Syd Walter ’26 has been named a finalist in NPR’s 2026 College Podcast Challenge, one of just 10 students selected from hundreds of entries representing 75 colleges across 35 states.
Syd’s podcast, New York 10019, follows in the footsteps of Tony Schwartz, the legendary recording artist whose albums captured the sounds and life of his postal zone in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. It also features an interview with Schwartz’s son Anton, who shares memories of his father’s life and work.
Originally from Seattle, Washington, and now a senior at Sarah Lawrence, Syd has been podcasting since she was 14 and has created a number of series, including the Webby Award-nominated Teen-y. “I’m a storyteller, and I love the audio medium because it requires that you focus on the narrative and on building immersive sound worlds that people can feel transported to,” she says. “That’s one of the coolest skills.”
The idea for New York 10019 first sparked during a conversation with a friend who introduced Syd to Tony Schwartz’s work. “When I first learned about Tony’s work, I was reminded that the beauty of telling and listening to stories is connecting to the world,” she says. “I wanted to tell a story about connecting to the world, and I was curious how the world that Tony recorded was different from the world we are living in today.”
With this idea in mind, Syd – who is concentrating in Anthropology, Creative Nonfiction, and Sociology at SLC – enrolled in Anthropology faculty member Robert Desjarlais’ yearlong class, Ethnographic Research and Writing, spending the fall semester conducting fieldwork for the podcast.
Reflecting on her time at Sarah Lawrence, Syd says the College’s distinctive approach to learning has shaped the way she moves through the world. “My Sarah Lawrence education has taught me how to trust myself. No matter where I go or what I do, I have an unshakeable understanding of who I am and what I value.”
Syd takes NPR’s recognition of her work as an affirmation that she is growing as a storyteller and telling the kinds of stories people want to hear. “This story is about what it means to listen, which is so crucial at this moment,” she says. “And it’s about how making some kind of change in the world can be as small as acknowledging someone’s presence.”
With graduation approaching, Syd is focused on a piece of advice she recently received: to see everything she does after graduation as another form of learning. “Framing post-grad and the choices that I make as learning opportunities is such a wonderful way to approach something that can feel so daunting,” she says. “After I graduate, I want to learn how to live in a community that is very different from my own and learn a new language to see how that affects my storytelling.” To that end, she has accepted an offer from the Peace Corps and will be living and teaching in Cambodia for the next two years.
Navigating living in a brand new community should come easily to Syd, who has been an active and engaged member of the Sarah Lawrence community since her arrival. She is the senior class president, the Editor in Chief of the literary magazine Love in Squalor, and a Resident Advisor. “I am very proud of the community I’ve built here,” she says. “I am surrounded by people who support me, push me, laugh with me, and love me. Isn't that just the greatest gift of all time?”