Episode 26 - StoryBytes

[00:00:06] Speaker A: Welcome to Kendall speaks. I'm Dr. Brian Stewart Kendall, campus president. And today we have one of our esteemed professors and three of our amazing students. First, I'd like to introduce Professor Emily Sindon, professor of Department of English and Communications and our advisor for Story Bites. Emily, welcome. [00:00:29] Speaker B: Hi. I'm happy to be here. [00:00:31] Speaker A: All right, well, first let's introduce Isabel Paez, first president of Story Bites. [00:00:36] Speaker B: Hi. [00:00:37] Speaker C: As already mentioned, I am the founding president and producer of Story Bites and I'm here with. [00:00:43] Speaker D: Hi, my name is Ainoa and I am the co vice president and assistant producer of Story Bites. [00:00:50] Speaker E: Hi, my name is Victoria Cuellar. I am the secretary and the script writer of Story Bites. [00:00:55] Speaker A: And welcome all four of you to Kendyl Speaks. Today we're going to talk about your amazing Story Bites. And first, let's talk with our Professor Sindon. Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got to the Kendall campus. I know you've had been at several campuses here at the college. Tell us a little bit about your story, if you would. [00:01:12] Speaker B: Yeah. So Sterites really is a dream come true. It's after years experimenting with podcasting in my courses, I founded the first student led podcast at Padron campus and that led to so many national honors and an innovation pacemaker from Associated Collegiate Press. And really it was a dream come true. But then I transferred to Kendall campus and I wanted to start something new here. And my first year I really asked many students, hey, do you want to start this? Do you want to work on podcasting? I have this great idea and no one wanted to do it, but I think it was really meant to be because then I was ending that year and I was doing podcasting in my courses and one of my students submitted because it was part of their assignments to the NPR College Podcast Challenge and he won. And I think capitalizing on that energy and the fact that Isabel was a student in that moment in my class and she had this amazing podcast that she was producing for which by the way, eventually the following year she was also an NPR College Podcast Challenge finalist. I asked them to join and turn this vision into reality. And it came together because the right people connected at the right moment. And Isabel was very instrumental in making it come true so she could tell you more about it. [00:02:38] Speaker A: Well, first, Isabel, tell us a little bit about yourself. [00:02:41] Speaker D: Sure. [00:02:42] Speaker C: So I am currently a nursing student and I recently graduated from Miami Dade College with my AA and I will soon be completing my bachelor's degree at the University of Florida. [00:02:54] Speaker A: And you won a number of awards at the end of the year. [00:02:57] Speaker D: Last year, yes. [00:02:58] Speaker A: So congratulations. You are very, very well traveled and a very amazing student, so it's glad to have you here. Noah, tell us about your journey and what brought you to the Kendall campus. [00:03:08] Speaker D: Well, some of you might know me as, like, the huge member at Story Bites, but I'm actually just a regular sociology student. I graduated as well with Isabel with an AA in Sociology, and I'm now at FIU trying to complete my bachelor. [00:03:23] Speaker A: Yeah, that's great. Victoria, tell us a little bit about your background. [00:03:26] Speaker E: Okay, so I have not graduated. I will be a second year here at Miami Dade College, and I will be the president of Story Bites. [00:03:36] Speaker A: All right. [00:03:37] Speaker E: So I am extremely excited for that. I am an English major, so script writing, anything that has to do with manipulating words and creating storylines, it is my absolute passion. I love touching people's hearts, and StoryBots really is a passion project for me. [00:03:53] Speaker A: Well, that's great. Well, let's talk a little bit about StoryBots. Let's give our audience. What is StoryBots? Who wants to start? [00:03:59] Speaker C: Oh, I'd be happy to. So Story Bites started off as just, as professor mentioned, like a passion project between people who were super passionate about creating podcasts, but it has grown so much from then. We really strive to give students a platform and a voice for their stories, for whatever's impacted them, whatever they believe in, and even just creatively. What story do you want to create? Let's find an audience for you. Let's share your passion with other people. [00:04:25] Speaker B: And. [00:04:26] Speaker C: And I think Story Bites has really served to give people a connection with other people in college, where sometimes you might come in and you might be very nervous, you might feel very alone. But we're here to show that you aren't alone. There's so many people who cannot only relate to you, but your story as well. [00:04:44] Speaker A: That's great. Professor, do you want to add on to that? [00:04:46] Speaker B: Yeah. Another thing that I would say about Story Bites is that there is this misconception that it is a club, and it's not. Not really quite. It's a student publication, and it's up with the Times. We're in a time of technology where maybe we're shifting from print media to digital media. So just because it is in a different format, it doesn't mean that it's not a publication. And