Episode list

Since 2001, Impact has aimed to share inspiring stories from Los Angeles and beyond. Impact Episode 301 is a retrospective that includes highlights from some of our favorite stories that Annenberg students have produced over the past nineteen years. As we searched through our archives, we found some insightful stories about art, culture, and society that are as relevant today as they were when our producers first pitched them so many years ago. We hope you will share our enthusiasm for stories that journalism students have produced that reflect their storytelling interests and passions. In some cases, they have even launched careers.

In Impact Episode 302, we embark on two different journeys. One centers on a popular rock climbing destination that's environmentally stressed by its visitors. The other is one man's journey to gain lessons from global entrepreneurs about launching a health spa business in the United States. In Love or Leave It, produced by Richard Tamayo, we go to Joshua Tree National Park, an area rich with beauty but threatened by tourism and underfunding. A small staff of park rangers are responsible for protecting more than 800,000 acres which our producer shows is hard to do when rock climbers venture off the trails. Business of Spa, produced by Susana Plascencia, is about an entrepreneur who is hoping to beat the odds with a carefully planned venture into the spa business. He ventures to Sweden and Japan for insights into his west L.A. dream.

In Impact Episode 303, grassroots politics, environmental activism, and cultural activities at a bookstore are the themes covered. We tag along as candidates knock on doors to become party delegates, we hear from people fighting against air pollution, and meet some community members learning some ancestral traditions. In Running for Change, party delegates are the people who nominate presidential candidates at national conventions. But they have to run their own campaigns just to become delegates. We meet two candidates during their bid to become California delegates for the Democratic Party. In Paramount Pollution, produced by Jaime Lopez, we meet two residents who have become activists helping to find a solution to the region's air pollution problem. Tia Chuchas, produced by Kimberly Quitzon, is a non-profit bookstore in the San Fernando Valley that offers cultural books, music, art, and classes to the local community. We watch as nearby residents learn to make sugar skulls, which are used for the Day of the Dead, a holiday celebrated throughout Mexico.

Impact Episode 304 embarks on two different journeys. Love It or Leave It, by Richard Tamayo, takes us to Joshua Tree National Park, an area rich with beauty but threatened by tourism and underfunding. A small staff of park rangers are responsible for protecting more than 800,000 acres, which is hard to do when rock climbers venture off the trails. In Business of Spa, by Susie Placencia, we meet an ambitious entrepreneur who is hoping to beat the odds with a carefully planned venture into the spa business. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 50% of small businesses fail after just five years of opening. He ventures to Sweden and Japan for clues into his West L.A. dream.

In Impact Episode 305, we meet a mother and her child who gather their own forest food, a team helping homeless cats, a woman making hiking accessible to persons of color, and an instructor teaching Chinese Americans how to shoot guns. In Foraging for Mushrooms, by Evan Jacoby, we meet Nevin, Elle and Wiley, a family who sees forests an opportunity. When forests contain more than 80 percent of the world's plants and animals, they go hunting around the underbrush and fallen trees in search of mushrooms. In Trap, Neuter, Return, by Aya Almasi, we go behind the scenes with Kitty Bungalow, non-profit organization working to fix the homeless cat population in Los Angeles. In Hike Clerb, by Kimberly Quitzon, we meet one woman in Los Angeles who founded a non-profit organization working to introduce hiking to people who feel excluded. And in Gun Instruction, by Xinlu Liang, we take a drive to the local mountains where an instructor puts his class through a gun competition.

In Impact Episode 306, we feature three stories of character profiles from different slices of life. In Lori Dinkin: 100 Years, produced by Sarah Brown, we meet a 100-year-old woman who narrowly escaped the Holocaust in Germany. She talks about experiencing periods of triumph and joy over the past century and gives us a look into her productive life. In Politics Across Generations, by Lurong Lei, we go to Monterey Park, California to campaign with Jennifer Love Tang, an Asian American woman running for City Council. And in Singer-Songwriter, by Jeremy Silverman, we meet Sydney Cameron, a student at Occidental College who dreams of making it in the music industry.

In Impact Episode 307, we meet the only resident of an old haunted mining town, look at Los Angeles through the eyes of a Dutch vlogger on his very first visit, and hear differing opinions about the complex issues centering on the unhoused. Cerro Gordo, produced by Mateusz Balcerek, is a mining town nestled in the winding snow-capped Inyo Mountains in east-central California. We meet Robert Desmarais, the town caregiver and tour guide, as he reflects on the importance of preserving and restoring history so that the spirits of the past can survive into the future. In My Backyard, by Kurt Wyatt, explores a controversial Skid Row housing development planned to be built in a Van Nuys Historic District. We meet a long-time resident who expresses her fears for the neighborhood, but we also meet others who advocate for trying to solve a much larger housing problem in L.A. And in American Tourist, we meet Martjin, a student from the Netherlands aspiring to become a social media influencer and filmmaker. Yet, Martin's American adventure is interrupted when the 2020 coronavirus pandemic cuts short his time in the City of Angels.

In Impact Episode 308, we explore three spaces of cultural diaspora in southern California. Chamorros, produced by Melissa Dueñas, we go to San Diego to meet a few individuals dedicated to preserving the culture for future generations. Chamorros are among the oldest groups of indigenous people from the Pacific region. In Khmer Academy, produced by Shweta Saraswat, we visit a dance studio in Long Beach where young Cambodian Americans are learning the tradition of Khmer classical dance, and are using it to rebuild from a tragic history of genocide. And in Aztec Dance, produced by Samantha McDonald, we go to El Pueblo Historic Park on Olvera Street, the heart of Mexican culture in Los Angeles. Since 1930, it has been a colorful marketplace with historic architecture and traditional cultural events, including Aztec dance.

