P's in a Pod

Nick Padmanabhan, the very first guest of P's in a Pod on Season 1, and Suniya Nsehti, a guest on a summer episode in Season 2, return for the finale of Season 3. After reflecting on what has changed since their original episodes, Nick and Suniya join Nathan, Alisha, and Susan for a discussion on the Capital riots, the power of private companies to control the use of their platforms, and the progress of Mars exploration. The group looks ahead to a new year, making predictions for 2021 and thinking about what they want their future selves to know about their current selves.

*This episode was recorded on January 13, 2020.

Meet Srishti Ghosh: second-year student from Dubai. Srishti discusses how politics has largely become perception and bonds with Ava over their love for baking. An advocate for women empowerment, Srishti has a candid conversation with the other three women on the call about feelings of guilt when it comes to being a "bad" feminist and struggles approaching jealousy and competition among women in male-dominant spaces. Srishti also delivers her hot takes on sparkling water and potato chips, gives her perspective on positivity, and asks the group about the ever-changing dynamics of social media platforms.
*This episode was recorded on December 19, 2020.

Links mentioned:
Future Hope
Dream Children's Home
@nikandlily on Instagram
Alta Mar (High Seas) on Netflix
Las Chicas del Cable (Cable Girls) on Netflix

Meet Daniel Drake: first-year student from Covington, Washington. A future SNL-hopeful, Daniel discusses "personal narrativism", a term he has dubbed for the phenomenon that people are increasingly thinking their lives are like a movie. Passionate about comedy and performance, Daniel performs stand-up (or "sit-down") and delivers a couple of impressions at Susan's request. The two also debate Harry Potter films, weigh the loneliness and social phobias of online school, and explore Daniel's love for maps.
*This episode was recorded on October 31, 2020.

Links mentioned:

Watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix
Watch I'm Thinking of Ending Things on Netflix

Meet Katherine Brubaker: gap-year student from Orange County, CA. Our first gap-year guest shares some insights into what led her to make the decision to take a year off, her experience as a field organizer for the Biden campaign, and what she has planned for the rest of the year. As a vegetarian-turned-pescatarian, she also discusses the environmental implications of meat consumption and the ineffective nature of scare tactics in bringing about real environmental change. Katherine offers up a feminist critique of Twilight, her opinion on low-rise jeans, and what qualities she values in her relationships.
*This episode was recorded on October 18, 2020.

Listen to Just Get A Real Job

Links Mentioned:
Watch Normal People on Hulu
Donate to The International Community Foundation

Meet Adwoa Afrifa: Princeton first-year from Accra, Ghana. She shares her passion for female empowerment and the End SARS movement and highlights the importance of using one’s platform to address such issues. Adwoa and Nathan, both international students, discuss their perspectives on private schools and how their views of the United States have changed over time. While they agree that American football is inaptly named, they disagree on the merits of various shoe brands and the correct ranking of pizza, pasta, and pancakes.
*This episode was recorded on October 24, 2020.

Listen to Why People Do What They Do

Links mentioned:
When Women Rise
Diaspora Support 4 #EndSARS
Fit Your Values
Feminist Coalition
Free Your Mind podcast

Ghanian film director mentioned:
Shirley Frimpong-Manso

Meet Julie Wilson: Princeton sophomore from Newton, MA. She sits down with Ava to discuss how her private school background has influenced her belief in the importance of access to quality public education. As a pre-med student interested in psychology, she also shares how her intersecting passions for science and childhood development have led her to pursue pediatrics. Tune in to hear about her childhood obsession with rabbits, her opinion on manicured lawns, advice for current freshmen, and her answer to the classic question: do pineapples belong on pizza?!
*This episode was recorded on September 19, 2020.

Listen to Make a Change

Links mentioned:
Listen to Let's Talk About from the Pace Center
Article on celebrities' lawns during California's drought
Listen to Nice White Parents from Serial & The New York Times
Donate to Cradles to Crayons: https://www.cradlestocrayons.org/donate-now 

Meet Kelton Chastulik: Princeton senior from Chambersburg, PA. He shares his experience attending Princeton after growing up in a blue-collar family, in a community where "Princeton" is usually an unknown term. As an FLI student athlete from a semi-rural town, Kelton discusses the importance of exploring the intersection of complex identities that are often undermined by stereotypes. Listen as he shares with Nathan and Susan his passion for community service both on campus and in his hometown, his hot take on the importance of writing sem, and his love for listening to music.
*This episode was recorded on October 10, 2020.

Buy your own If I Was President card game: ifiwasgame.com
Check out Tell Me About Your Job: https://tellmeaboutyourjobpodcast.com/

Links mentioned:
"Ivy League Athletics are the new 'Moneyball'" by Liam O'Connor, The Daily Princetonian
"Going home to 'Trump's America'" by Madison Mellinger, The Daily Princetonian
WhoSampled
Taiye Selasi's Ted Talk on local identity
Chambersburg Holiday Book Drive: Website, Facebook
Kalos Academy

Books mentioned:
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Acid for the Children by Flea
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz

Meet (finally) our executive producer, Alisha Somani '23. She joins Susan to tell the story of P's in a Pod, discuss their vision for the podcast (and network) moving forward, describe how they have navigated working together while remaining close friends, and answer questions from listeners. Stay tuned for an exciting Season 3, and follow us on Insta @psinapod to stay updated with our mission and some exciting upcoming news!

Apply to become an Advising Fellow for Matriculate: matriculate.org/apply
Check out Feature Female: featurefemale.com
Fill this out if you would like to be a guest on Season 3: https://forms.gle/Mx6safdYgcSX3gRD9

Ella Gantman '23 is a goalkeeper for Princeton women's soccer. Jovan Aigbekaen '23 is a hurdler for Princeton men's track and field. Nicholas No '22 is a sabreur for Princeton men's fencing. The three of them join Susan (2:27) to discuss their Perspectives on entering the fall without sports (4:34), pros and cons of Princeton's athletics and overall institution (21:46), and their personal experiences as minorities on campus (40:22). The students then baffle at the University's most recent decision to go fully online (53:18) and learn how students can sign up to be poll workers for November (58:13). Finally, the students answer your Pitched questions (1:00:17), determining whether or not non-athletes can ride scooters on campus, first-year regrets, tips on virtual learning, media recs, and how each athlete got into their sport.

Sign up to be a poll worker: https://www.pollhero.org/
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Rohan Jasani '23 and Aparna Shankar '21 are two of the many international students at Princeton. They join Susan (2:30) to discuss their Perspectives on quarantine (3:59), Perceptions of both American and Princetonian cultures (6:18), and the unique space that international students hold at an American university (22:47). They also answer all of your juicy, Pitched questions (30:24), including if Rohan is single, the strangeness of American small talk, thoughts regarding ICE's announcement, and movie/TV recommendations. Finally, the three students discuss Hollywood's enormous cultural capital (54:14) and relate to the peculiar feeling of pride when POCs reach the big screen.

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