Golden Guest Podcast

This episode I chat with my college best friend Sameha Hasan who I met on the second day of college! We talk about our first impressions of each other, funny moments, comparing stem versus business work, share takeaways from college and our favorite Marvel movies/characters, and discuss our differing music tastes.  00:00-00:56 intro 00:57-04:22 how we met 04:23-09:42 first impressions 09:43-19:05 our funniest moments 19:06-29:53 stem vs business 29:54-46:57 takeaways from college so far  46:58-53:30 marvel cinematic universe talk 53:31-56:27 our differing music tastes 56:28-1:08:29 testing sameha's knowledge on my favorite artists 1:08:30-1:09:47 sameha's artist recommendations 1:09:48-1:11:05 last regards from sameha

00:00-01:00 what KicksbySammy is  01:01-03:54 how the idea of KicksbySammy came to be 03:55-05:48 whether Sammy had art experience? 05:49-07:28 asking for advice to launch the business 07:29-09:40 second guessing before launching 09:41-11:27 customer feedback during uprise 11:28-13:07 connecting with customers  13:08-14:44 finding manufacturers 14:45-17:05 initial feelings to getting LLC and income 17:06-19:28 marketing 19:29-21:10 how did you find your pr team, Electrify PR? 21:11-24:24 the message to consumers and what makes KicksbySammy innovative 24:25-25:22 where customer feedback comes from 25:23-27:48 an idea to expand her customer profiles, babies and pets! 27:49-30:20 a memorable KicksbySammy college project vs recently 30:21-32:38 examples of some of her products 32:39-37:17 how do you think your business minor contributed to your business? 37:18-39:28 importance of customer base to a business 39:29-41:13 where Sammy sees KicksbySammy 5 years from now 41:14-43:18 how you can donate to the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research 43:19-44:09 (cont.) partnering with foundations 44:10-44:34 KicksbySammy in three words 44:35-45:24 mission statement from KicksbySammy 45:25-46:27 promo and conclusion

Fortunately for me, I've had a best friend nearly my entire life. Lauren and I just finished our first semesters in our first years in college, so we talked about our growth over time and lessons we've learned. We shared a little about ourselves and did a LOT of reflecting! 00:00-00:37 intro 00:38-03:49 how we met/know each other 03:40-18:00 how sports have impacted us 18:01-21:29 going to the gym  21:30-29:57 our unconventional paths to college (gap year/gap semester) 29:58-35:53 our freshman high school selves versus our freshman college selves 35:54-47:56 lessons we've learned in college 47:57-51:08 how we stay in touch 51:09-55:32 what is the biggest growth we've seen in each other? 55:33-1:00:53 what makes a best friend, a best friend? 1:00:54-1:10:28 what is a funny story that we've shared? 1:10:29-1:12:43 what are our pet peeves about each other?  1:12:44-1:16:00 height comparisons lol 1:16:01-1:21:50 what people misunderstand about us/what we like in people 1:21:51-1:24:22 conclusion

Have you ever wanted college advice from someone's who graduated? Well here it is! I got to catch up with my friend Camilla who just graduated from Brown University. She was a high school senior when I was a high school freshman, and it's been nice to hear how much she's grown and learned! 

TW: discussion about depressive episodes, anxiety, panic attacks, self-harm In this episode, I talk with Ursula about her first impressions of UWCCSC, expressions to audiences without words, and the importance mental health (especially in education systems). We both had different experiences from between January 2020 to now, but we focus on why mental health in institutions should matter. Please look at the link and for Ursula and my dear friend Sofia's GoFundMe for the mental health center in her city: https://www.gofundme.com/f/aydanos-a-trabajar-por-la-salud-mental?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet+spider2v&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

Surprise! A new song recommendation Aftertaste by Nicole Han! In this episode, I talk with Nicole about the release of her first single, music, women in the industry, and college. Nicole is a singer-songwriter at LMU, and I actually saw her on my TikTok for you page before I knew we were attending the same college! Small world, right? Enjoy! 0:00-0:26 intro 0:27-1:21 release of Aftertaste 1:22-2:44 production process for Aftertaste 2:45-5:34 how Nicole got into music, music as an outlet 5:35-6:05 how I met Nicole, tiktok fyp 6:06-7:25 artist association with Olivia Rodrigo, Nicole being her own artist 7:26-8:54 song inspiration ideas 8:55-9:58 the first thing Nicole does with song inspiration 9:59-12:00 women in the music industry 12:01-13:42 Nicole's favorite upcoming artists 13:43-14:14 the power of tiktok 14:15-15:54 Nicole's piano lessons 15:55-16:29 my take on my violin lessons 16:30-17:20 instruments Nicole wants to try 17:21-18:03 Billie Eilish Happier Than Ever drums 18:04-19:55 why Nicole and I chose LMU 19:56-22:54 Nicole's COVID songwriting/school balance 22:55-24:40 what made Nicole want to chose her major/minor 24:58-27:14 Nicole's future place in the music industry/message Nicole wants to give her music audience 27:15-28:20 Nicole's response to her fans 28:21-33:30 olivia (rodrigo) trivia! 33:31-35:19 what Nicole is looking forward to 35:20-38:00 Nicole's red flags in relationships/friends 38:01-38:54 Nicole's message to listeners and conclusion!

