Episodes from our Fall 2024 Podcast Fellows

Welcome to 2025 (and a special edition of our newsletter)! We kickstart the year with the exciting release of our fall 2024 fellows' podcasts and their inaugural episodes.

To recap, we recently celebrated the second cohort of our 2024 Podcast Fellows at the commencement in their achievement throughout 12 weeks of training and mentorship. From developing their voice and brand to booking world-class guests, the fellows learned all-thing podcasts and are now ready to introduce their own show! Click here to watch the commencement recording (with an extensive introduction of each fellow's podcasts and follow-up Q&A sessions).

Podcast episodes from our fellows will be rolling out over the next few days. Give them a listen and stay tuned for more fellowship announcements! Thank you to the Bridge Alliance Education Fund for supporting this program!

‍Get to know the Fall '24 fellows

Dear Government by Claire Baek

Dear Government aims to refind students' voices in democracy on political topics such as climate change and gun violence. In the first episode, host Claire Baek, a junior at Chantilly High School in Northern Virginia, invited guests from her school newspaper The Purple Tide to discuss the 2024 presidential election.

"We've had many small conversations about the election whenever a quick turn of events happened. I thought it would be fun if we could let our audience or other students hear the conversation we used to have in class," Baek said. "I thought it would be fitting — I know a lot of students have strong opinions on the election."

Listen to Dear Government

Town Hall Conversations by Sabrina Tomei Gonzalez

Through conversations with elected officials and local legislators, Town Hall Conversations shows the audience how state representatives, judges, mayors and other state officials directly impact your day-to-day lives.

"What I intend to do is not only see where the gaps in knowledge of local and state government are but also make people feel more connected to their local and state government and more engaged in the civic process," said Sabrina Tomei Gonzalez, a senior at Fairfield Ludlowe High School in Connecticut.

Town Hall Conversations will be available on January 8 on The Democracy Group podcast feed.

Democracy on Fire by Dashiell Quinn

Democracy on Fire seeks to bring awareness to problems plaguing democratic systems in the world, most notably politicians telling lies, polarization and media manipulation.

"I came up with the name because I wanted to reflect how serious the issues are — because democracy in our country and in other countries are in trouble," said host Dashiell Quinn, a high school junior from Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Democracy on Fire will be available on January 13 on The Democracy Group podcast feed.

Democracy Determined by Jenny Marquez

Democracy Determined seeks to tackle prominent issues in the democratic system, dive into the importance of democracy and break down the elements behind it. Host Jenny Marquez, a junior at Daniel Pearl Magnet High School in Los Angeles, California, will engage in in-depth conversations with influential figures about democratic principles and complexities and how they impact society, politics and governance.

Democracy Determined will be available on January 15 on The Democracy Group podcast feed.