S1: Earlier this month , our producer Julio made his way to Central Union High School in El Centro , California.
S2: Hey , doctor T just got here.
S3: All right. Good , good.
S2:
S3: Oh , Lordy. It's not too far , but , you know , it's so stinking hot out.
S2: All right. I'll see you there. Okay , cool. Great. Thanks. Bye bye.
S4: It was a cool 107 degree weather. Cool compared to the day before , which clocked in at 122 degrees.
S5: God dang , it's hot out here. Oh , my God , it's so hot.
S6: It was a sweltering.
S1: Walk from his car to the school.
S6: Although it was just a few dozen yards away.
S7: Julio , sweaty and tired.
S4: Passed through the school gates , down the blue and gray halls and stepped into the library. The walls were covered in inspirational quotes displayed alongside old and new depictions of the Imperial Valley.
S1: Inside was Doctor Thomas Starkey , the school's music and audio production teacher of 18 years.
S4: He was setting six boxes of pizza on a table next to a big cake decorated with chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate icing. The library had 6 to 8 tables that sat next to the bookshelves , all facing forward at the front , a podium , and next to it an elevated desk for Doctor Takis , computer and a speaker.
S1: He made a last check on the mic and popped on a PowerPoint presentation that read Boise's El Valle pre-launch party.
S4: Then the first students started coming in , along with school and district administrators.
S1: What was going on ? You may be wondering.
S4: Why was Julio at this event.
S1: And why are we talking about this student led podcast in this episode of Port of Entry ? Well , this.
S8:
S9: We're voices del Valle.
S8: Voices del Valle.
S9: It's a team produced podcast about coming of age in California's Imperial Valley.
S8: I love voices that Wyatt voices.
S4: El Valle is a youth led podcast spotlighting powerful coming of age stories from California's Imperial Valley.
S1: The hosts and co-producers are Doctor Takis. Audio Production class of 2024 2025.
S4: You See voices , El Valle and Port of Entry go way back. In fact , Julio and the rest of the Port of Entry team played a vital role in ensuring the completion of this student podcast.
S1: Today , we want to talk to you about one of the most meaningful collaborations in the history of the show.
S4: Yes , the team got to collaborate and mentor the first cohort of the Voices of Elvira from Central Union High School.
S1: And we are going to take you behind the scenes to show you how that collaboration came about and what that mentoring looked like.
S4: Stick around. You don't want to miss today's episode.
S1: This is a bonus episode introducing voices.
S4: From KPBS. This is Port of Entry.
S1: Where we tell cross-border stories that connect. Us.
S4: Us.
S1: I'm Alan Lilienthal and I'm Natalie Gonzalez.
S4: You're listening to Port of Entry.
S1: The voices of a podcast pre-launch party was popping.
S4: A year's worth of hard work had culminated in this moment. The students were on the brink of launching a podcast that , for reasons we'll delve into later , was poised to reach tens of thousands of listeners.
S10: All right. So it was good. It was great. Why don't you get why don't you get something ? And then we'll kind of get started. So yeah , grab some pizza. You grab some cake.
S1: But before that , a celebration was in order , complete with pizza and cake.
S4: Central Union High School's principal , Craig Lyon , was there to help Doctor Taki with the celebration.
S1: However , the main attraction was a selection of episode samples Doctor Taqi had prepared to showcase to the guests at the party.
S4: But before jumping into the samples , Doctor Taqi and Julio had some words to share.
S10: I'm just really proud of you guys for doing what you did this year and like I said , it's well , I haven't said that for the last six weeks of school meeting up with me being out , but everything's okay. I think I'm fine as far as I know , so I'm not as tired as I was maybe a month ago. But I'm going to be back here full time a couple of weeks. So anyway , Giulio lets you say a couple things and we'll drop right into this stuff.
S2: Guys , it's good to be here. Let me just say , let me just start this. I'm just so proud of this cohort. You guys are the pioneers. The very first to bring this together. And what you've done is gonna basically trickle down through basically the next years. People are gonna listen to what you produce as the cornerstone of what to do with media , with sound , with art. And so you are trailing the blaze basically. So you should be very proud of what you're doing for your class , for your school and your community as well. Cool.
S10: We're going to listen to a little bit of every episode , but we're going to start out with the trailer.