Impact Episode 309 is an episode dedicated to some of our favorite animals. Number 74, produced by Kaysie Ellingson, takes us to the California coast where an environmental problem put local sea lions in danger. We meet one, Number 74, who gained a fighting chance with the help of a dedicated rescue group. In Compton Junior Equestrians, produced by Raquel Estupinan, we visit an equestrian center in Compton, where a group of teenagers traded gang life for learning to ride horses. In Urban Beekeeping, produced by Kate Carroll, we head to a local garden in Solano County where a master beekeeper tends to his urban honey makers. And finally, in Raising Chicken Wing, produced by Grace Bain, we meet a college student who adopted a dog during the 2020 pandemic. Chicken Wing, a two-month-old chihuahua terrier mix, becomes the subject of a one week foster journey.

In Impact Episode 310, we explore five non-profit organizations doing work across the Los Angeles community. These are dedicated workers addressing important topics as homelessness, at-risk youth and food deserts. In Lava Mae, produced by Will Casse, we meet an organization bringing showers to people in need. In Share a Meal, produced by Savannah Ajar and Bobby Nahill, we meet an organization that uses a food truck to bring burritos from a kitchen in Big Bear all the way to downtown Los Angeles every night. In Hollenbeck Center, produced by Michael Green, we visit a place where at-risk youth can go to find positive role models, supportive peers and meaningful activities. In Food Desert, produced by Evan Pondel, we go to a farmer's market that brings healthy and affordable food to low-income families in Watts, provided by an organization committed to offering healthy alternatives to fast food. And in Piece by Piece, produced by Jessica Naziri and Ashley Zimmerman, we visit an organization teaching mosaic art workshops to people experiencing homelessness so they can take on art as a form of self-expression.

In Impact Episode 311, art is the focus. In Muralist, produced by Michelle Mankoff, we visit a giant mural painter in the middle of Los Angeles. In Jose Ramirez, produced by Jessica Flores, we meet a school teacher who is committed to providing an arts education for his students. In Piñata House, produced by Gustavo Gutierrez, we meet a family of creators for this celebratory ornament. And in Family of Steel, produced by Lisa Rau, we meet a family of steel workers who create furniture pieces to sell at local flea markets.

In Impact Episode 312, we look at some of the challenges facing immigrants coming to America. Desconocido, produced by Chandler France, takes us to a stretch of dangerous desert that has been a U.S.-Mexico border crossing point for decades. We hear the story of one woman who braved the desolate landscape and survived the treacherous journey some 40 years ago. In Dream Act, produced by Jessica Flores, we meet some students who have taken up legal residence under the California DREAM Act and the inspiring ways they make L.A. their home. Eco Domes, produced by Sharis Delgadillo, features an organization that teaches people how to forge their own inexpensive homes from a bit of engineering know-how, creativity, and the earth beneath their feet.

In Impact Episode 313, we explore four stories across communities and borders. In La Señora Cristina, produced by Emily Kosko, we visit a need-based school in Tijuana that has been providing education to kids in the surrounding area for years. In YOLA, produced by Helen Jeong, we go into an organization that has been bringing classical music to underprivileged communities. Fades for Grades, produced by Jacqueline Grant and Tanner Keith, brings a community feeling to Crenshaw High School students through the barber shop experience. And Ping Pong, produced by Nimisha Thakore, Megan Dickey and Mark Shore, become a famous sport that opened relations between the U.S. and China in the 1970s. We meet a couple of college students who are part of a competitive ping pong team.

In Episode 314, we look at reworked fashion and preservation, a South LA woman's impact on her community and an orchestra using QR codes to bring music to the public. Rework, produced by Kamryn Gaskin, brings back nostalgia with characters who are committed to bringing old items to new life, through preservation and reworked fashion. The Wonder Woman of Watts, produced by Amy Altman, introduces us to Desiree Edwards, who owns Watts Coffee House. In this neighborhood restaurant, she does a lot more than just serve pancakes, she's bringing her community together. And finally, ROCO on the Go, produced by Elizabeth Barineau, looks at Houston-based orchestra who used innovative technology and local art to make sure that music didn't stop during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Episode 315, Impact explores various facets of humanity. In The Hunt for Indigenous Life, produced by Annie Wei, we go deep into the mountains of Taiwan to learn about indigenous tribes. In Asian Discrimination, produced by Robert Acosta, we explore the rise of anti-Asian hate in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. And in A Balancing Act, produced by JP Dabu, we meet single parents who are navigating the home life while trying to earn their college degrees.

In Episode 316, we emphasize the importance of water. In Oil in Eden, produced by Jonathan Horowitz, we look at ways that oil wastewater is being treated to supply water for some farms in California. In The Kelp Initiative, produced by Colin Taylor, we follow scientists who are exploring how a common ocean plant might be useful for combating climate change. And in Breathtaking, produced by Savannah Welch, we meet competitive freedivers who push themselves to their limits with each dive down.

In Episode 317, we explore differing ways of life. In Surfing, produced by Meagan Burke, we meet a southern California resident whose love of surfing sparked a question about whether it can be considered an addiction. And in Digital Bathhouse, produced by Robert Binder, we hear about experiences from some members of the LGBTQ+ community who use online dating apps to find partners.

In Episode 318, Impact explores the outdoors of southern California. Wild City Life, produced by Aliya-Jasmine Sovani, looks at urban wildlife through the mountain lion population and the infamous P-22. And in Campaign or Crisis, produced by Jaime Lopez, we follow some city leaders who are campaigning to fight the air pollution issues that are making residents sick.