Growing up in Baltimore County, Zoe Kazanzides, SPA/BA ’27, remembers public radio as the soundtrack to morning breakfasts with her mother. Her critical appraisal was swift and unsparing: “Mom, can you turn that off?”

“It was just people talking and I didn’t really understand it at that age,” Kazanzides said.

But around high school, the cadence of the broadcast began to take hold. Walking downstairs one morning, she found herself lingering over a discussion on her mother’s favorite NPR show, 1A, produced by WAMU 88.5 at American University. 

That routine planted an early conviction that “journalism and public service are absolutely intertwined,” Kazanzides said. “You’re informing the public, you’re holding public officials accountable—and that’s really important.”

When Kazanzides arrived at AU a few years later to study communications, legal institutions, economics, and government, she set out to turn that civic curiosity into real-world experience. During her sophomore year, she typed “WAMU volunteer” into a Google search bar and sent a cold email to the station’s volunteer coordinator. Within a semester, that initiative turned into a paid internship on the 1A production team.

Over nearly two years at 1A, Kazanzides has gone from observing broadcasts to coproducing full episodes, researching topics, writing scripts for host Jenn White, and editing audio in Adobe Audition. 

Drawing from her lived experience, Kazanzides pitched and coproduced a segment last fall exploring Medicaid policy changes in special education. “My brother has autism and he needs 24/7 support,” she said. “We heard a lot from listeners talking about their experiences, and I even got my mom on the show.” Kazanzides later brought her mother into the studio to meet White in person.

That editorial experience laid the groundwork for her next chapter: a competitive, full-time, paid internship on Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s digital communications team.

Kazanzides applied for the role nearly 4,000 miles away while studying abroad in Madrid, navigating the rigorous selection process through Maryland Public Service Scholars. Designed to cultivate public-sector leadership, the program immerses students in high-impact governance and community advocacy, equipping them with both the technical acumen and equity-driven vision required to tackle complex civic challenges. Out of a vast statewide applicant pool, Kazanzides earned her place among just 43 college students selected across the Old Line State.

For 10 weeks this summer, she worked in Annapolis on the six-person digital team, capturing B-roll at executive events, crafting photo carousels, and drafting captions. Her day-to-day role also offered frequent face time with Moore, including filming an on-camera interview where she posed questions submitted by followers through an Instagram Story. 

Working alongside Moore—a rising 2028 Democratic contender—proved just as reassuring as it was inspiring: “He was so down-to-earth. I would tell him things about me and he would be like, ‘I know.’ And I was like, ‘Wow, okay, you’ve read my bio.’” 

On Fridays, the cohort turned to policy analysis, where Kazanzides coauthored and presented a proposal directly to Moore and Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller aimed at mitigating rural food deserts through a mobile grocery store grant initiative.

Stepping into rooms alongside state leaders and broadcast veterans was not without its initial hurdles, however. 

“Sometimes at the beginning, it feels like you feel like an imposter and you’re like, ‘Why am I here? I can’t believe I got this,’” Kazanzides said. “What I would say to all students is remind yourself that you’re there as an intern, you are going to learn a lot, and you deserve to be there.”

Confronting that self-doubt shaped the practical lessons Kazanzides plans to carry into her post-college career. 

She learned that initiative often matters more than waiting for a formal invitation, a mindset that prompted her to reach out cold to WAMU and submit her state government application from abroad. In both roles, she also realized the value of trusting her own lived experience— whether bringing a personal family perspective to a national radio broadcast or proposing new digital strategies to executive staff—recognizing that teams perform best when diverse voices contribute.

Perhaps the most lasting takeaway has been learning firsthand what healthy workplace culture and effective leadership look like under pressure. “I’ve experienced great leadership in these positions,” Kazanzides said. “That will help me in the future determine whether a job is a good fit.”

Now in her senior year, Kazanzides carries an expanded toolkit spanning broadcast production and digital strategy, grounded in the same public mission that sparked years ago at her kitchen table. 

“I've always been very motivated by public service,” she said. “Even though I haven’t known exactly what I wanted to do my whole life, I’ve just been motivated by, ‘I want to make a change in people’s lives.’”