S4: After listening to the trailer , Doctor Takis started playing clips from each of the episodes.
S1: The students hadn't listened to any of their work since they started putting together each of their episodes.
S11: And and it's been a joy sometimes to be down in the Imperial Valley. I loved it , I loved , I loved , I felt like I was so gifted and growing up in a place that was , um , so such a beautiful , different kind of mix. I feel so at home. Uh , it started in Nogales , obviously , but I feel so at home on the border.
S1: If that voice sounds familiar , that's because you have probably heard it.
S4: That's Donal Logue from blockbuster movies such as Blade and Ghost Rider , and shows like grounded for Life and Gotham.
S10: All right.
S2: So can we get those three.
S10: Dominic and Philippe and Evan.
S2: To come and talk about the cement.
S10: They could have been.
S2: Putting together this episode.
S1: After each sample was played , Julia took to the podium to invite the student producers responsible for each episode to discuss the production process.
S4: Student producers Felipa Castro , Evan Harper and Dominic Ramos , who have since graduated from Central Union High School , had the opportunity to interview Donna Logue and other celebrities.
S1: They shared insights into what the production process was like.
S12: Philippa ran this one more. So.
S2:
S12:
S13: Pretty much all the all the questions were out of pure curiosity. I mean , no , we don't we don't have a lot of , uh , art , like artists , uh , celebrities who really talk about the Valley as much , you know ? Uh , so it was it was nice , you know , having that that voice , that that powerful voice , you know , finally wanting to talk to us about what it was like growing up in the Valley.
S2: Sorry that we seem to have a contrasting opinion there.
S12: I was going to talk about that , actually , I think I think he was the first like celebrity we interviewed. So it was a little like nerve wracking because when he told us , I was like , what ? Like , I thought we were just interviewing , like people we know. So that for when he first told us , I was like , what ? Like no way.
S2: So , uh , what was the one thing that surprised you while you were having this conversation , putting this episode together ? Um.
S12:
S14: How relatable he was and how he grew up in the Valley. And it was really similar to how we were. So that was one of the things.
S2: Okay , good. Applause , guys.
S1: Dominic's team put together three episodes , which consisted of a number of interviews with former Central Union High School students that are now turned celebrities.
S4: Other students went in a different direction , selecting more regional topics.
S1: Like Stephanie Portillo and Manuel Negrete from the episode Embrace a Baby.
S4: An episode trying to evoke a sense of place. Embrace El Valle is the first episode in the season's lineup by Yeah.
S10: Definitely manual. Yeah. Um , this one is about. What is. What is it that you all like to do here ? What's what's unique about the value and and that and , uh , we had challenges putting it together. Um , but in the end , I think it came up really outstanding. So let's jump into this. We'll give you the beginning part of the end.
S15: Yo , what's up everyone you're listening to Embrace elevate the podcast where we show some love to the 760.
S16: We are just a group of teens out here in the Imperial Valley. I'm Manuel.
S15: I'm Stephanie and I'm Janessa yet , and we are finding cool stuff to do and proving there's way more to this place than just heat and dust.
S16: From county fairs to off roading in the dunes and all the lucky spots. We are talking about everything that makes the valley fun.
S4: Just like the previous team after their the episode sample was played , Stephanie , Yanez and Manuel made it to the podium.
S2:
S17: Like we live near a border and stuff like that. So basically we could visit like families and Max and all that stuff. And we have something called like the Fair. No other place really has it like us because we're kind of we're kind of all together and knit together because just a really small community.
S2: One of the things you would do different for this episode.
S17: One of the things I would do different , um , maybe fix , um , how we're placing things and stuff like that because kind of most of the episode. Um , basically , I don't know , we were just having fun with it. We're just learning on the way. Yeah. I kind of like , changed on how we how we like , timed it , like how we record and stuff like that. Because when we record , um , how it is. She's a junior. I'm a freshman and the other person is a senior. So our time zones are kind of crazy. So our recording times , our scripts , all that stuff is really hard to build and make. So I really wish we had , you know , enough time to fit everything together because there's still lots to talk about.
S4: Among the roster of episodes , there were some powerful stories of resilience. One episode that really captured us was that of Mia and Marley Lozano Madrid.
S1: Two teenage siblings who dealt with homelessness during their high school years.
