First Person

"First Person" is On Point's radio diary series. Pitch your own story about life during the pandemic at onpoint@wbur.org.

A train passing amongst pine trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains, California, 1930. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

Earth's growing population: 'A direct affront to our own survival'

Elizabeth Hadly is a professor of biology at Stanford University, and director of the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve in California's Santa Cruz Mountains. For four decades, she's been an eyewitness...

05:02Jan 11, 2023

Reporters work on their laptops as Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks during a campaign event at Vernier Software & Technology May 9, 2008 in Beaverton, Oregon. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

First person: Faces of the 2020 'shecession' today

From February to May 2020, almost 12 million American women lost their jobs compared to 9 million men. But new analysis finds that gender was not the main driver behind...

19:09Nov 25, 2022

Ukrainian soldiers help a fleeing family crossing the Irpin river in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 5, 2022. (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

First person: Leaving Russia to avoid war in Ukraine

Timothy Snyder says Russian President Vladimir Putin is vulnerable at home, as Russian men leave to avoid being sent to fight in Ukraine. Dmitry Grigoriev is Russian man living in...

05:21Oct 25, 2022

Monarch butterflies are pictured on December 10, 2008, at the Sierra del Chincua sancturay in Angangueo, in the Mexican state of Michoacan. (Mario Vazquez/AFP/Getty Images)

First person: Thinking globally, acting locally to save the monarch butterfly

Jose Luis Alvarez, co-founder of Forests for Monarchs, and Martha Askins, a retired lawyer, discuss the beauty of the monarch butterfly, and conservation efforts to save them.

11:22Aug 2, 2022

This photo provided by NASA, the James Webb Space Telescope is separated in space. (NASA via AP)

First person: A scientist's discovery puts space into focus

Robert Gonsalves is the creator of the phase retrieval imaging technique now being used by the James Webb Space Telescope.

08:09Apr 1, 2022

A Tesla car is displayed in a showroom at a Brooklyn Tesla dealership on April 4, 2017 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

First Person: Behind the wheel of a 'self-driving' Tesla

In a podcast special, we share what it's like behind the wheel when Tesla software is in action.

06:20Mar 3, 2022

The "frailejón" pictured above belongs to the plant genus espeletia -- a member of the sunflower family. Frailejones are unique to the high-altitude "páramo" ecosystems found scattered across the equatorial reaches of the Andean plateau. The frailejón is an iconic symbol of the Colombian highlands, of which a Bunker Hill student writes in her poem "La Meseta."

First Person: 'The shame did not belong to me. The shame belonged on him'

The suffering caused by domestic violence is emotional, spiritual and physical. But there's one aspect of that suffering that is almost invisible: brain injury. Survivor Freya Doe shares her story....

13:15Jan 20, 2022

An American flag flutters in the wind over the charred remains of vehicles and a home destroyed by wildfires Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Superior, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

First Person: 2 Colorado residents on how Western wildfires have shaped their lives

Are cities in the West prepared for a perpetual fire season? 2 Colorado residents share how Western wildfires in Superior, CO and Louisville, CO have shaped their lives.

07:56Jan 10, 2022

A Publix grocery store cashier and customer in Florida wear face masks and gloves. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

First Person: Reflections on COVID's impact on the food service industry

"It was nice to see the world recognize the food industry as essential workers. And our people stepped up, and they're still doing it months later."

05:42Dec 23, 2021

OxyContin pills arranged for a photo at a pharmacy. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)

Drugs were Katie Mack's connection to the world. Until she found real community in sobriety

An addiction-driven feeling of being loved adds to our understanding of why opioid overdose deaths soared 30% last year. When we say taking opioids can feel like love, what does...

09:28Dec 16, 2021

In this Oct. 14, 2020, file photo, housing activists erect a sign in front of Gov. Charlie Baker's house in Swampscott, Mass. (Michael Dwyer/AP)

First Person: Activist Tiana Caldwell on finding strength in the face of eviction

"I fought, I didn't just lay down. It makes you feel like you are not powerless."

08:09Nov 30, 2021

Audience members join hands in worship at the Franklin Graham Decision America event at the Pitt County Fairgrounds in Greenville, N.C. on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

First Person: A pastor reflects on how politics divide his congregation

"We have failed across the board in this country to help people in our congregations understand what it means to be Christian."

05:00Nov 19, 2021

An aerial view shows how close some of the homes are to the lagoon on September 13, 2019 in Kivalina, Alaska. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

First Person: How climate change shapes the community of Kivalina, Alaska

Colleen Swan and the members of the indigenous Iñupiat community who live on Kivalina, climate change isn't a remote abstraction. It's an emergency that's threatening their lives now.

