Impact of Senior Explorations With Leah Rizzo ’11

Today, Leah is the host of CoastLife, a lifestyle and entertainment show on CoastTV, an NBC affiliate based in Milton, Delaware. “No two days look exactly the same. Sometimes we are mostly filming in our studio, but on other days we will shoot a segment at a restaurant and get to

eat all kinds of amazing dishes,” she said. “Or we will shoot at a pilates studio one day, and follow a wildlife photographer the next. I like how I’m not always tied to a desk.” It’s a role that allows her to tell meaningful stories while staying closely connected to her community.

But that career didn’t start after college; it started during her final spring at Friends.

For her Senior Exploration, Leah interned at local radio station 94.7 WDSD, helping the morning show with research, story ideas, and listener outreach. “I essentially had an internship…finding interesting stories for them to talk about and helping call ticket winners,” she said. “It just so happened that they were looking for someone to take over doing their morning traffic reports, and I was there at the right place at the right time.” She landed the job before even attending orientation at the University of Delaware, an experience that helped launch her career in broadcasting.

Looking back, Leah sees how her time at Friends shaped her in ways she didn’t fully appreciate at the time. “While I was not always the most academically inclined student, WFS shaped my communication skills from a very young age,” she said. Skills like conflict resolution, critical thinking, and writing, from an ‘eye-to-eye to the five-paragraph essay, are ones she uses every day.

Leah also reflected on the teachers who made a lasting impact, especially in the subjects she found most challenging. “Some of the teachers who stood out the most were actually in my hardest classes,” she shared, pointing to Mark Schmittle, her chemistry teacher, and Sarah Stock, who taught statistics. “They really took the time to understand what I was struggling with and how to help me.” That experience of being supported and seen, even when things didn’t come easily, helped build both her confidence and resilience, lessons she carries with her today.

She also pointed to the lasting influence of Quaker values in her life and work. “Simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship aren’t just core Quaker values, but guiding stars in a world that is constantly being flooded with noise,” she said. In a competitive industry, Leah prioritizes creating a supportive environment for others. “I think it is so important to create a space where my younger coworkers, many of whom just graduated from college, feel encouraged to take up space and be the best they can be. Even, or especially when that means they are better than me.”

After graduating from WFS, Leah attended the University of Delaware, where she studied creative writing and theater, fields that aligned naturally with her love of storytelling. Today, she brings those passions together on CoastLife, using her platform to highlight “all the incredible people that make the community so special.”

Her advice to current seniors as they begin their own Senior Exploration experiences? “Trust yourself. You have the skills to do what you need to do, and if you don’t, you know how to surround yourself with the people who do.”

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPy9d0uLYPc