When Anya Steinberg decided to learn more about the man who is her biological father, she was surprised to find out he's not what she expected. She had always been told the sperm donor was a doctor. It's a discovery that changed her view of herself and her future.
The Colorado College senior shared her story in a podcast that won NPR's first-ever Student Podcast Challenge: College Edition. Steinberg said she was surprised to find out she won.
"I don't think that when I made this, I thought that people would actually ever hear it," Steinberg told Colorado Matters. "I didn't expect to win and then [end] up on the radio like this."
She said she also didn't realize what it would be like to tell her story so publicly until she found out a professor and her advisor at school had heard it.
"I was like, 'Wow, that's a lot of really personal information,'" Steinberg said. "I think it's been something that I've had to become comfortable with and I consider myself... a pretty open book."
Her story ends with a big cliff-hanger: Steinberg still has a lot to dig up about her origins, but said she'd do a follow-up podcast if she's successful in her quest.
"The second episode could be in the works," she said.
Editor's Note: Colorado College holds the license for KRCC, which is part of Colorado Public Radio.
