Student Stories

Season 6: Episode 2 Title: “You are Kenough” Summary: In this episode, UAlbany students Dylan Fumarola, Asia Harris, and Arely Gonzalez discuss how Barbie, a movie that communicates the effects of patriarchy and feminism, reinforced their views on society. Dylan discusses his view on how the standards in society affect people and how he stays true to his authentic self. They discuss topics such as, the violence and standards associated with the patriarchy, what feminism is to them, and how to recognize misogyny. They also reference how to navigate the world while combatting the patriarchy. This discussion incorporates both the male and female perspective on the patriarchy and how it affects both sexes, respectively.   Warning Explicit Language Time Stamps: Introduction:  0:00 Intro  0:30 Host and Guest Introductions  1:30 How do you feel about Barbie land?  3:10 Social Consciousness and Toxic Masculinity   5:00 Effects of the Patriarchy  8:20 Objection in the Real World  14:00 What does Feminism look like?  18:31 Calling out Contributors: How to recognize misogyny  23:23 Homoeroticism and Hyper Masculinity   29:15 How Capitalism Profits off the Fear of Women  33:36 A System Created by Men for Men  36:48 Being your Authentic Self v. Conformity  39:27 The Emasculation of Black Women  41:02 Navigating Space through Barbie Lenses  42:00 Team Ken or Allen  42:51 Final Thoughts and Credits    Contributors:  Dylan Fumarola (Guest), Arely Gonzalez Hernandez (Co-host/editor), Asia Harris (Co-host/Marketing), Alexa Crespo (Editor), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 6, Episode 2 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer.     Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio.     Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu    Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories”. Click on the following link:     https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=   

Season 5 Episode 5  Title: Being our Barbie Selves   Summary: UAlbany students, Sarai Lewis and Alyssa Roman discuss their leadership positions and roles at UAlbany. The conversation centers around the Barbie movie and how patriarchal standards and norms impact Sarai and Alyssa in their leadership positions. Furthermore, the conversation surrounds women’s empowerment in society and highlights the harmful effects of the patriarchy within society. Alyssa and Sarai dive into the conversation in a multifaceted way discussing gender prejudices, issues of race, mental health, and beauty standards and how they combat these issues.  Instagram for orgs: @ualbanymaps @lmsaplus @pvoices @ua.spanishclub Warning Explicit Language  Time Stamps:  0:00 - Introduction to our Barbie’s  1:43 – Toxic femininity vs Toxic masculinity?  11:57- Fear of women’s power  21:53-Combatting toxic masculinity  46:26- Race as a factor in being our Barbie selves  58:37- Being women leaders  1:04:02- Recruiting for Orgs  1:06:21- Saying Goodbye Contributors: Sarai Lewis (StoryTeller), Alyssa Roman (StoryTeller), Ryan Pare (Host, Editor), Sophia Smith (Host),  Bianca Zazzarini-León (StoryTeller/Marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 5, Episode 5 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio. Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu. Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=

Season 5: Episode 2 Title: #Multicultural Living Summary:  In this episode, UAlbany students Sophia Smith and Bianca Zazzarini-Leon discuss what it was like to grow up in a multicultural household. Sophia and Bianca delve into how their identities have evolved and what hardships come with negotiating identity. Both students discuss how violent being multicultural in the U.S can be, centering stories of racism and prejudice. However, they also highlight the benefits of having a multicultural background, that privilege bilingualism and multiple perspectives. These stories of resilience remind us of how proud of our own cultures we should be.   Warning Explicit Language Time Stamps: 0:00- Introduction 0:31 – Find out about Sophia’s heritages! 1:40 –Ancestry and me 2:34 -Gloria, Gloria!    4:36- Sophia’s family and their cultures 6:11-Bianca’s heritages! 7:47- We all love potatoes! 9:05- A plate of sancocho and pastelitos will always wait for you! 9:52-What culture does Sophia identify with? 14:15–Argentine and Dominican fusion 16:11- Dialects are hard 16:31-Latin America does not equate to Spanish 17:13-Don’t impose identities on others. 17:26-Sophia’s identities 21:44 -Bianca’s identities  25:38- A perspective on Belize’s reality  29:41- A perspective on the Dominican Republic’s reality 35:35- Sophia and Bianca’s future household 41:05-  Bye, thanks for listening!   Contributors: Sophia Smith (StoryTeller/Host), Bianca Zazzarini-León (StoryTeller/Marketing) Ryan Pare (Host, Editor), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 5, Episode 2 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio. Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu  Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort= Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ualbanypodcastteam/messag        

