Sofia Zarran
Morning Edition ProducerSofia “Z” Zarran is the Morning Edition Producer at WLRN.
Z graduated from the University of Florida in the Summer of 2025 with her bachelor's degree in journalism. She studied journalism, linguistics and ESL. Her studies intersect in her overall passion for language and finding the best ways to use language to make a difference in our daily lives.
This passion earned her 4th place in the Hearst Audio competition in 2026. She also placed first in the Broadcast Education Awards for Student Radio Hard News Reporting 2026. Although she believes that sharing the stories of the people she meets is the true reward, these recognitions make her hopeful for the future and encourage her to continue telling the stories of those who are too often overlooked.
Whether it’s a school for at-risk boys, a free ESL class filled with immigrant students, or a silent reading party striving to bring people together, Z is there with a microphone and a curious ear. Although she’d prefer to have one-on-ones with her sources, Z is not unfamiliar with scouring through bills, agendas, presentations and hours of meeting tape. Her creativity helps her approach every story with the care and attention they deserve.
Z was an intern at WLRN over the summer, a deputy editor at WUFT during her senior year, and podcast producer for the Florida Political Review out of the Bob Graham Center at the University of Florida.
She is grateful and excited to be a part of the NPR station she listened to growing up. As a painter and musician in her free time, she is excited to bring her own creativity and color to every story she reports and produces. Her cat, King Boo, is excited to have more equipment to cover in cat hair.
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Florida is home to over 100,000 sea turtle nests every year. After decades of community education, research and conservation efforts, there might be reason for cautious optimism heading into this sea turtle nesting season. -
As part of a working visit to the United States, the King and Queen of the Netherlands ended their first day in Miami at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science to learn about climate-resilient infrastructure and environmental rehabilitation. -
Florida ranked 38th out of 49 states when it comes to susceptibility to burnout in a new study. But researchers say the climate can only do so much. -
A Florida team has turned a common cause of frustration for many beach-goers into a new food opportunity, after discovering that a common processed food ingredient can be extracted from the sargassum seaweed that at times plagues our beaches. -
The site where a construction worker died after falling from an overpass onto Biscayne Boulevard on Monday is the same site where six workers were injured just two months prior. -
When it comes to tackling invasive species in South Florida, it's not just about spotting and removing. A group of University of Florida researchers are using telemetry trackers to find and understand the habits of the elusive and invasive Burmese python. -
The New World Symphony BLUE Project Performances are a way for all of the institution's fellows to try new ways of performing classical music for new and changing audiences. Harpist Eloïse Fares brings the audience into a twisted and mysterious performance with 'The Clock Strikes 2:32 p.m.' -
The party scene in Miami is not just changing, it’s rewinding. In some cases, it’s going analog. The kids are turning to yoga, retro cameras, and at one local bookstore, silently reading with a group of strangers. At the Books & Books reading party, the party is silent and the vibes are literary. -
Renaming Palm Beach County's main airport after President Donald Trump would cost an estimated $5.5 million. -
The longtime PBS series Great Performances turns its focus to the young artists behind the New World Symphony on Miami Beach. The first episode of Chasing Crescendos releases Wednesday afternoon on Great Performances digital platforms. -
The record-breaking cold snap that hit Florida over the weekend had South Floridians shivering - and iguanas cold-stunned. Trappers collected thousands of iguanas, and thousands more were turned into the The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in just two days. -
The U.S. House Ethics Committee says they have evidence of violations of government ethics and House rules by the Democratic South Florida Congresswoman.