S10: This episode is about , um , the four years that me and Marley were homeless and the the reasons behind that. Um , there's a huge amount of honesty in this , this episode , and that's what makes it so strong And , um , one of the things that I think , um , worked particularly well for us is that we did a little that when they interviewed their mom , she spoke in Spanish and we did an English voiceover on top of Mrs. Gong. And I thought that , you know , from a production standpoint , I think that went really , really well. So let's just jump into it , okay.
S18:
S19: Some people ignore it and others don't understand it. And they're right. It is a sensitive topic.
S18: For my brother and me. Homelessness was everywhere , going from house to house , ending up in a hotel room with a brave single mom.
S19: Struggling to live together. All three of us.
S1: Mia couldn't make it to the pre-launch party , but luckily Marley was there.
S4: Julio took it away with the questions.
S2: Marley coming over. All right.
S20: I feel like the president.
S2: Marley , tell us about.
S20: I had my sister and my mom and also my grandma helping me during this time to , like , not make it as sad as like to me as it was for them. Because since I was the youngest out of , well , my family , of course , you know , my mom and my older sister , I was the youngest. They had to protect me from like not wanting to live through that. You know.
S2: What was , uh , the , I guess , the challenging or difficult parts of organizing putting this episode together.
S20: I'll be honest , the timing a lot. Because when we had to record at home with my mom , um , we had timing. Cause sometimes my mom would get back home from work. She was all tired. Um , sometimes she was sick , so it was mostly just timing. And that was pretty much it.
S2: And , um , did you and your sister , uh , when you're putting this episode together , did you find , like this ? Did you have disagreements , agreements about ideas ? No.
S20: Yeah. Um , we had agreements and a lot of disagreements as well. Um , but that's why I think we made this. This part of our podcast is great that we had that connection , like , as siblings. Like , we were able to work on this together at all times. We shared a room. So , like , somebody would be like , hey , Marley , wake up. I'm like , well , I feel like I got this idea. Like , just tell me in the morning. So , like , I mean , like us having us being siblings for this podcast. I think that's what made it better for us.
S21: What do you hope people.
S2: Take away from listening to your story.
S20: Trying to help out others. You know , like whenever someone's in trouble or whenever someone that you know is in trouble , just support them in whichever way you can. It doesn't matter if it's money or anything like that , just emotionally being there. I had , um , I'll be honest , I didn't really have much friends at that time because I was really decent for everyone. But I had my family and that's all that mattered. And then I made family on my own with my friends , and they support me now. And that's all that matters. Awesome.
S2: Awesome. Thank you very. Much.
S10: Much.
S22: Thank you.
S4: Marlee and Mia's story , along with those of Dominique , Philippe , Evan , Manuel , Yanis , and Stephanie , are featured in a debut season of Voices El Valle , which debuts its first 11 episodes this year.
S1: The other episodes , produced by other students in Doctor Takis cohort , similarly explore themes of resilience , hope and a deep connection to one's place in life direction.
S4: Some of the episodes were a bit more polished and some had more of a raw edge to them. Regardless , they all managed to pull you in. This instant draw was so strong that everyone at KPBS felt that immediate pull when the project was first proposed.
S1: Voices of valor was first pitched through the KPBS explorer program.
S4: Which gives local producers and content creators the opportunity to distribute their content using KPBS platform to reach the audiences the station aims to serve.
S1: You may remember our boss , Lisa J.
S4: Morissette , KPBS director of audio programming and operations.
S1: Well , she was part of the committee that hosted Doctor Taki and a couple of students from his class to pitch the project for KPBS , explore. The.
S4: The. Voices.
S1: Voices.
S23: Davia team presented their application , and I knew immediately this was a perfect fit for KPBS.
S1: Given the uniqueness of the project , Lisa advocated to fast track the process.
S4: And she pledged to commit resources from her department.
S1: The resources being us , the Port of Entry team.
S23: I was immediately an advocate for taking on this project. I saw immediately that it would be an easy collaboration to take our podcast teams and our specifically port of entry and connect with those , um , young creators and really amplify their voices and give them a platform where they can be seen and heard.
S4: So we were briefed , and Julio , a former teacher , was ecstatic at the side of this collaboration and to get a chance to work with young people one more time.