Season 5: Episode 1 Title: Hola and こんにちは (Konnichiwa) Come Study Abroad with Us! In this episode, UAlbany students Casey Navin, Sophia Smith and Bianca Zazzarini-Leon discuss their studying abroad experiences. Casey, Sophia and Bianca discuss how they prepared for their new adventure, which includes preparing before, during and after study abroad and the anxieties and worries that came with this new journey. Each of the storytellers discuss how they handled finances, culture shocks, and the education systems in their respective countries. These culturally immersive experiences have broadened and shaped news perspectives that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Warning Explicit Language :00 Introduction :17 Find out where we studied abroad! 2:06 The smoothest study abroad process 6:25 Sophia’s money exchange process 7:42 Sophia’s living situation 8:20 Casey’s financial process 9:22   How we each dealt with our finances 10:51 They’re all called pesos but they’re different pesos 11:10  How all 3 of us prepared for our new adventure 21:12  Experience the cultures we did! 38:51 Our education in different cultures 46:09 Language ideology against Dominicans 47:30 Saying our goodbye’s 54:39 Our favorite memories Contributors: Casey Navin (StoryTeller), Sophia Smith (StoryTeller/Host), Bianca Zazzarini-León (StoryTeller/Marketing) Ryan Pare (Host, Editor), Carmen Serrano (Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 5, Episode 1 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio. Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu  Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=      

Title: Authentically Thoroughly Really, Me, Jalibeth Tells All Joining us this week is our dear classmate, friend, and Vice President of the Spanish Club, Jalibeth. In this episode, she talks about her background and identity as a Dominican woman. She describes her challenging life in New York City and then reveals how moving to Albany brought her freedom. She then discusses how she has recreated herself and the issues with her academics that have arisen from that experience. To wrap it up, Jalibeth, Yesenia and J-Lyn talk about the culture of hanging out with other individuals with similar linguistic backgrounds in Spanish classes, and the pressure to compete with the graduate students in the program.   If you have any questions for Jalibeth, follow her Instagram - @jalibeth.s     00:00 Intro  00:30 Jalibeth’s Intro   01:10 “I am Dominican”  02:01 Spanish is my first language   03:49 Colorism in the Dominican community  08:06 Moving from NYC to Albany   12:08 “Let me tell you how I ended up here”   13:44 Take the risk!  16:29 My college experience  17:19 Take care of yourself   18:46 “Bills don’t stop”   20:14 Communicate with your professors   22:21 Spanish Classes: Non-native vs. Native speakers   23:50 Grad students vs. Undergrads   26:20 Different Spanish dialects   28:03 Wrapping up     Contributors:   Jalibeth Sepulveda (Storyteller), Yesenia Melo (Host), J-Lyn Thomas (Host), Brandon Lemus (Editor), Yehara Gutierrez Rodriguez (Marketing), Christopher Miller (Marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 4, Episode 5 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer.   Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP).   Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio.   Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu   Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link:   https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=        

