Patricia Stark is on one Santa Barbara's jewels of journalism. For 30 years she served as the faculty advisor for The Channels, Santa Barbara City College's award-winning newspaper. She brought her tough, fiery brand of journalism to multiple generations of students — and became one of the most respected and beloved teachers in the college's history. In this podcast, Stark talks about the importance of student media, explains her teaching method and the ways she learned from her students. Molina was one of Stark's students and he shares some of his memories, including Stark's "I guess I am gonna have to give a lecture on how to read a phonebook," moment that forced him to work harder. Stark got her start working for the Contra Costa Times and recalls her time working as a reporter. She grew up poor in White Castle, Louisiana, the youngest of six children. Her mother went to the third grade, and her father went to the 7th. In addition to teaching for 30 years, Stark is married to her husband Bill, and they have two children.

Stark and Molina also recall some of the many names of students who have gone through the program, including the "heyday" of the mid-1990s, including Daniel Jimenez, Joshua Fischer, Maja Johnson, Elise Johnson, Kristiana Bertelsen and more. This podcast is a great window into one of the greatest journalism minds of our era and someone who has had a profound and long-lasting impact on thousands of students.

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