Voices del Valle is a youth-led podcast spotlighting powerful coming-of-age stories from California’s Imperial Valley. Told through the eyes of local teens, each episode dives into real experiences of growing up in a rural, tight-knit, and culturally rich border community. From navigating mental health and multigenerational households to chasing dreams in sports, music, and media, these stories reveal the resilience, creativity, and identity of young people forging their own paths. Whether facing homelessness or finding purpose through podcasting, Voices del Valle captures what it truly means to come of age in el Valle — with honesty, heart, and hometown pride.
Voices del Valle
Voices del Valle is a youth-led podcast spotlighting powerful coming-of-age stories from California’s Imperial Valley. Told through the eyes of local teens, each episode dives into real experiences of growing up in a rural, tight-knit, and culturally rich border community. From navigating mental health and multigenerational households to chasing dreams in sports, music, and media, these stories reveal the resilience, creativity, and identity of young people forging their own paths. Whether facing homelessness or finding purpose through podcasting, Voices del Valle captures what it truly means to come of age in el Valle — with honesty, heart, and hometown pride.
Hosted by Dr.Tacke’s 2024-25 audio production class at Central Union High School
Episodes
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In this episode of Voices del Valle, three students discuss their experiences of being raised by grandparents and how that came to be. -
Growing Up & Raising Up is the story of a teenager who became a mother during her freshman year in high school and how she managed to learn to be a mom and a successful high school student.
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Conversations with celebrities from the Imperial Valley. For Season 1 of Voices del Valley, the celebrities are all graduates of Central Union High School. This episode features the California Angels Spanish Language play-by-play announcer Marco Peralta -
Modern high school students often see their worlds through a wide variety of lenses. “The 3 A’s” shares the experiences of five Imperial Valley teens that see their worlds through the lenses of autism, anxiety, or ADHD.
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High school music programs are an important part of many student’s daily schedules. This is especially true at Central Union High School where the music offerings are many and diverse. In this episode of Voices del Valle, you will hear from students that are creating music in ways most schools do not offer.
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This episode is a conversation with a celebrity who graduated from Central Union High School. This episode features the smooth jazz recording artist and professor Walter Beasley. -
Heat & Hope: A Valley Story is about being a homeless family in the Imperial Valley. Told by a sister and brother, you will hear their experiences and hopefully come to understand how easy it can come to be homeless.
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The Imperial Valley is a place that has a small town feel, a place where everybody seems to know everybody. But when the new kid comes to your school and is from outside The Valley, the question is raised, “What are you doing here?”