Season 4: Episode 4   Title: Latin Lessons in Daily Life    In this Episode, guest Colin Mance, a senior at UAlbany, talks about his life growing up in Albany. He speaks about his military school experience; as well as his trajectory and transition from military high school to UAlbany. Additionally, he discusses how he came to appreciate the Latin language and his great appreciation of his Latin instructor, Charlie Giglio. During the interview, he highlights how UAlbany Faculty members have helped shape his post-graduation plans.   00:00 Intro   00:09 Colin’s Intro   00:20 Living and studying in Albany.   02:10 Experience in a military school   04:39 What’s is military school like?     08:16 Military’s not a passion nor plan anymore. 09:36 Colin’s experience at UAlbany   11:41 Charlie’s Latin class   12:16 Knowledge is power.   12:49 Colin’s parents were UAlbany students.     13:13 Track and Colin’s UAlbany journey   15:37 Going to UAlbany was fate.   16:36 What made Charlie Giglio’s Latin class so important for you?   21:59 UAlbany professors care about you   23:08 “What are your plans after graduation?”   26:14 Outro   Contributors:    Colin Mance (Storyteller), Yesenia Melo (Host), J-Lyn Thomas (Host), Brandon Lemus (Editor), Yehara Gutierrez Rodriguez (Marketing), Christopher Miller (Marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 4, Episode 2 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer.     More about the Group: https://www.albany.edu/news-center/news/2022-indigenous-students-host-vigil-honoring-residential-school-survivors   Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP).     Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio.     Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu     Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link:   https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=           

Season 4: Episode 3    Title: UAlbany Student Stories - The Power of Storytelling     In this episode, UAlbany Student Stories’ Executive producer and editor, Dr. Carmen Serrano, along with Season 4 co-hosts, Yesenia Melo, and J-Lyn Thomas, are interviewed by hosts Dr. Eric Hardiman and Alyssa Lotmore on the Social Workers Radio Talk Show. They talk about how in 2019, armed with a $6,500 University StAR grant, the Director of the Spanish program in Languages, Literatures and Cultures (LLC) department and the Associate professor, Carmen Serrano set out to establish the largely student-run podcast; UAlbany Student Stories. This podcast was created to help amplify the voices of underrepresented and marginalized UAlbany students and alumni, with storytelling that would prove both instructive and inspiring to others.     00:00 – Intro     00:15 – Social Work month – Events coming up.     02:48 – Carmen Serrano’s Intro     03:12 – Creation of UAlbany Student Stories     03:52 – Yesenia Melo and J-Lyn Thomas intros    04:26 – How did the idea for this podcast series come about?    06:27 – COVID’s impact on the podcast    06:43 – Sound notes recorded during the pandemic.    07:03 – What are sound notes?     07:43 – Topics shared on UAlbany Student Stories     08:01 – How’s the process of preparing for podcast participation?      10:12 – Was the podcast something we had an interest in before?    11:44 – How are students selected to tell their stories?    12:29 – What is the response to the podcast? How do we navigate it?     14:36 – UAlbany’s rich diversity and student background     15:24 – What are the most important aspects of storytelling?    18:20 – Did we expect the podcast’s success?  20:32 – What’s the notion of discourse a podcast gives you?    23:03 – Practical skills of interviewing.    23:54 – How the Social Workers Radio Talk Show started.    24:12 – Guest’s authentic stories and expertise.     25:22 – Next steps and expectations for UAlbany Student Stories     28:30 – Where can you find UAlbany Student Stories? Our platforms and social media     31:13 – Outro     Contributors:     The Social Workers Radio Talk Show:    Eric Hardiman (Host), Alyssa Lotmore (Host)     UAlbany Student Stories:     Carmen Serrano (Storyteller/Editor/Executive Producer), Yesenia Melo (Storyteller/Host), J-Lyn Thomas (Storyteller/Host), Brandon Lemus (Editor), Yehara Gutierrez Rodriguez (Marketing), Christopher Miller (Marketing). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 4, Episode 3 [podcast].     More about the Group: https://www.albany.edu/news-center/news/2022-indigenous-students-host-vigil-honoring-residential-school-survivors     Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP).       Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio.       Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu       Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link:    https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=           Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ualbanypodcastteam/message     