that's something that we try to emphasize and educate our public about. [00:05:14] Speaker A: It's certainly academic, I think, at the core of what it is, too. [00:05:17] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. [00:05:19] Speaker A: Vicki, talk a little bit about what inspired you to be involved with Story Bites and what you've learned from it? Personally, if you would. [00:05:25] Speaker E: Well, story Bites, for me, symbolize change. I am a writer, but before joining Story Bites, most of the things that I've written have been prose and poetry. Moving into script writing, it really is a completely different experience because you have to touch your audience through auditory imagery, and you cannot talk about, for example, the polka dots of a pin. You have to focus on the sound of the pin when it falls to bring the attention to the audience into the hairpin. So it really symbolized a metamorphosis for me as a writer. I was really able to grow and challenge myself when I joined Story Bites. [00:06:05] Speaker A: Sounds like you got to add your creativity, too, to the project. [00:06:08] Speaker E: Definitely. [00:06:09] Speaker A: Yeah. Well, that's amazing. How do you decide what stories and formats and platforms to serve your audience? Isabelle, you want to start? [00:06:16] Speaker C: Yeah, for sure. So when it comes to stories or what series we decide to focus on, we really just try to listen to the opinions and the ideas of the people who are in our board, our members. They really have such great ideas. All you have to do is give them a mic, and they're so passionate. Once you let them go, let them go wild. And when it comes to platforms and formats that we use, again, we really try to listen to our audience. Who is the student population? What's currently the most popular for them? What's the easiest for them to access? Our material, our content, so that way we can share the stories that we are so passionate about. And a great example right now would be YouTube and Spotify. And we are currently in the process of making sure all of our media is accessible in those forms so students can access them. [00:07:03] Speaker A: Well, I have to say, all four of you have great radio voices or podcasting voices. [00:07:08] Speaker C: Thank you. [00:07:08] Speaker E: Thank you. [00:07:09] Speaker A: Vicki, did you want to add anything to that? [00:07:11] Speaker E: Definitely. I mean, while our main audience are students, we have a wide variety of students and different things that they're looking for when they pitch in. For podcasting. For the Ball series, we targeted ambitious community college students by showing them successful stories of people with their background that actually worked. The Ball tells them that it is not a distant dream twin for these schools, but it's something tangible. Now for Ghost Stories, okay, the process is a tad different. Our target audience isn't students shuffling through their notes trying to get into an ivy. Now we have horror fanatics. We have students that want to just channel their creative energy and get inspired by these stories. So we really wanted to immerse the student with all the auditory imagery that we had and not just give statistics about entering a school like Stanford. So definitely we had to really pay close attention to our audience. [00:08:07] Speaker A: How did you identify those students? [00:08:10] Speaker E: Well, it really depends on the school that they're trying to get into. So, for example, for mit, you might have more STEM students that are interested of getting in there. So we might have a narrative that channels that passion. Now, for Yale, we might have more poets, more people that are passionate about literature. So we really want to channel the personalities of the schools, too, when we are doing the BOD series. [00:08:38] Speaker A: So what we could tell our audience, if you're a student who wants to go to a particular school, you can kind of channel that into the podcast and maybe use it as a way to get a leg up on going to that school. [00:08:48] Speaker E: Definitely. [00:08:49] Speaker A: That's great. That's great. Noah, talk a little bit about what skills you've developed, both technically and in leadership, that you think have helped you in your future. [00:08:58] Speaker D: Well, I'd have to say that throughout this whole year, I came with a very. I wouldn't say low expectation, but I just. I came in a very, like, informal way. Isabelle actually was the one to introduce me to Story Bites in the first place. We're actually friends, and she had just told me about this amazing podcast she wanted to start in podcasting and how it would be so fun for us. And I was, you know what? Podcasting sounds great. Why shouldn't I start it? But just became more than that, and I began to be more involved, not only with voice acting, hosting, but also editing and overseeing all these projects. And with this, I have just built a full skill set that I can use in the future and just actually go into journalism, which is something that I have been pondering with from our experiences. [00:09:52] Speaker A: Well, I think it's great that you talk about the skills you developed, because everything you said really fits well into a major like journalism. And podcasting is so. So many different podcasts out there. People run listening to podcasts and drive and all that kind of thing. So that's really cool that you've done that, Isabelle, anything you'd want to