Campus

Campus is that place and time in our lives where everything changes. Welcome to the CBC’s first original podcast series. Every episode is driven by a first-person narrative as host, Albert Leung guides you through one character’s life-defining experience. The stories are uniquely personal, honest and intimate. And although our characters are almost always students, their experiences are universal. Everyone can relate to the struggles of fitting in, feeling lost, self-discovery and tackling adversity. SUBSCRIBE!

"I feel my life just drifting away"

Roddy-James Rodriguez is just one of the hundreds of students on campus, who give up on life each year, and attempt suicide. The mental health crisis isn't new, and it isn't going away. And while schools are scrambling to beef up their support staff and resources, the reality is, the system is failing students. Roddy's struggle with depression is rooted in years of neglect, abandonment, and self-hate. Throughout his entire life, he was failed by pretty much everyone -- his schools, his community, and even his own family.

06-23
27:30

Wake Island

Wake Island is many things - to some, it’s a band. To others, it’s a place. But for Phil Manasseh and Nadim Maghzal, it’s the culmination of the immigrant experience. One that was shaped by culture shock, and capped with a newfound understanding of themselves, and the two places they call home.

06-16
27:30

"Am I going to die in here?" - Part 2

Mohammad Al Masalma's country was ripped apart during his time in university. After a revolution erupted in Syria, he joined anti-government protests to fight for his freedom. It led to his arrest and detainment by the Syrian regime. He was thrown in prison, where he was tortured, and nearly killed.

05-19
27:30

"Am I going to die in here?" - Part 1

Mohammad Al Masalma's country was ripped apart during his time in university. After a revolution erupted in Syria, he joined anti-government protests to fight for his freedom. It led to his arrest and detainment by the Syrian regime. He was thrown in prison, where he was tortured, and nearly killed.

05-12
27:30

"God wasn't there"

William dedicated 22 years of his life to Mormonism, before he committed a serious sin. And after being unable to get past that guilt, he not only abandoned the faith, he tried to completely erase it from his past. But, religion was sown so deep into who he was, he couldn’t escape it.

04-28
27:30

Walking with the ghosts of Blacksburg

April 16th 2017 marks 10 years since the Virginia Tech massacre where 32 innocent lives were lost. In part two of our special two-part story, survivors share the physical and psychological aftermath of that shooting rampage. Kevin Sterne and Kristina Anderson, do their best to pick up the pieces and move forward with their lives, but the ghosts from that day continue to haunt them.

04-16
34:08

Darkness falls on Virginia Tech

Sunday April 16th, 2017 marks 10 years since the Virginia Tech massacre when 32 lives were brutally lost. In part 1 of a special two-part story, survivors of the Virginia Tech shootings bravely recount the emotional and disturbing events of the fateful day that transformed their lives forever.

04-14
27:30

"This is what happens when you steal people's land" - Part 2

After robbing a store to feed his crack cocaine addiction, Jesse Thistle gets thrown in jail. While locked up, Jesse reflected on his life and oddly enough, he thought about education. He wanted to do better for himself, so he started by picking up a few books. Slowly he began to turn his addiction to crack to an addiction to higher learning.

03-31
27:29

"This is what happens when you steal people's land" - Part 1

How an Indigenous homeless crack addict turned his life around to becoming one of the most decorated PhD students in Canada. In part 1 of a special two-part story, Jesse Thistle details his upbringing in a broken family, a heavy addiction to crack cocaine, and a decade living on the streets.

03-24
30:00

"I'll never be normal now"

After years of suffering with Crohn's disease, Brittany Ferreira was forced to have her colon removed. At just 23, she wore an ostomy bag. Now, she's dealing with mounting insecurity about her body, as she figures out how to embrace it.

03-10
27:30

Curiosity killed the cancer

Steve Keating has always been deeply curious about the world around him. His relentless curiosity is the driving force behind everything he does. It’s who he is. But it also led him down a frightening path that changed him forever. In this story, you’ll hear all about Steve’s unique fight with brain cancer, and how his constant sense of curiosity ultimately helped save his life.

02-24
27:30

Valentine's Day Extra - "You mean I'm not the only one!?"

Phil is head over heels in love. The fourth year student is about to experience his first Valentine's Day just a few weeks after losing his virginity to Amelia. He has his rose, his card, and his heart on his sleeve...but he's about to find out, he's not the only one.

02-14
01:37

The 4th Year Virgin

Getting adjusted to college life is no easy feat. The pressure of fitting in and finding your feet during first year is huge. One of the biggest roadblocks to acceptance, strangely enough, is sex. Hear how Phil Leung's quest to lose his virginity led to a search for self-confidence.

02-10
27:29

Love Trumps Hate

In a special edition of Campus from Washington -- looking at the changing face of feminism in the aftermath of the now historic Women's March. Campus followed three Canadian university students, each with unique personal backgrounds, to dig into why there's such a strong sense that women's rights are now at a tipping point.

01-27
27:30

"I'm trapped in the wrong body"

Hear the story of Harrison Browne’s long, hard-fought road to self-discovery, and how he became the first openly transgender pro hockey player.

01-13
30:47

Missing & Murdered

Campus chats with CBC investigative reporter Connie Walker about dedicating her career to the Indigenous community, and how the pressure and responsibility are all worth it.

12-23
24:39

Dissecting A Dark Indigenous Past

Her worth and identity have always been under the microscope, but now Canada's first indigenous forensic pathologist is facing even more pressure from her own community.

12-16
38:18

Ending the HIV stigma

Health economist Laura Derksen talks about how the fear of stigma may actually be causing an increase in spreading HIV.

12-09
16:11

The slow killer

A young woman harboured a lifelong secret - that she was HIV positive. She distanced herself from the world, living a life of rejection, fear, and self-hatred. Hear how she rose to find the inner strength, confidence, and freedom to fight back against the HIV virus - the slow killer.

12-01
39:23

Dealing with death

Death is not easy to deal with. We have an odd sense of uneasiness that falls upon us when we learn of someone passing… it’s something that can be really difficult to unpack. Dr. Darcy Harris has devoted her career to dealing with this. She specializes in Thanatology, the study of death. And is the Thanatology program coordinator at King’s College in Southwestern Ontario. It is the only undergraduate program of its kind in the world.

11-25
18:21

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