Title: Miss Travesía of the Garifuna Community In this episode, UAlbany student (and season's 4 co-host) J-Lyn discusses her Afro-Latinx heritage and her experiences as part of the Garifuna people. J-Lyn also speaks about the historical background of the Garifuna people and how this has impacted her family history as well. She focuses on her experience participating in a cultural beauty pageant where she represented her Garifuna pueblo and how that participation has helped shape her cultural identity. J-Lyn would also like to invite the listeners to watch the video of her excellent talent of dancing, Chumba  Miss Garifuna 2017 Original (Start at 17:10). 0:00 Introduction 0:15 J-Lyn’s Introduction 0:31 Afro-Latina Heritage and Upbringing. 0:56 Who are the Garifuna people? 2:05 What is my cultural experience? 4:03 I do not speak the language 6:22 Family’s immigration to the U.S. 7:31 I owe all my respect to my grandma 9:36 Cultural beauty pageant, Miss Garifuna 10:35 Miss Travesía 10:48 History of the Garifuna people 13:34 There’s power in learning history 15:38 Speech in Garifuna 21:08 Chumba: My dancing talent 25:13 Become a mentor and be part of the process Contributors: J-Lyn Thomas (Storyteller/ Host), Yesenia Melo (Host), Brandon Lemus (Editor), Yehara Gutierrez Rodriguez (Marketing), Christopher Miller (Marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 4, Episode 1 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepaby Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP). Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio. Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort= Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ualbanypodcastteam/message

Season 3: Episode 3 Title: Unmasking The American Dream In this episode, UAlbany student Willy Estevez talks about the hardships he encountered when he immigrated to the United States. Willy mentions the difficulty he had learning a new language and having to choose the correct path. He also states that UAlbany felt like the right choice due to its student diversity and the opportunity offered to minorities. His story captures the realities of many immigrants in the United States, who face discrimination, insufficient employment opportunities, and lack of resources. You will find Willy’s strength inspiring. Warning Explicit Language :00 Introduction :12 Willy’s introduction 1:11 Issues adapting to a new language 1:50 Hardships with employment 03:43 My first job 05:02 Strengthening my skills/ developing my skills 05:34 Deviating from the norm 05:45 Why UAlbany? 07:13 Learning to love myself 08:28 Being an advocate 09:16 Being bullied 11:02 bad influences 11:40 Easy money 12:20 Doing the right thing 13:22 Lack of resources 14:43 Experiencing constant violence 15:30 Next steps 16:25 Working toward greatness Contributors: Willy Estevez Cruz (Storyteller), Yesenia Melo (Host), Delvi Paez (Host), Caitlin Fanning (Editor), Rosmery Reyes (Marketing), Quialmeiry Carrasco Puntier (Marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 3, Episode 3 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP). Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio. Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort= --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ualbanypodcastteam/message

Season 3: Episode 2 Title: They Told Me It Was Important to "Improve The Race" In this episode, UAlbany student Bianca discusses the many hardships her family has endured, and specifically during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961). She focuses on her brave grandfather and how he stood up for what was right regardless of the repercussions. Bianca also speaks about issues of discrimination and self-identity in the Dominican Republic. This is a profound discussion that addresses themes of liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness. :00 Introduction :17 Bianca’s introduction :48 My grandfather was arrested 02:49 The Trujillo dictatorship 02:57 Issues that led to his arrest 04:17 Historical timeline of both dictatorships 05:35 Spirit of rebellion 08:39 Racial tension in the Dominican Republic 09:06 “Quiero mejorar la raza”/ I want to better the race 10:21 What Trujillo destroyed and the colorism he created 10:59 Haitian hate fueled by the church 12:24 A push towards accepting ones blackness 15:10 Bilingualism in the island 16:37 “La masacre del perejil” / Parsley massacre 18:21 Bianca’s final thoughts Contributors: Biancan Zazzarini-León (Storyteller), Yesenia Melo (Host), Delvi Paez (Host), Caitlin Fanning (Editor), Rosmery Reyes (Marketing), Quialmeiry Carrasco Puntier (Marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 3, Episode 2 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP). Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio. Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort= --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ualbanypodcastteam/message