add to that? [00:10:09] Speaker C: Oh, sure. So, as mentioned, I was a really big part of creating a lot of the foundations of what Story Bites is, what procedures we would use. And going into it, I knew absolutely nothing. I had no idea what I was doing. And a really big part of it was trial and error. And I can say with a lot of pride that one of the biggest things that Story Bites taught me was how to work on a team and to depend on your team members. You know, even though I'm the president, a lot of people see me as the face of the club. There are so many people who work behind the scenes who work with me to make all of these things a possibility. So one of the things I'm, like, so happy that Story Bites really was able to show me that maybe you are feeling a little bit overwhelmed, but there are so many other people who are here working with you that to make all these things a reality. [00:10:56] Speaker A: And so I guess if somebody in our audience wants to be a part of it, it doesn't matter what their understanding is. They can learn through the process. [00:11:04] Speaker B: Professor Sinton, like Isabel said, there's a lot of background stuff that happens. We have a music editor, and she created original music for our podcasts. And we have social media. We have a website, and we have so much. I know I was doing so much research. I remember how she would just, like, send me messages and she would be like, how about this student? Give me the contact information. What do you know about this student? Because I have a website where I have all of these personal statements from students that have been successful getting into Stanford, Emerson, Yale, Harvard, mit. So I know I was doing research, and I was so impressed because she had never done this before. And I'm also so excited to hear students. Michael Vargas Arango, he's not here today. He's working, but he was doing psychology, and he shifted to communications, and he's going to be going to UNC with a communications major. And because through this year, he kind of realized, this is what I'm supposed to do. I'm a storyteller. I know a too. She just discovered that even though she's a sociology major, she wants to go into media. So I think that Story Bites could open these doors so that you could do more than one thing. Look at Vicki with script writing. New skill set for her. And Isabel, she's going to be a travel nurse. And I tell you, in a few years from now, we're going to have a podcast where she's going to be telling us about her experience. [00:12:40] Speaker A: That's exactly right. Well, I think it's a great point that you mentioned that it allows people that maybe they don't know what to do with a particular degree. And podcasting can fit into so many degrees, from nursing to STEM to whatever. You mentioned storytelling. Talk a little bit about how you build community with that and how StoryBots has helped impacted other people on the Kendall campus. If you would? [00:13:02] Speaker B: Well, I gotta start with we're all storytellers. I think that everyone has a story to tell. Actually, I was very surprised when they were talking about the new cool finalists this year for the NPR Podcast Challenge that NPR quoted me. They said, Professor Sandin said in one of her classes, everyone has a story to tell, and I'm here to listen to that story. And no censorship with the stories obviously being respectful and so forth. But the students really have a voice to tell their stories, and everyone has a story to tell. We come from an oral tradition. Even before we had writing, we had stories. And I think that that's one of the ways that students connect in my courses, but also in story bites and listening to our stories. And they like that there is a different format because stories. We have this, again, misconception of just print reading. Whereas we are also. When we were kids, our parents were telling us stories, Our parents were reading us books. That's our first introduction to stories. And I think that core memory continues on as we become adults. [00:14:13] Speaker A: Let's talk a little bit about the lab. You know, we're blessed at Kendall to have great facilities. Any of you talk about what kind of facilities? We've done over 30 podcasts. This is our second season here of Kendall Speaks, and I don't think we ever talked to our audience about this space we're in. So, Anoa, go ahead. [00:14:29] Speaker D: Do I love this lab? Someone's very excited. I don't think you understand how much I love this lab. People here are so, so kind and understanding, and they really, really help you through this learning process, because this has been a huge learning process for us. I can't tell you how many times I have forgotten to say my email before recording. And I'm like, I am so sorry. Alex, Paul, anyone? Could you please send it to my email? And they're like, don't worry. [00:14:56] Speaker C: I know we've come enough times that we recognize your voice, we know who you are. [00:15:02] Speaker D: But either way, we have amazing mics, amazing sound boards. We have all these spaces to really bring our stories alive. They have been key. They have been key players to our. [00:15:19] Speaker C: Process and to give you an idea for anybody who's interested in using it. It is so easy to make an appointment with the lab here. You just have to go to the MDC website and, of course, be an MDC student. But it is so easy to come in and work, and you don't even have to have a