticity converge.
Her podcast recognition exemplifies our mission to challenge, inspire, and lead with integrity, joy, and a commitment to driving meaningful change.
The Story Continues for Avani as a St. Agnes Senior
We are proud to highlight “The Things We Buried” podcast and encourage listeners to engage with its story. As Avani continues her senior year, she hopes to use this experience as a stepping stone toward future storytelling and advocacy.
- Congratulations to Avani Yaltho for winning the NPR Student Podcast Challenge! Thank you for bringing your voice, your family’s story, and your heart to the national stage. We are proud of you, and we know this is just the beginning of your impact.
- Take a moment to listen to Avani’s podcast. You can stream recent episodes on SoundCloud.