S1: The mentorship would involve constant feedback and direction and two bootcamps for the students.
S4: One at their location in El Centro and one at our station on the Sdsu campus.
S1: The first one took place in early December.
S4: The day had come for the first encounter. The Port of Entry team , along with radio ops specialist Rebecca Chacon.
S1: And the finest producer Anthony Wallace.
S4: Made it to Central Union High School to lead the first of two boot camps for Doctor Takis. Class.
S24: Right here. Yep. So.
S2: Go on , guys , what's going on ? Is everybody doing awesome ? Look at this. Sorry , faces.
S1: Julio led this bootcamp. He opened the day introducing the team to the class.
S2:
S4: But as it is with all of his jokes.
S25: It fell a little flat.
S2: I am. Julio.
S26: Julio. This.
S2: This. I am the producer for Port of Entry at KPBS. This is my wonderful team. This is Natalie Gonzalez , the host of the show. The other host. I could not be here. This is our sound guy and sound designer , Alan Villalobos. Right here with the camera is Mr. Rebecca Chacon. And this is Anthony , a recent hire from Arizona.
S1: The students were all a bit shy. Julio went through the rundown of the day , hoping that would encourage them to step outside their show.
S2: So here's what we're going to do today. Um , we will be going to the intro , presenting ourselves , getting a small chance for you to ask the questions. I was thinking of doing a couple of icebreakers , but we're kind of pressed for time , so we'll do a really quick one. Um , Anthony's going to talk about why podcasting is cool and important. Then I'm going to go into how to build an episode. After that , I will be doing the first workshop and Natalie will take you to the second workshop. Then we'll break for lunch. Then Adrian will take over the third workshop , and then we'll all get together and work on the final project together. It's a little of a boot camp session. Cool.
S4:
S2: Before we do that , let's just try to make sure we kind of get into the motion of being comfortable participating. So what are we able to get at ? The show to continue to integrate with the rest of the guys.
S1: Like typical high school students , they thought they were too cool for Julio's icebreakers. I mean , it was a little cringe.
S25: It took a bit of encouragement.
S4: But after some goading from Julio , they were all in the middle of the room.
S2: So everybody in the middle please try to make a circle. Shoulder to shoulder. If the team can please integrate with the students. Oh , yeah. There you go. So we're going to play a quick icebreaker. Nicole , this is my neighbor. So.
S27: It's a lot. This is my neighbor. Oh , okay.
S2: So don't be shy. Come on. Get inside. Get into the circle.
S1: We started with a quick couple of rounds of. This is my neighbor.
S4: A simple gamer. You would need to introduce the people in the circle who went before you through the force of memory.
S1: Just to have everyone get to know each other.
S2: So where should we start ? Where should. Where should we start ? Point. That's how. I mean , I don't know about my life easier. All right. My name is. My name is Julio. And I like soccer. Okay. And then you say , this is my neighbor.
S27: Oh , this is my neighbor , Julio. And he likes soccer.
S20: I'm Marley , and.
S27: I like to leave the crater. Okay. Like what ? Tyler the creator.
S2: Tyler , creator.
S27: Okay , cool.
S1: Honestly , it was fun. I didn't know you had that sort of talent. Julio , look at you.
S28: Well , they do call me the youth whisperer.
S1: Yeah , okay.
S4: Another joke D.O.A..
S1: Anyway , the icebreaker set the tone for an interactive day.
S4: After that , each KPBS team member presented on a specific podcasting topic. The workshops ranged from interviewing and recording envy to writing and sound design.
S1: Every team member brought their own unique insights on delivery and technique.
S4: Natalie led her own workshop.
S29: But you , the person who is interviewing I want you to try to understand , to really understand why this person loves this thing.
S4:
S30: And then we're also going to layer in some stuff in Anbe so we can leave a little bit of room. So right now we'll leave it like that and we'll kind of isolate everything. Then we can go here and cut it down. And again , we're just kind of like making sure it all kind of flows.
S1: So the students had their chance to practice taking off to the school yard to gather soundscapes or get into groups of 2 or 3 to practice their interview skills.
S4: The finest podcast producer Anthony was there to assist the Anisha and Stephanie with a mock interview. Janessa.
S8: Janessa. Stephanie.
S15: Stephanie.
S31:
S32: Stephanie.