Season 3~Episode 2: Part 2 of 2 Moving On to Bigger & Better Things In this episode, our hosts Delvi and Yesenia finish interviewing our anonymous guest who is referred to as Maui Matthews. This is the second and final part of Maui’s story, where he describes in intimate detail his academic and personal life throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He later talks about becoming comfortable in his own skin, living life to the fullest, and spreading kindness all around. Tune in for new episodes! :00 Introduction :05 Start of sophomore year :20 Struggling to get back into school mode :53 Substance abuse resurfacing 01:11 Getting arrested 01:41 Destroying my image 02:31 Caged in 04:26 My criminal record 05:21 I want to get out of here 05:30 My first apartment 06:46 Getting my life together 07:28 Coming out 08:28 I can’t be myself 09:28 Accepting myself 11:05 Feeling safe 13:54 Comfortable with my sexuality 14:58 Senior year 15:04 Optimistic about the future 16:09 Accepting people for who they are Contributors: Maui Matthews (Storyteller), Yesenia Melo (Host), Delvi Paez (Host), Caitlin Fanning (Editor), Rosmery Reyes (Marketing), Quialmeiry Carrasco Puntier (Marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 3, Episode 2 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP). Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio. Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=

Season 3~Episode 1: Part 1 of 2 In this episode, our hosts Delvi and Yesenia interview an anonymous guest who is referred to as Maui Matthews. This is a UAlbany student’s coming of age story. Maui describes in detail how he fell out with his family, became homeless, as well as the many struggles he encountered in high school that led him to lean into drugs and alcohol for comfort. This is part one of Maui’s story, in part two he talks about overcoming his challenges, and how he was able to embrace adversity with the help of our UAlbany community. Make sure you tune in soon to hear the rest of his story! Warning Explicit Language :00 - Introduction :00 - Maui :29 - The start of family issues 03:10 - Eviction and homelessness 06:30 - Moving around the city 09:29 - Relying on drugs & alcohol 11:30 - Where was my brother? 13:20 - My godmother saved us 14:43 - Discovering who my true friends were 16:07 - Why UAlbany? 17:36 - My freshman year at UAlbany 18:45 - COVID forced me to move back “home” 20:35 - I wanted my grandmother dead 22:05 - Wrapping up my freshman year experience Contributors: Maui Matthews (Storyteller), Yesenia Melo (host), Delvi Paez (host), Caitlin Fanning (Editor), Rosmery Reyes(marketing), Quialmeiry Carrasco Puntier (marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 3, Episode 1 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP). Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio. Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=

Season Finale Season 2 – Episode 8 – In this episode, Claudia and Henry interview each other and speak about their experiences as podcasters. They reflect upon their experiences at UAlbany and tell listeners how these podcasts have been transformative. They also express their love for language. They give advice to future podcasters.  With this episode we conclude Season 2. We will return in the fall with a new podcast team and new inspirational stories.  :00 Introduction 1:00 How do you feel about graduation? 4:44 We love Spanglish 14:30 Adjusting to Life when visiting Cuba 20:15 Expressing their love for Mom & Learning to be Patient  27:00 Living in the present 32:12 How Henry and Claudia perfected their podcasting skills 38:00 Podcasts build communities 42:30 Shout out to Jessica Dandrow and Rashel Jimenez 44:43 Bittersweet Farewell and Thank you! Contributors: Claudia Pique (host/storyteller), Henry Grygas (host/storyteller), Jessica Dandrow (sound editor/marketing), Rashel Jimenez (marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 2 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer.  Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio. Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP). Logo created by the Office of Communications and Marketing (OCM) Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=

A Sense of Belonging Season 2 – Episode 7 – In this episode, alumnus David (English/Law and Philosophy) and soon to be alumna Rashel (Communication/Spanish) speak about their experiences with racism. They describe their work as teachers and how they foster a positive environment with young students. They later talk about their own struggles to find a place of belonging in society and within their communities. They also explore how identity shapes their own unique experiences. Topics such as racism, white-passing Latinx, media, and government are addressed as well.  :00 Introduction :24 Who is David? 2:58 Rashel’s work as a bilingual teacher 4:05 Children's emotional needs in education/ emotional needs 7:06 Building community with students through videogames  12:50 Getting in touch with their roots 19:00 Dealing with racism, identity, and belonging 26:39 Experiencing racism firsthand as a white-passing Mexican 34:00 We should stand up for one another 36:00 Building each other up instead of bringing each other down  36:31 How the media and government perpetuate division 40:20 Opening up to new experiences in the Southwest Contributors: Rashel Jimenez (Storyteller), David Mitchell (Storyteller), Claudia Pique (host), Henry Grygas (host), Jessica Dandrow (sound editor/marketing), Rashel Jimenez (marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Season 2 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer.  Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio. Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP). Logo created by the Office of Communications and Marketing (OCM) Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=

