WSU students have created a new podcast, “Covid, College Chaos” to give tips on thriving as a college student during the pandemic. Each of the three-episode podcast covers a practical topic including how to spend time wisely while planning for the future, tips about self-care and how to get involved in outdoor recreation.
Each episode is co-hosted by a different pair of students, featuring interviews with WSU faculty who give insight on how to make the best out of the college experience in spite of challenges posed by the pandemic.
“We really want this to be something they can get something out of, whether it’s funny, relatable or helpful,” said Shaylee Stevens, a senior studying public relations and advertising, who worked on the podcast.
The podcast is a product of Professor Leslie Howerton’s Comm 4500 class, “Topics in Public Relations.”
The class changes topics every semester and fall 2020 was supposed to cover PR production, Stevens said.
Due to pandemic restrictions, Howerton had to shift the approach of the class, and the students collectively decided to do a podcast, Stevens said. The flexibility of a podcast allowed for remote collaboration via Adobe Audition or for the co-hosts to plan how to meet in-person.
With the class being an upper level class, the podcast creators also touch on the big question of what will happen when college is over.
“A lot of us are getting ready to graduate in April,” said Olivia Bailey, another PR and advertising major who worked on the podcast. “We are all thinking, how do we find a career when that happens? Everything feels like it is shut down.”
In the first episode, “Navigating College During Covid,” released Nov. 25, Bailey and Dusty Hinze addressed this uncertainty as they spoke to Amelia Williams, advisor for Career Services and the College of Arts and Humanities at WSU.
Williams emphasized there are many resources available to students who need help finding future direction, even during this time of COVID-19 restrictions. She also believes that a lot of students do not seek much-needed help earlier because they think Career Services can only help those who are about to graduate and enter the workforce.
“Certainly, we do help at that stage, but we can help students the minute they become Wildcats,” she said.
Aside from helping to pin down internships and the after-college job, Career Services can provide students with resources to research different career fields, which can help students decide on the right major early on.
The second episode, “Mental Health & Self Care,” hosted by Stevens and Mikaela Bingham, will release Dec. 2, and the third episode, “Outdoor Recreation,” hosted by Callia Oyama and Chase Moffett, will release Dec. 9.
“Covid, College Chaos” is available via the SoundCloud app and website.