professional podcast in idea or anything like that. You can just come in with your Friends and have fun. And that is you mentioned earlier, like, how do podcasts create communities? This is a great community right here that we have at the lab who is here to support students and whatever stories they have to, they have to, like, ride out. They have to get out of their system. [00:15:53] Speaker A: So kudos to Paul and Alex. Don't cut this out when you, when you edit this, but we're all, we're all giving you a thumbs up for all your great work. [00:15:59] Speaker B: I'm from up, by the way. From a faculty perspective, they are so supportive. And all I have to do is email Paul or pass by. I want to bring my classes. My students love it when I come with a class. There is a community that we build here that is not the same in the classroom. I've seen the difference and I've expressed that to Paul and the team because they really make us feel so welcome and the students love it. [00:16:31] Speaker A: Yeah, we're blessed. We're really blessed to have them. Well, back to StoryBots. We get back to the important things. [00:16:36] Speaker B: They are part of StoryBots, for sure they are. [00:16:40] Speaker A: I think we've got several want to answer this question, but talk about where you found the most valuable partnerships, whether that be faculty, departments, external groups. How have those collaborations helped elevate the work of Story Bites? [00:16:52] Speaker C: Well, just to start off, one of the best partnerships we could have possibly found in Story Bites was definitely our advisor, Professor Senden. She has been such a great help, kind of helping us choose between, well, even just knowing what opportunities were available to us and then picking which ones are the best for what we want to do with the club. So I'm going to hand it off to her because really, nobody else knows better than she does. [00:17:18] Speaker B: Well, first of all, obviously the English and Communications department and the Speech lab, that's the key partnership. Without them, we really didn't have the space and the support for everything. And another one is I told my students, if we're going to be doing this kind of work, if we're going to be telling stories, we have to partner up with learning resources. And we went ahead and reached out to them and had this idea of turning the ghost stories from the Ghost story contest into the winners into podcasts and audio dramas. And they were like, yes, definitely, let's do this. And that was a great partnership. And the result is three audio dramas that I am absolutely in love with and I hope everyone listens to them. And then another partnership that has been extremely valuable is with public media, with National Public Radio, NPR and our local Station wlrn. We have been so fortunate that we have tours in both New York City NPR headquarters and here locally at WLRN and have created this wonderful partnership. They're willing to come and work further with Story Bite students and also have us go over there. So that's an incredible partnership. They have been featured. Isabel was featured on wlrn. Michael was featured in I don't know how many outlets, including BBC and Telemundo. [00:18:46] Speaker C: Our local celebrity. [00:18:48] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely, 100%. And I know, I think has a lot to say about her experience with NPR and WRN as well. [00:18:57] Speaker D: Oh, yeah, I could definitely say. I mean, after working with them for a good semester, we were all working really hard on one of our episodes or our series the Vault. And once we got this opportunity to submit actually one of our episodes, Episode seven, to College Media association and actually win third place with College Media association of the awards. [00:19:20] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:21] Speaker D: Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. And that also gave us the opportunity to go to npr. And I've got to tell you, when you're a college student, it is really hard to kind of just decide on your future as a sociology student. I don't have many, not even many professors who have my major. And throughout that tour, I got to learn a bit more about the process of podcasting. But I even got to meet someone that, like, to this day, I swear, one day I want to see them again. And it is Hannah. Hannah's a producer for a science podcast in npr. And while we were, like, talking and they were explaining, they had said that they were a sociology major. And that just opened up my world. I don't think you understand how amazing that was to be there and hear that a sociology major was in journalism and they could be such a place like npr. And it really impacted me personally seeing someone who took my path and being able to get so far. And now I'm genuinely, like, considering going into journalism and putting those steps forward. [00:20:30] Speaker A: How cool. How cool. We've talked a little bit. Npr, this is a tough question, but. And I don't like to get political on this, but I know that NPR has been sort of attacked going forward. Do any of you have any thoughts about what it's going to look like going forward in the next year or so? [00:20:45] Speaker B: Donate. I'm a sustaining member. [00:20:48] Speaker A: No, that's a great thing. But it does seem to me it's a little bit under attack or underfunded. It's always been underfunded, but it seems currently it really is being