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Student Podcast Challenge: Nonconformity

By Kinsley Glassel,
Wynnona Mattison, Student Podcast Challenge
Published December 15, 2025 at 4:29 PM CST

It's every teenager's dilemma: How do you blend in but stay different enough to still stand out? Two Colorado middle schoolers share their secret to what they call "strategic nonconformity."

This is an excerpt from "The Anti Conformist Guide to Conforming" by Kinsley Glassel and Wynnona Mattison, students at Rocky Heights Middle School in Lone Tree, Colo.. Their story was a finalist in the 2025 NPR Student Podcast Challenge.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Kinsley Glassel
Wynnona Mattison
Student Podcast Challenge
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