What do sperm donors and Muhammad Ali have in common?

Both are in the winning entries of this year’s Student Podcast: College Edition LA Johnson/NPR A story from Colorado College of a student grappling with finding her birth father OR an investigation from Penn State University into an amateur boxer's long-ago brush with The Greatest. How can you choose? Well, the judges of NPR’s first ever Student Podcast: College Edition couldn't. After a judging process like no other, this year's award went to [TWO different college submissions.]( We’re incredibly excited to share their work. Read more about each submission below, and most importantly, take a listen! [Read More Here]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- [“He’s Just 23 Chromosomes”]( (A quick warning: There is some adult language in this podcast.) Anya Steinberg takes us through her journey of self-discovery when she learned that her biological father — a sperm donor she had always been told was a doctor — was in fact a jazz musician. "When I found out I won, I was practically vibrating with excitement!" Steinberg said. "It was scary to put that much of myself out there in a podcast, and to know that people heard my story and resonated with the things that I shared means everything to me." We won't spoil the ending for you, but — there is a LOT more to talk about here. You can hear the full story in the coming weeks on NPR. [“Competition With The Best”]( Miriam Colvin brought us a deep dive into a little-known run-in between some rough farm boys from Indiana and a 14-year-old Cassius Clay, who would, of course, be known to history as Muhammad Ali. Through online interviews and layered sound, Colvin weaved together a household name with an old family tale. Colvin says she grew up listening to this story from her grandpa and she always wanted to know how much of it was true. Working on this podcast was a great way to connect the dots, even over video chat! "This story has been told around my family for years and years. It's a story that I felt deserved to be recorded and preserved for a long time, so I created this podcast," Colvin said. "Now that I've won, it's even more exciting that a large audience will be able to hear it." Congratulations to our two winners, and a huge thank you to all the college students who participated. Jeff Chiu/AP On to the news… The San Francisco Board of Education will ultimately keep the names of dozens of public schools in a case of high-stakes second thoughts. The board had moved to forge ahead with a controversial plan to change the names of 44 schools that honor figures linked to historical racism or oppression. But on Tuesday, the board voted unanimously to suspend the effort when it approved a [resolution]( saying it "wishes to avoid the distraction and wasteful expenditure of public funds in frivolous litigation." [Read more here.]( — [Vanessa Romo]( NPR Reporter Nationwide, [6.6 million students can't obtain their transcripts]( from public and private colleges and universities for having unpaid bills as low as $25 or less, the higher education consulting firm Ithaka S+R estimates. Gabriel Toro was one of those students. In addition to his federal student loans, he owed the the University of Massachusetts Boston $2,715.33 for reasons he still doesn't fully understand. Until he paid, he was blocked from receiving the degree and transcript that he needed to get a job. [Read more here.]( — [Jon Marcus]( Hechinger Report A former Northeastern University track and field coach was arrested this week for a scheme in which he allegedly used sham social media accounts to solicit nude photographs from female student athletes. He is also accused of cyberstalking at least one female student athlete. Steve Waithe, 28, was arrested in Chicago on Wednesday and charged with one count of cyberstalking and one count of wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a [statement](. [Read more here.]( — [Rachel Treisman]( NPR News Assistant See you next week. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [npred@npr.org](mailto:npred@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Code Switch and more! [Facebook]( [Twitter]( You received this message because you're subscribed to Education emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]