S31: That's a topic , remember ? Okay. Okay.
S32: Okay.
S4: The students compiled all the material they had recorded in the workshop from that day.
S1: With the help of our own sound designer , Adrian. They produced a short sample clip.
S4: This wasn't a final product , but just a rough cut to give them a taste of what was ahead of them.
S1: Here is what we all did together in class.
S33: We started off our day by meeting in Mr. Takis classroom. Some strangers arrived later than expected as they walked in. The vibe went dead serious. To our surprise , The Strangers were visitors from KPBS.
S34: The visitors had a welcoming energy straight away. Then one of the visitors introduce himself as Julio Ortiz.
S13: He apologized for being late and introduced the rest of the strangers who were in his team. Natalie was the co-host of this show. Adrian was the sound designer. Rebecca the operations manager.
S12: And lastly , there was Anthony , who.
S35: Was the art and podcast producer.
S36: Julio introduced a game called My Neighbor that served as an icebreaker. He wanted to make sure that we were introduced to the whole class.
S1: Pretty neat huh ? Before we left , Julio gave them some homework. While we didn't record the part where he assigned the homework.
S4: Here's his reenactment.
S37: So , guys , using the tools you have learned today , the next time we meet at KPBS , you need to have something ready to track or record in the booth. Cool.
S1: The assignment left the class looking excited , but nervous. Of course , we couldn't leave on that note , so.
S2: All right , guys , before you go , we got something for you guys. That's a gift from. We got stuff for.
S24: You guys , so.
S2: We got some port of entry merch sent out to you guys , so.
S24: All right.
S1: The team left the room with applause from the students , feeling exhausted , but with a fulfilling sense of accomplishment.
S4: On the drive back , Anthony asked for Natalie's reflections on this experience with Doctor Takis. Class.
S31: Natalie , can I interview you again now that we finished ? Okay.
S1:
S38: Down the music a little bit ? Oh , yeah. Uh.
S32: Uh.
S38: It went pretty well. I think the kids were great. They were paying attention , and I wasn't expecting that. They were pretty interested. They showed a lot of interested. They were participating and it looked like they're very interested in podcasting because , I mean , it's popular.
S39: It's a popular. Yeah.
S38: Yeah.
S39: Thing for like the younger generation , you know , they see all these people , all these influences. I mean , you know.
S38: And also it wasn't expecting like those voices , like they have pretty good voices. I really I really enjoyed listening to their voices , like the kids that participated in narrating the story. They have pretty good voices , like very neat and clean voices. I like that , yeah , it was pretty cool , I enjoyed it. No , I'm so tired and drained.
S4: She and the team felt accomplished , and she couldn't fully relish in that fulfillment without busting out in full musical van mode.
S38: Now it's time to sing. Hit it , my son.
S40: Can you stay calm for once instead of laying out the handle ? I hope you're happy. I hope you're happy now. I hope you're happy. How you are to prosper.
S29: You haven't seen. Wicked.
S40: Wicked. Thank you. I hope you're. Happy.
S29: Happy.
S40: You're wicked. You're happy too. I hope you're proud. Get out ! Grovel in submission to. Your.
S29: Your.
S40: Own ambition. So I can't imagine how. I hope you're happy right now.
S1: Port of entry will be back after a short break.
S4: You're listening to port of Entry. Boot camp part two rolled in February of this year.
S2: How's it going ? Welcome , guys. Welcome , welcome.
S4: KPBS pulled all the stops to make Doctor Takis class feel at home catering , the nice company drapes and the station tour.
S1: The plan today was to track material. Julio did a roll call to help remember everyone's names.
S2: So before we get started , let's go through your names so that we can kind of connect the face. So again , what is your name ? Johan.
S27: Johan.
S2: Johan. Louder , please. Morty.
S27: Good morning. Marley.
S2: Marley. Manuel. Mia.
S27: Mia. Sam.
S29: Sam. Sam.
S2: Sam.
S4: Julio then handed the mic to our Chief Content and Communications Officer , Nancy Worley for some welcoming remarks and to kick off the station tour. Awesome.
S2: Awesome. All right , we got some opening remarks for Nancy.
S27: Oh , perfect.
