NHPR’s Julia Furukawa will host the 14th Annual Rising Stars Awards at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth on September 29, 2023. NHPR is a partner with Stay Work Play on this initiative – an impactful collaboration that makes a difference in the Granite State.
The Rising Stars Awards celebrate and recognize New Hampshire's remarkable young people (who are 40 and under) as well as the businesses that go the extra mile to recruit and retain them. The Rising Stars Awards ceremony also recognizes talented young people from throughout New Hampshire who are making a difference by choosing to live and work in the Granite State. In addition, companies and programs that work to recruit and retain young people are honored. This year the ceremony is being held at 3S Artspace in Portsmouth, NH. Buy tickets here.
Julia is NHPR’s All Things Considered host, bringing our audience local, national and international news each and every weekday from 4 to 7PM.
Originally from Seattle, Julia earned her degree in journalism from Western Washington University. She is a proud member of the Asian American Journalists Association and her work has received awards from the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors.
Why she stays: I live in cozy Concord, which is a big change from bustling Seattle but retains all the things I love about a community: Welcoming neighbors, cute dogs to pet, beautiful green space and of course, great coffee spots. I love how I can walk down Main Street on a weekend and end up waving to at least three people I know on my trip to get a bagel. The comfort of knowing that others are looking out for you is so valuable - and something that’s increasingly hard to find.
Where she works: Because I get to work on such a wide array of stories as a host, my reporting has brought me all over the state, from Lancaster to Manchester. I recently traveled to Keene to profile a beloved early childhood educator who’s been at the job for 44 years. I took a jaunt to Rumney to visit a special place in New Hampshire that stays chilly all year long. And, in a piece that had me take my press pass across international borders, I visited an Abenaki reserve in Canada for an investigative piece about communities identifying as Abenaki in New Hampshire and Vermont. Each story has made me want to explore the quirks of the Granite State even more and my colleagues continue to fuel my interest in learning about the place I call home.
How she plays: Most weekends (where there’s not a torrential downpour) you can find me at the Rumney Rocks climbing area in Rumney, N.H. I climb at my lovely home gym in Concord during the week, but there’s nothing like getting outside and pushing yourself alongside other climbers you love and trust. And a peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwich has never tasted better when you’re truly exhausted.