Season 2 – Episode 5 – In this episode, Kebra describes why she came to UAlbany and the challenges and blessings she experienced. Throughout the podcast, she talks about her life in Ghana and what it was like to move to the United States. Kebra describes her spiritual growth and her Christianity. She also shares how becoming closer to God has allowed her to be the person she is today. Kebra has become fluent in French and she would love to live in France in the future.  :00 – Introduction  :17- Who is Kebra? 1:42- My biggest challenge  2:45- Res Life  4:35- Why Kebra decided to come to UAlbany  6:00- The eclipse  8:10- I was an undecided major  9:00- How Christianity helped me  13:15- I like learning French.  15:15- Shout out to French Instructor Komla Amegashie  17:18- I can completely understand my French Instructor, Madame Veronique.  19:51- I want to move to France  20:32- My life in Ghana  22:40- Ad with Nike  25:05- Life in the Bronx  28:00- Returning to visit Ghana after eight years  29:00- My first time on a plane  32:15- Balancing time for self-care  36:00- Trip to Jamaica  36:43- Kebra’s plans  Contributors:    Kebra Baako (Storyteller), Claudia Pique (host), Henry Grygas (host), Jessica Dandrow (sound editor/marketing), Rashel Jimenez (marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Episode 2 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Funded provided by the UAlbany    Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP).    Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio.    Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu   Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP).   Logo created by the Office of Communications and Marketing (OCM) Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link:   https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort= 

Season 2 - Episode 4- Latin in My Everyday Life  In this episode, UAlbany student Chris discusses his experience at the university and his experience serving in the US Navy. He mentions his medical condition, POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), and how it affected his ability to continue his service. He later talks about his experience taking a Latin class at UAlbany and how having an amazing professor for the class has impacted his appreciation and understanding of the language.  :00 – Introduction  :50 – Why Chris chose UAlbany  2:09 – Chris’ experience at UAlbany  4:20 – Experience in the Navy  7:08 – Medical condition – POTS  7:55 – Experience with taking a Latin class  10:25- Taking a class with Award Winning Instructors (Shout out to Charlie Giglio!)  14:10 – Thoughts about Latin  16:23 – How Latin has helped with reading comprehension  19:05 – Tattoo with meaningful phrase in Latin  24:27 – Chris’ future plans  Contributors:   Christopher Stewart (Storyteller), Claudia Pique (host), Henry Grygas (host), Jessica Dandrow (sound editor/marketing), Rashel Jimenez (marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Episode 2 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Funded provided by the UAlbany   Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP).   Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio.   Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu  Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP). Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link:  https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort= 

Season 2 – Episode 3 (En Español) - Guardar semillas en el cabello  In this episode, UAlbany students Andrea Miranda (LACS) and Quialmeiry Carrasco Puntier (Criminal Justics/Spanish) have a conversation about the art exhibit Guardar Semillas en el cabello, which Andrea helped curate. Their heartfelt conversation also addresses issues of hair and race. They describe painful experiences and how they have come to appreciate and embrace their identity.  EXPOSICIÓN EN PANAMÁ, PANAMA, PANAMÁ: https://www.arteinformado.com/agenda/f/guardar-semillas-en-el-cabello-208508 :00 – Introducción  :25 – Andrea y Quialmeiry  1:45 – Guardar Semillas en el cabello  9:00 – El doloroso tema del cabello  13:00 – Crecí pensando que mi pelo era un problema  15:00 – La belleza eurocéntrica  19:00 – Miedo y burla  27:00–  Del odio a la aceptación  31:00 – Cambiando la narrativa  31:25 – La diversidad en UAlbany (Shout out to LACS!)  34:00 – La diversidad en las clases (Shout out to EOP!)  37:00 – El tema de raza en latinoamérica   38:00 – El reto de ser latinx y bilingüe  42:45 – Ser estudiante es bello y estresante  Contributors:  Andrea Miranda (Storyteller), Quialmeiry Carrasco Puntier (Storyteller), Claudia Pique (host), Henry Grygas (host), Jessica Dandrow (sound editor/marketing), Rashel Jimenez (marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Episode 2 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Funded provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP). Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio.  Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP). Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=