S41: Welcome , everybody. So , as you know , you're our first youth created podcast. Uh , your stories are important. They matter to us. I hope they matter to you. We're really excited to hear what you're going to do today. And we've got fun things planned. You get to go in the studio , you get to test , you get to take risks. You've got an incredible team of people here that are creative , that are wanting to help you improve your project and get things going , so we're excited to have you with us.
S1: Right after the station tour , the class split into three groups , each led by a different port of entry team member.
S4: One by Nat , one by yours truly , and one by Julio. They would all get to carousel around three different recording booths to track their material. Naturally , there were a few dog ate my homework type cases. Some students were ready to go , while others not so much.
S1: But for a few , like Philippe and Dominik , being unprepared didn't stop them from having a productive session. It gave them a perfect chance to just warm up to the mic.
S13: Okay , so , uh , today I'm here with Dominic and my name is Philippe. So this topic is , um , you know , a little on the more sensitive side because , I mean , it's it's it is a reoccurring problem. So drugs , partying , you know , pregnancies. Yeah. And like everyone's doing it.
S12: He's great.
S4: Others came more prepared with a plan , like Sam , who was about to get interviewed by her teammate Philippe.
S1: Radio operations specialist Rebecca was coaching Philippe through the intercom on how to lead the interview with some.
S42: Um , so I think we're going to move on because that was great. Okay , uh , the next thing you guys are going to ask , you're going to ask her questions ? Yes. Great. So , uh , I'll count you in , and then we'll get going. Okay. Okay. Great. In three , two , one. Okay.
S13: Okay. Uh , so tell me , Sam , uh , what what has it been like ? So you live with your.
S43:
S13:
S43: They they treat me more as an equal , not as so much like they're. Well , obviously they raised me , but they do consider me as more of an adult because I am already 18 , so they put a lot of trust in.
S1: Me in the other booth. Adrian was in the intercom directing while Alan was coaching the students with some warm up pointers.
S4: The mic. You don't have to get closer to it , but as much as you can talk at towards the. Mic.
S30: Mic.
S4: Your general body should be positioned towards the mic. And like I was saying , you want to be yourself , but also there's a performance element. To.
S12: To. It.
S4: It. So turn yourself up to a couple knobs on the volume. Knob.
S27: Knob.
S30: Within yourself.
S4: Within yourself.
S2: Not not your actual volume.
S4: I mean , like. You're.
S30: You're. Being.
S27: Being.
S4: You know , like exaggerate a little bit how you would say things , your emotions. If you feel 1% sad , turn that up to 15 because the microphone wants those peaks and valleys , as I said.
S1: Then he led them through it , easing them into the mic and having them feel a bit more natural and at home in their own podcast voice before. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. Before we start , just can you briefly tell me a little bit about this , this show that you guys are on the podcast , what it's about.
S33: We're we're going to talk about the recreational activities there is for us to do in the Valley , not just in school , but like overall.
S4: Just some of your guys's favorites. Uh , just in general , what there is. To.
S27: To.
S33: Do kind of like the biggest things that practically everyone likes to do. And we're also going to talk about some of the stuff we personally do.
S4: Okay , cool. Well , let's get started. And , you know , like like with.
S12: The other group , I'll. We'll.
S2: We'll.
S4: Do one round of it and then I'll give you some pointers and maybe we can do it. Again.
S27: Again.
S1: Just in case you're wondering , that was Stephanie , the student producer from episode one titled embraced by.
S4: On the other side of the station. Julio was with Mia and Marlee , the siblings who produced a very personal episode about homelessness.
S2: Okay , so what is the question that you were going to ask ? Are we recording ? Okay. Can you direct your questions towards each other and say , what were you're asking each other ? Well , what you plan to ask each other.
S20: Um , when we. Were.
S27: Were.
S20: In that stage of life. How did it affect you ? Because we were both different ages and going through the different problems.
S44: Okay. Um , it affected me a lot because I saw my mom alone a lot , so I had to be I. Well , since my parents were always fighting , I had to take Marley like to the closet and , like , I will have to , like , hide it away from them. Like from early , from situations. So when all of that happened , um.
S2: So okay , let's try to do like a complete sentence before. So , um , let's say when we , when I was homeless , um , this situation happened , okay.
S44: When I was homeless , it was hard to go to school because we didn't really have a car. I remember we will have to ask , um , people , for rides to school.
