Student-Led Podcast Highlights Henninger’s Health Career Pathways

A group of students gathered in Health Professions Instructor Christian Espinosa’s classroom one day after school. Each sat down at a desk, put on headphones, and leaned in toward the microphone perched in front of them.
 
“Welcome to Henninger’s HPP OCC Adventures! Today, we’re here with some of our seniors who are studying at OCC, and we’re going to hear about their experiences,” Henninger junior Emma Batuk said with authority.
 
Thanks to a grant from the SCSD Educational Foundation last year, Mr. Espinosa was finally seeing his vision come to life: a student-led, student-produced healthcare podcast. With the grant funding, he was able to purchase a mixer, professional microphones, top of the line headphones, and more – a complete professional podcasting setup!
 
Two Health Professions juniors hosted the podcast, and several of their Health Professions classmates in their senior year joined as guests. They were asked about how their Health Professions program has changed them, their goals for the future, how future students can prepare for the on-campus experience, and more. In an active discussion, the seniors’ responses led the hosts to ask inquisitive follow-ups.
 
“I really like to make sure people are connected and that they are able to understand things,” Emma explained of her diligence in hosting the podcast. “I want to share what I know, and this is a great way to help do that. I definitely have an interest in podcasting and might continue it in the future – as a side hobby – if given the opportunity! It’s important for people to have a community and to have opportunities to build that community of shared interests.”
 
“I was nervous to participate, but I thought: what if I had had something like this when I started in the Health Professions program?” senior Rama Alkasabra shared. “It would have helped me so much. It would have given me an idea of what to expect and how to prepare. This was my first time podcasting, but it was so fun… I’d definitely do it again!”
 
Moving forward, the Health Professions students hope to bring in outside speakers as podcast guests, including professionals they work with through their work-based learning experiences and connections they make through the HPP program. They also hope that the current group of podcast leaders will be able to train their successors as they prepare to graduate from high school.
 
“This was beyond my expectations,” Mr. Espinosa shared as the first podcast recording wrapped up. “It felt like they have done this before. They performed in their first podcast in a way that I had hoped they would after 8 or 9 recordings! I’m so proud of them. Ultimately, I want my students to be comfortable communicating, answering questions on the spot – these are life skills they’ll need. Plus, this is a great way for us to share the good news about what we’re going at Henninger and in the Health Professions pathway!”


After students edit their podcast, the finished product will be posted to YouTube and possibly Spotify and other platforms down the road. We can’t wait to hear more of these engaging discussions – and for the greater community to learn about the wonderful real-world connections Henninger Health Professions students are making!