05:01Nov 8, 2021

People wear face masks on the red steps in Times Square as the city continues the re-opening efforts following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on October 28, 2020, in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

First Person: 'Can you listen?' Young people reflect on 'the pessimistic generation'

Two young people share why some kids are looking to the future with trepidation to impending doom.

06:18Oct 29, 2021

Women gather to demand their rights under the Taliban rule during a protest in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Sept. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Wali Sabawoon)

First Person: What Young Afghans Want

People under the age of 25 make up more than 60% of the population of Afghanistan. What do young Afghans want for the future of their country?

05:15Sep 10, 2021

25-year-old Fanoos Basir. She’s a civil engineer and former member of the Afghan women’s national soccer team. (Courtesy)

First Person: Former Afghan Soccer Player On Life As A Refugee, Her Country's Future

Former Afghan soccer player Fanoos Basir is living in a refugee camp. Yet she hasn't given up hope for the nation whose jersey she wore on the world stage.

11:51Sep 7, 2021

Birds and other wildlife move through a wetland in the Klamath River Basin in Tulelake, Calif. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)

First Person: How Drought Along The Klamath River Impacts Migratory Birds

'The decisions that we're making now are putting at risk the birds that make their remarkable annual migration through this area. And this is a clear signal that the arteries...

04:29Sep 2, 2021

An applicant, left, is assisted by a volunteer with filling out the paperwork needed at a rental assistance fair. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

First Person: A Renter Reflects On How Delayed Rental Assistance Shaped Her Life

Charmayne was among the millions of Americans who were behind on their rent. So she turned to emergency rental assistance programs for help.

05:20Aug 26, 2021

First Person: How Western Droughts Impact Navajo Farmers

"We've been conserving for so long. But at this point, this drought is just going to make it harder to survive out here."

04:18Aug 25, 2021

Mogli lifts a paw to touch the palm of his owner Eva Kullmann as facility residents, who both suffer from dementia, look on during the cat's weekly visit at the Lutherstift senior care facility. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

First Person: After Loss, A Cat's Companionship Got This Doctor Through 'Dark Times'

In 2006, Fumiko Chino was just beginning to find her way in life when everything came crashing down. Fumiko shares how an unlikely small furry companion ended up as a...

05:48Aug 23, 2021

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First Person

Earth's growing population: 'A direct affront to our own survival'

First person: Faces of the 2020 'shecession' today

First person: Leaving Russia to avoid war in Ukraine

First person: Thinking globally, acting locally to save the monarch butterfly

First person: A scientist's discovery puts space into focus

First Person: Behind the wheel of a 'self-driving' Tesla

First Person: 'The shame did not belong to me. The shame belonged on him'

First Person: 2 Colorado residents on how Western wildfires have shaped their lives

First Person: Reflections on COVID's impact on the food service industry

Drugs were Katie Mack's connection to the world. Until she found real community in sobriety

First Person: Activist Tiana Caldwell on finding strength in the face of eviction

First Person: A pastor reflects on how politics divide his congregation

First Person: How climate change shapes the community of Kivalina, Alaska

First Person: 'Can you listen?' Young people reflect on 'the pessimistic generation'

First Person: What Young Afghans Want

First Person: Former Afghan Soccer Player On Life As A Refugee, Her Country's Future

First Person: How Drought Along The Klamath River Impacts Migratory Birds

First Person: A Renter Reflects On How Delayed Rental Assistance Shaped Her Life

First Person: How Western Droughts Impact Navajo Farmers

First Person: After Loss, A Cat's Companionship Got This Doctor Through 'Dark Times'

Sections

Radio

Podcasts

CitySpace

Support

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Earth's growing population: 'A direct affront to our own survival'

First person: Faces of the 2020 'shecession' today

First person: Leaving Russia to avoid war in Ukraine

First person: Thinking globally, acting locally to save the monarch butterfly

First person: A scientist's discovery puts space into focus

First Person: Behind the wheel of a 'self-driving' Tesla

First Person: 'The shame did not belong to me. The shame belonged on him'

First Person: 2 Colorado residents on how Western wildfires have shaped their lives

First Person: Reflections on COVID's impact on the food service industry

Drugs were Katie Mack's connection to the world. Until she found real community in sobriety

First Person: Activist Tiana Caldwell on finding strength in the face of eviction

First Person: A pastor reflects on how politics divide his congregation

First Person: How climate change shapes the community of Kivalina, Alaska

First Person: 'Can you listen?' Young people reflect on 'the pessimistic generation'

First Person: What Young Afghans Want

First Person: Former Afghan Soccer Player On Life As A Refugee, Her Country's Future

First Person: How Drought Along The Klamath River Impacts Migratory Birds

First Person: A Renter Reflects On How Delayed Rental Assistance Shaped Her Life

First Person: How Western Droughts Impact Navajo Farmers

First Person: After Loss, A Cat's Companionship Got This Doctor Through 'Dark Times'