impacted. [00:20:58] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. I think people are Stepping up. And for instance, I do have to say that most of my sentences start with I heard it on NPR today. On npr. I heard. And they're used to this. Right. They hear this often and my friends as well, and my colleagues. So I feel that public media is really important, and I just think that we just need to support it. I know that I'm a sustaining member for national and for WWLRN and for PBS, and they have very valuable programming. And I don't think everyone realizes the impact because there are so many communities across the country that don't have any other source of information. Yes. [00:21:41] Speaker A: Yeah. I think that's well said. And I know a lot of people who base their drive on listening to that. And growing up, I remember it was a part. And I think we forget how valuable NPR is. And so we'll just take this moment to give them the shout out. Yeah. Isabelle, talk to us about which story byte pieces you're most proud of and why you feel it resonated so strongly with the audience. [00:22:05] Speaker C: Well, to be honest, it's hard to pick one favorite just because I'm so involved with all the various projects. Whichever one comes out, the most recent is the one that I'm most proud of because it's like all this hard work has finally come to fruition. And I get that feeling every time. It doesn't matter how many times I have to record host, I get super excited when episode comes out. But if I were to pick perhaps which series is the most relevant, you've already heard us talk about it a little bit. The Vault. Yes. [00:22:33] Speaker A: That's a cool title, too. [00:22:34] Speaker C: Thank you. Thank you. A lot of brainstorming for that one. But to give you a little bit more on what the Vault is, it's a, as Vicki mentioned, a series that works with students to help them transfer. And even when I was working with this, I felt very impacted with it. When I was an mdc, I was an honor student, so I was very lucky to have a lot of resources and a lot of guidance in the process of transferring and trying to see what my next steps were after college. But a lot of students don't really have the same amount of guidance that students in the honors program does. And I really wanted to share all the guidance I had received in a way that was easy to understand and easy to listen to, even in a very busy schedule. And I felt like the Vault was a really great way to do that. And now I'm going to pass it off to Vicki. [00:23:20] Speaker E: Vicki here. So I really Want to talk about the vault and how important it is to me? In high school, I really didn't have all of the resources because I am a first gen immigrant. And so learning all these different vocabulary, the SATs, ACTs, all these statistics to get into the school, oh my God, fafsa, financial aid. And so college applications to me felt as strange as a flying snake. It was so, so difficult. And so when I was writing the scripts for the Bald and I really resonated with every syllable that I put on that page because it felt like healing a part of me in the past. And of course, while the main audience for that series is college students, I feel that a lot of high school students can also resonate with a lot of what is being said there. So it really is our baby. [00:24:13] Speaker A: That's awesome. Anoa talked a little bit. We hopefully we've excited some people in our audience today. What would you say to them about joining Story Bites? How would you say it could impact and help them? You've already talked about it's helping you with your major potentially. But what would you tell our audience that it might help them in their career? [00:24:31] Speaker D: Well, I'd definitely say that if you're a very creative person who likes, you know, writing, recording, anything from film to just audio, this would be the place. Whether you have experience or not, we are here to help you. We know that the process and we know how hard it is to start out first. But because of that, we're able to kind of help you through that progress. And I'd definitely say that because of our relationship with NPR and wlrn, I'd say that if you're trying to get into journalism and not to brag about us, but I'd say Story Bites is. [00:25:05] Speaker A: The place, is the place to do it. That's great. Isabel and Noah are graduates. Vicki, you're our still college student. Talk a little bit about what the future looks like. What are your goals? What would you like to see in the future? If you had a crystal ball and could look at the fall and spring semesters? [00:25:23] Speaker E: Definitely. Well, the scope of Story Bites is digital media and we have mostly explored audio dramas now. We love our audio dramas. We love working with all this auditory imagery, but we really want to delve more into film and animatics. We're really trying to reach out to artists and reach out to filmmakers, reach out to scriptwriters, producers and a lot of directors, people that are very passionate about film. To really connect with Story Bites next year to bring these projects into fruition, we are really excited for this to happen. [00:25:59] Speaker A: That's great. As we close, I want to go around the room one more time and make sure there's not something you wanted to say. You want to start, Isabella? And we'll end with Professor Sinden. Anything you want to make sure our audience knows. And I know you're graduating, but you're going to always be close by MC hopefully. [00:26:15] Speaker C: No, I am 100%. 