Ms. English decided to work in radio because she didn’t just want to see people’s words in print. “I wanted to hear people’s voices,” Ms. English says. “Some people have low voices, Southern voices, or Philadelphia voices.” She not only enjoys hearing different sounds, but she also appreciates different points of view. She wants her listeners to hear those points of view, too. “If I only get news from South Philadelphia, that is unfair,” she says. “News is coming from all parts of Philadelphia.” Through her reporting, listeners have learned that where you live can have an impact on your health. For instance, Ms. English reported about a neigh- borhood that had more soda advertisements than other neighborhoods. It meant that those people were encouraged to drink more soda, which has a lot of sugar in it, she said. Too much sugar in a person’s diet can contribute to health problems. In another story, Ms. English told listeners that some neighborhoods had smooth sidewalks that made it easier to exercise and walk. But other neighbor- hoods had sidewalks that were broken. That made it hard for a lot of older people to move around. Ms. English says kids can play a role in making their neighborhoods safer by getting to know their neigh- bors. “When something goes wrong you can tell the Taunya English Telling stories to help people lead healthier lives 12 One big reason Taunya English became a journalist was to help amplify little-heard voices. Ms. English has reported on health and safety issues that concern kids, older people, and neighborhoods. “I wanted to be involved in something where everybody has a story,” she says. Ms. English says she was inspired to become a journalist by Ida B. Wells, an African-American woman who was a reporter in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it wasn’t common for women to be journalists. Ida Wells was also a civil-rights activist who used journalism to make people aware of problems that needed to be fixed. To become a journalist, Ms. English got a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Then she worked for a newspaper in northern California and as a science writer in Washington, D.C. She now works at WHYY-FM radio station in Philadelphia. She oversees a show called “The Pulse,” which presents stories about health and science.