Being class valedictorian runs in the family of Nina Mitchell. She is the first African-American to be first in her class in DeKalb this year. She talked with The 21st about her motivation, her grandmother's similar feat and why she turned down some Ivy League schools to attend the University of Illinois this fall.

By June, more than 20 countries had reopened schools, and some — like Taiwan, Sweden, and Nicaragua — never closed in the first place. The 21st talks to an education reporter and two individuals from Science Magazine about looking to other countries as a blueprint to go back to school. 

As soon as this week in some Illinois districts, K-12 students will be heading into the classroom or to their kitchen table for virtual learning. The 21st discusses what some of those school district plans in our listening areas — and some of the latest on changes to university reopening plans.

To the disappointment of music fans, artists and organizers have had to pull the plug on concerts and festivals this season. We wanted to offer some summer music recommendations from artists both here in central Illinois and around the world. 

For many of us during the pandemic, we’ve gotten to know the four walls of the various rooms in our home better than ever before. The 21st speaks to an author and journalist who explores the many indoor environments, both private and public spaces — from operating rooms to prisons.

The 21st is joined by Mayra Ramirez, the first known COVID-19 patient in the U.S. to receive a double-lung transplant, to talk more about her experience with the virus and in the hospital. 

Like many other institutions in 2020, America’s newsrooms are facing a reckoning for a lack of diversity in newsrooms. The 21st is joined by four journalists to address aggressions against journalists of color, proposals for true changes for more inclusive newsrooms and how news consumers can question the newsrooms they trust.