100%. I just. So much of my heart goes to MDC and how much it's done for me and all of its other students, and even just to Vicki. I am so incredibly proud of all the work she has done not only within Story Bites, but also within her own club in the National English Honor Society. [00:26:33] Speaker D: And. [00:26:33] Speaker C: And I know that Story Bites is going to be in really good hands. And I have a lot of faith and so I'm so excited to see where Story Bites goes into in the next year. [00:26:41] Speaker D: Well, for me, you know, this has just been. I started out with, you know, not much excitement, but it's just. It has been such. Such an experience. Like, I just. I cannot emphasize how much I love Story Bites. I will obviously always be here if you guys ever need me for an interview. I'm always here. But honestly, I will always support Story. If there was anything that I could ever collaborate with Story Bites or help them kind of bring in, I would just, you know, say, please, keep up with us. We are an amazing group of people who want to help our students. You know, bring their voices. [00:27:16] Speaker A: Sounds like an alumni association for Storybots. Next. [00:27:20] Speaker C: And hey, we are always accepting members, guys. Always. [00:27:22] Speaker A: There you go. [00:27:23] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm really excited about the future of Story Bites. I think what the students have done in a year is what's some media organizations do in five? I mean, like, just getting an award right off the bat. First time we got a third place. And that for me, I mean, I Gotta be honest, Dr. Stewart, we went to the award ceremony and I'm like, we're just here to learn, to see what other people are doing. Don't get excited. We're not going to win an award. I, you know, just know that. [00:27:50] Speaker D: So start screaming, oh, my God, we want something. [00:27:55] Speaker A: So. [00:27:55] Speaker B: Because I want it to be realistic. I believe in them. I know that what they have done, it's incredible. But a lot of these awards happen also because you have a name, right? You create a reputation for yourself. [00:28:08] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:28:09] Speaker B: And they. They really created a reputation for themselves. They won an award right off the bat, so I'm so proud of them. So I am looking forward to seeing them thriving, continuing to expand their audience, and also, like Vicky said, the kinds of programming that they create, just like NPR and wlrn, good role models. We also need funding. So as the advisor, I do have to come in there and say the technical stuff. We do need funding. That's something that we really need to thrive and grow. But we have been able to do it with lots of support, but not a lot of funding. Right. And I think we are very lucky to have, like Isabel said, to have Vicky take over the reins. And because of that, because she's gonna be the head producer and president, we're going to give her the last words. [00:29:04] Speaker E: I am so, so, so excited to see Story Bites grow throughout this year. It was literally just a baby when I picked it up, so now it's getting awards, so it feels like a big jump, but we can definitely make it. And I am so thankful for you for inviting us here in your podcast and giving Story Bites the spotlight. Now. Story Bites would also love to put you on Spotlight, and maybe we could ask for an interview for you, maybe a day in the live series. We'd really love to collaborate with you, and we really thank you for bringing us here. [00:29:43] Speaker A: Well, it's my honor to have you four with me, but I'd be happy to do anything you need and anything in the name of our students at Kendall Campus. I'd like to take the spotlight off StoryBots for just a minute and go back to Professor Sinden and talk a little bit about the little library project that you did, if you don't mind. I know we're here to talk about Story Bites, but that was something that my wife did those in Texas, and it was a really cool ceremony. And I know it's still being successful here, and if we could just take a minute for you to talk about that, I'd appreciate it. [00:30:13] Speaker B: Well, I think that we have two people here that had a lot to do with it, and I know Isabel, too, because she was part of me. Both, all of them are part of the English Honor Society. But I think that this was a baby of Vicki and me. We really envisioned this. And another student, the vice president of the English Honor Society, Maggie Kuriel, also had this idea, and we just went with it. Also a partnership with Learning Resources. I think that they were incredible partners in this process. We wrote a grant and we got it from the Free Little Library Project. And now it's, I think, in the summary, has been so successful in the summer. I didn't Think that it was gonna be so much traffic. And thankfully we were able to have the partnership with the Learning Resources team that they have been. I've come. I was teaching summer A, so I was applying, but then in summer B, Learning Resources really supported. The students are obviously off, but they were like, so instrumental in making this happen. We had a team of students that actually built it from the architecture and Biki could tell you a little bit more about that. And actually, Dr. Sewer, I really think that this is a podcast in