Guy Raz '96 knew he liked journalism as soon as he entered college, when he joined the Justice and an on-campus magazine. He covered tons of events, became an editor of both the newspaper and the magazine, thought of innovative ways to change his section and fell more in love with journalism, particularly with National Public Radio. Fourteen years later, not only is he still an avid NPR listener, but he is the weekend host of the NPR program All Things Considered. Raz, originally from Los Angeles, came to Brandeis because of the school's strong Politics and History departments. He started his involvement in journalism on campus as a first-year and was already an assistant editor at the Justice by his second semester.

"We were going through a very creative time. We were doing some new things with the newspaper. [Raz] approached the Forum section in very much the same way; he tried to be very creative and innovative," said Howard Jeruchimowitz '94, the paper's editor in chief during Raz's time as the Forum editor, in a phone interview with the Justice.

Jeruchimowitz remembers that Raz was interested in the whole editorial process and would often stay late with Jeruchimowitz after finishing his section's work.

"[Raz] was motivated by the creativity of his section, and he was interested in what I was doing," he said.

During production night, the night the newspaper receives its final edits and is put together, Jeruchimowitz remembers Raz expressing interest in foreign affairs and in NPR.

"My senior year, I listened to it all the time. I loved it. I couldn't get enough. I just loved the stories and the voices and the way the stories were told," Raz said in a phone interview with the Justice.

Upon graduating, Raz went on to receive his master's degree in History at Cambridge University in England, and, in fall 1997, he applied for a paid internship at NPR.

After being an avid listener, Raz listed specific people and programs he had heard in his application. He believes this was the edge to his application that got him the internship.

"We get a lot of letters at NPR, and I would say 90 percent of the letters are, "I'm writing to you because I'm very interested in pursuing a career in broadcast journalism to broaden my horizons, and NPR would be the perfect place for me to do that." . The problem is when they say that, is there is nothing original," Raz said about the applications he now reviews.

"I was specific. I gave names of people I wanted to work with. I gave names of specific programs I had heard and liked. That's why I got an interview," he continued.

Raz started at NPR doing research for other journalists at the station, such as the late Daniel Schorr, an Emmy award-winning television journalist and senior news analyst at NPR.

He did tedious work searching through encyclopedias and running to the library for Schorr-one of Raz's personal mentors-and other hosts but noted that this was a "transitional period, and was not permanent" Raz has been at NPR since then, with only a 2-year break to work at CNN as its Jerusalem correspondent, according to his profile on NPR's website.

After returning to NPR from CNN, Raz covered news happening at the Pentagon and events in the Middle East. In 2009, Raz became the official weekend host of the program All Things Considered.

"Being a reporter [was] just a different job than being a show host, because you generally cover one issue. This job is different. We're doing everything from pop culture, to folk segments, to books, to thinkers, . to scientists, to hiphop," Raz explained.

Raz approaches reporting and hosting his program with the wisdom he acquired from his time in Brandeis classrooms.

He learned about compassion from Prof. Antony Polonsky's (NEJS) "Destruction of European Jewry," which according to Raz, is applicable to journalism.

"It wasn't about the science of a historical event but also about the people who were affected by those events. I think that is also an important thing you need to do in journalism," he said.

He then told an anecdote about the story of a flood and noted that it is important to tell the facts of the flood, such as why the flood happened and why the city was not prepared for it. It is also important, Raz said, to talk to people whose houses were destroyed.

"Part of what makes telling a news story is not just telling the news but also making sure that you can make a connection between people affected by the news. There are real people behind the news," he elaborated.

According to Raz, the way that Polonsky taught history maintained that similar balance between "academic detachment" and a "tremendous amount of empathy."

During his time at Brandeis, Raz also learned about critical thinking and having an open mind from a campus full of varying political and academic opinions.

The focus on strong writing and the heavy workload has also helped Raz in his journalism career.

"I read a lot, had to read a lot. . The class expectations [were] big, so by having to read a lot and being exposed to a lot of ideas, it just got [me] prepared to do that as a professional," he said.

Raz does about 15 to 18 in-depth, highly researched interviews per week. These interviews are with people from all disciplines and walks of life; Eminem and Bill Gates have both been on the show at different points.

"All of those interviews require a lot of preparation. I have to read a book, I have to listen to music. If it's a member of Congress, someone involved in national security, ... you have to be prepared. To get to that point, you have to do a bit of reading," he said.

Like in college, though, the great thing about all the reading for Raz is that he is learning something new every day.

"You're learning about topics and issues that you may not know a lot about, but you have to gain some understanding quickly. That's what I think is the best part of the job," he stated.

Before these interviews, Raz and the staff of about eight people met early in the week to come up with ideas for the weekend shows. The team tries to balance out how much a story has already been covered that week and how much they think a story needs to be looked at from a different angle.

"We try to use the obvious big stories and kind of a take step back and look at the deeper stories. We come up with the ideas and turn it into radio," Raz explained.

Raz works at a job he loves in a field he knew he always loved. He believes that the key to his success and advice that all students could use is simple: hard work.

"You have to be prepared for setbacks, [and] you have to be willing to do anything. At the same time, when you come in after you graduate, if you're a Brandeis graduate, you're smart and you're capable and come up with great ideas. [But] you have to do work that you [do] not feel [is] particularly valuable for a while. It ultimately is valuable," Raz said.

He understandingly continued that even though starting jobs and internships are not the most glamorous, they are just part of what recent graduates have to do.

These days, Raz has a massive audience but still feels connected to the University.

"I think that, to me, the most important part of [Brandeis] was what I learned there and that sort of thought process I retained, and that, to me, is a very important connection," Raz said.