S1: Mia and Marley's story will be available in the later part of this season of voices del Valle.
S4: Throughout the day , more students took their turn and practiced their stories for the day they would track.
S1: Back at the pre-launch party. After all the guests had gone home , Julia sat down with Doctor Taki to reflect on the project's journey.
S4: That's when he shared that while managing the class , he'd been navigating a difficult personal struggle behind the scenes.
S2: What's the , uh.
S45: You got to see the kids step in and and share their , I mean , their. Postmortem.
S2: Postmortem.
S45: Or so.
S2: About what they did.
S45: Um , how do you feel about. Closing.
S10: Closing.
S45:
S10: Um , but it's nice to have closure , you know , that basically , uh , I was out of. I was out of school for the last six weeks of school , for the most part. I mean , um , you know , I was going through a cancer radiation treatment process that , um , fortunately , it didn't render me useless. Uh , and I was really pretty fortunate that that honestly , the the clinic is literally across the street from where I live. So I could walk , you know , I'd walk to treatment and come back and take a nap and then , um. Um.
S45: Um.
S10: The , uh , generally I would come over here , uh , maybe an hour a day for.
S45: Close up stuff.
S10: But we didn't get this complete closure of having a listening party or the ability for the kids to. Hear.
S45: Hear.
S10: The end product.
S4: You could hear the exhaustion in his voice , the toll of building this project while undergoing cancer treatment.
S1: And yet his eyes were beaming with a look of pure satisfaction for what he and his students had managed to create.
S10: Um , I'm really proud of them. You know , they. I was happy to see as many of them be able to come in today. As you know , we're in the middle of summer. Um , the vast majority of them have graduated. So , um , for them to show up was was very cool. And , uh , um , you know , it also tells us that they , that they are invested in and what they've done. It wasn't , you know , just a haphazard , I'll get a grade for this type of thing.
S4: Just like any other project. There were moments of self-doubt where they lost confidence and direction. Luckily , Doctor Tak was there to pep up the spirits.
S10: Yeah , I mean , there was once where they doubted themselves , and , um. You know , you got to find what is it that they're doing really well with it because in some of their doubt , there's there's probably some truth , you know , that it isn't very good. Um , but they were all selected because they had something to bring to the table. And , um , you know , it's just kind of a. Well , let's let's regroup on this , you know , what do you think ? And and , uh , what do we have to do to make this work ? And , um , generally , it did happen.
S1: Before sharing his final thoughts , we asked if there was anything he would do differently next season.
S2:
S10: The story topics early on themselves and start building it. And I'll , um , we kind of laid out a variety of story topics , and some were student driven , some were from our original application. And I think we're kind of past that at this point now that we really need to figure out , you know , what is voices Del Valle going to talk about ? It's been a really great experience. The whole , you know , um , the process of , of , of going through this project is , you know , it's taken a lot longer than maybe I thought it was. I was going to um , but I understand the process better at this point in time. Uh , but every step of the way is. There's been really good value. And , um , I know that the students really enjoy what we're doing. I know , um , uh , admin is appreciative of of what we're doing with the kids and , um , you know , it's going to be a really great product.
S1: Voices is a project that instantly felt the pull from the whole of KPBS.
S4: As with all student led initiatives , there was a learning curve. However , this journey was designed to inspire students to become the next leaders of their generation while helping them develop the tools to overcome any future challenges they may encounter. Everyone involved poured so much heart and soul into the realization of this project.
S1: Doctor Taki and the students hope you enjoyed the podcast.
S4: We certainly hope you do too.
S1: Voices Del Valle is out now. New episodes drop every Monday. Listen to it. Wherever you get your podcasts.
S4: Special thanks to the finest producer Anthony Wallace , radio operations specialist Rebecca Chacon and technical producer Ben Redlich for their help.
S1: This episode of Port of Entry was written and produced by Julio Cesar Ortiz Franco.
S4: Adrian Villalobos technical producer and sound designer.
S1: This episode was edited by Alma Gonzalez Lima Brandao and Julio Cesar Ortiz Franco.
S4: Liza Jane Morissette is director of audio programming and operations.
S1: This program is made possible in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting , a private corporation funded by the American people. Soy yo soy Natalia Gonzalez. Nos vemos. Pronto.
S46: Pronto.