Meet the Podcast Team: A Podcast About Podcasting Season 2 – Episode 2 Show Notes In this episode, podcast members introduce themselves and talk about why they have joined UAlbany Student Stories. We listen to their stories to gain a better sense of who is behind the scenes and understand the community that our members are building within UAlbany Student Stories. This episode highlights who our members are, what they think about podcasting, and what their desired future field of expertise, among other student-centered topics.  :00 – Introduction :17 – Introduction of Our Podcast Members 1:57 – Why Our Members Joined  4:08 – Thoughts on Podcasting 7:23 – Podcasting and It’s Efficiency 7:40 -- Building a Community Through Stories @GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu 8:24 – The Truth About College 9:22 – Where Will Our Members Be 12:03 – Future Careers 12:25 – Why We Love Working with Kids 15:55 – What Have We Learned 17:22 – Shoutouts Contributors: Claudia Pique (host), Henry Grygas (host), Jessica Dandrow (sound editor/marketing), Rashel Jimenez (sound editor/marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Episode 2 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio.  Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP). Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=

Proud Curls  Season 2 – Episode 1  In this episode, UAlbany student Marielis Cepin talks about her experiences at the university and how she has learned to embrace her natural hair. She first discusses the sense of community and diversity she has found at UAlbany, and then goes on to tell the story of her personal curly hair journey. Her inspiring story highlights some of the struggles she has had to face regarding others’ viewpoints on natural curly hair, as well as how having patience with herself and with her hair has been the key to success throughout her hair journey.   :00 – Introduction  :52 – Why Marielis Chose UAlbany  3:48 – Most Inspiring Classes Marielis has Taken  5:31 – Learning About Hair Cultures   6:44 – Marielis' Curly Hair Journey  12:40 – Society’s View on Curly Hair  14:21– Curly Hair Routine  16:27 – About Her Instagram Page: @mcurlyy   18:00 – “Bad Hair” versus “Good Hair”  18:58 – The Influence of Family     Contributors:  Marielis Cepin (storyteller), Claudia Pique (host), Henry Grygas (host), Jessica Dandrow (sound editor/marketing), Rashel Jimenez (sound editor/marketing), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Episode 2 [podcast]. Music from El Pañuelo de Pepa by Javier Colina and Pepe Rivero. José Cruz, Executive Producer. Special thanks to Ryan C. Clow, Digital Scholarship Center Training Specialist, for allowing us to use the equipment and recording studio. Email Carmen Serrano: cserrano4@albany.edu or the Podcast team: GRP-uastudentstories@albany.edu Funding provided by the UAlbany Faculty Research Awards Program (FRAP).  Interested in supporting future podcast programming? Please donate to LLC and specify “UAlbany Student Stories.” Click on the following link: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1642/18-giving/form.aspx?sid=1642&gid=2&pgid=399&cid=1042&bledit=1&dids=156.157.158.159.160.241.177.178&sort=

Living in Languages The students explore what it is like to live in languages: Catherine teaches English as a foreign/new language, Diona teaches Spanish as a foreign/new language and Ariah is bilingual native speaker. They each bring three original perspectives on how they use language in teaching and in their everyday lives. 2:00 Learning a new language 4:43 How do you teach a new language? 6:18 Teaching ESL 10:00 Code-switching and translating thoughts 13:00 Learning different dialects 17:00 We are creating diversity  This is our final episode! We end the season by returning to our planned programming (before our Covid-19 chapters). Contributors:   Catherine Dennis-Greener (storyteller), Diona Espinosa (storyteller), Ariah Matias (storyteller), Ariah Matias (co-producer), James Ashley (co-producer), Alejandra Bronfman (postproduction), Ilka Kressner (postproduction), Joanna Dreby (preproduction), Carmen Serrano (Editor/Executive Producer). UAlbany Student Stories, Episode 7 [Podcast].