itself because we have another one. [00:31:30] Speaker A: I was gonna say the same thing. You took the words out of my. [00:31:32] Speaker B: Mouth because we have another one coming. We went to Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy center this May. Vicki was one of the students. And as a project, we want to build one for the environmental center. We really want to bring alive to the environmental center. Vicki, I don't want to take your spotlight. [00:31:50] Speaker A: Don't tell too much, Vicki, because we don't want to see our spotlight. Talk about where the current one's located. We didn't talk about that. And then say a little bit for a future podcast on this. [00:31:59] Speaker E: Well, the current one is located in the Starbucks breezeway. We have lots of books there. They keep being changed weekly by our amazing Learning Resources team. And now for next year, we will also pitch in with the English Learner Society. So lots of shout outs to Jennifer, Meredith, Carla. We really owe all of this to them. And for podcast ideas, we have Narrow Ridge. We have the environmental center, a beautiful place that really needs a lot of love right now. And the little free library there is a big project that would really benefit from a huge podcast right now because we have lots to say. [00:32:46] Speaker A: Well, our head writer is listening over at Christina's Signs, so we will definitely schedule that during the fall semester. So thank you guys for being here. We do like to end our podcast with turning the microphone around on me. That's. We did it. Our very first podcast back a year ago, our student government association wanted to ask me a question. So we've done it every podcast. So any of you can ask me anything you want and I'll do the best I can to answer it. So whoever wants to go ask me something hard. [00:33:11] Speaker C: Okay, I'll give it my best shot. What is your advice for students who want to work on their own podcast but are really scared to find their own voice and they just don't know what the first steps for that would be? [00:33:26] Speaker A: Well, I think joining StoryBots would be number one joining this club, but I think also coming. Yeah. Should I applaud that. I think also, though, just coming and sitting in this room and maybe watching a podcast, sitting with Paul and Alex and just having a conversation with someone and not even record it, because once you get in here, it's. I've had so many people come in here and be so nervous, oh, I'm going to mess up. I'm going to mess up, and then it's over. It's like riding a roller coaster. They want to do it again. And so I think, number one, join your group, seriously. But also just come in here and sit and watch one and have a conversation and realize it's. It's nothing more than if you're out in the plaza talking to someone. [00:34:05] Speaker C: Thank you. [00:34:05] Speaker A: Good question. Anybody else have a tough one or. You don't have to ask me anything. [00:34:10] Speaker D: I feel like I want to. I want to see a more relatable side. As chill as you are, I don't know, I'm just thinking about what is it like being such a beacon of light for all these students? I mean, I've got to say that you are the only campus president that I've seen so involved with these students and just truly mean the best for them. I mean, what is it like? What drives you? [00:34:35] Speaker A: Wow, that's a great question. You're making me turn red. Although no one can see it. You know, I got into. I got into higher education because I love teaching, and I never wanted to do anything but teach math. And things happened. I got promoted, I got moved up. But regardless of what position I ever had, I still looked at myself as a faculty member. And, you know, at the medical campus, it was a great place to work, but I always envisioned being in a place like Kendall, where we've got honors students, we've got athletic teams, we've got amazing faculty, and I just love to be a part of it. Maybe my Texas roots. And I'll apologize again to the audience for my accent. I can't get rid of it, but that's just the way I was raised. It's maybe my Southern whatever. And I love being around students and. And I love teaching. I'm going to be teaching this semester for the first time here. [00:35:22] Speaker D: Oh, class. [00:35:24] Speaker A: College algebra. Okay. Several people wanted me to teach calculus and. But I decided to start with college algebra. I'll probably teach stats next, but, yeah, I'm teaching for the first time. I've been wanting to do it for quite a while, but I just. I love the community college atmosphere. I think what it does and how we can help impact students lives. It's just the best place. I wake up every morning happy to come to work, and I know a lot of people don't. And the day I don't wake up happy is the day I guess I'll retire. But I don't see that anytime soon. [00:35:52] Speaker B: Wow. [00:35:53] Speaker C: No, I don't think many students can say that. They've had their college campus president make them hamburgers and hot dogs. [00:36:00] Speaker A: So on September 4th, you ladies want to come back? We'll be having MDC Day, and we'll be doing it again. Well, I want to thank everyone for being here today. I want to give special thanks to Christina Signs, our head writer, Paul Klein, our executive producer, and Alex Bello, over here to my left, producing today. Thank you all for being here, and goodbye for now. [00:36:28] Speaker D: Sam.