In this episode, I talk with Janis about her international school experiences, us meeting at UWCCSC, and the growth we've had from 2018 or 2019 to 2021. It was very interesting to hear how Janis has been able to reflect on her growth and see how parts of her international experiences changed her life, making her the person she is today. 

In this episode, I catch up with Sara on her thoughts of Mauritius, UWCCSC, and Denmark life. We met in August 2019 because we were in the same residential floor (aka house Bandele) at UWCCSC and shared 3 classes as well as one zhixing (aka extracurricular). After being in an IB school in Mauritius, Sara transferred to United World College Changshu China on-campus for four months then had the opportunity to live in a Ranum Denmark bubble. Tune in to hear her stories! 0:00-2:10 introduction 2:11-4:03 finding out about UWC, why Sara wanted to go 4:04-7:31 life in Mauritius, IB in Mauritius vs CSC 7:32-11:47 first thoughts on-campus at UWCCSC 11:48-14:28 Sara's favorite class/extracurricular 14:29-19:25 Sara's UWCCSC highlights 19:26-22:15 little but significant CSC moments 22:16-34:10 Sara's deportation from China (the infamous COVID email) 34:11-34:56 time between UWCCSC and Mauritius 34:57-36:05 school year/weather degrees US vs Mauritius 36:06-41:24 differences between CSC vs Denmark 41:25-48:47 Sara's life in Ranum Bubble 48:48-58:07 Sara's Denmark highlights 58:08-1:00:43 little but significant Denmark moments 1:00:44-1:04:14 Sara's takeaways from international schools, independence and approaching people 1:04:15-1:05:34 not having pictures :0 and traveling to Mauritius/LA 1:05:35-1:07:18 what Sara is looking forward to in college (UBC) Vancouver 1:07:19-1:11:02 conclusion

In this episode, I talk about Heein's triple threat hobbies (hapkido, dance, and singing). Heein is a third degree black belt from San Marino, CA who teaches kids hapkido and will be attending NYU in-person this fall as class of 2024. This past summer she maintained her hapkido studio responsibilities as well as had an internship. We touched on her experiences in her passionate hobbies, as well as international perspectives, internalized racism, and mental health. Enjoy! 00:00-01:24 intro/how we met 01:25-05:14 history behind her hapkido 05:15-08:25 Heein as a role model for her younger brothers 08:26-10:02 Heein wanting to pursue choir 10:03-11:03 siblings! 11:04-12:19 motivation for hapkido in high school, superficial(ness?) of hapkido 12:20-13:25 when Heein started teaching 13:26-15:09 advice for teaching younger kids 15:10-18:12 my teaching story time 18:13-19:24 Heein's passion for choir 19:25-21:01 dance involvement 21:02-23:02 advice for being healthy 23:03-24:05 tips for time management 24:06-25:35 highlights from choir 25:36-31:37 tourists as celebrities 31:38-33:55 little moments from Heein's choir 33:56-38:12 looking at international perspective 38:13-41:40 going from a small town to NYU 41:41-48:43 growth as Asian-Americans, internalized racism 48:44-50:53 maintaining mental health, college online 50:54-55:01 1 second everyday, Q&A a day 55:02-56:59 mentality behind breaking a board 57:00-1:03:11 being a woman in martial arts 1:03:12-1:06:07 Heein's youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_kB365SatT9bMeZ_-ufBJg) 1:06:08-1:07:59 things Heein is looking forward to 1:08:00-1:10:02 anything else for the listeners! 1:10:03-1:11:56 conclusion!

In this episode, I talked with Isabah about his journey to UWC, differences between Bangladesh school and UWC, surprise factors of UWC, COVID/online learning, staying connected with people, stand out UWC memories, and where to travel in Bangladesh. Isabah and I met in our first year together at UWCCSC. Isabah is from Bangladesh, will be attending IEU in Spain, and has an interest in ethical fashion (which people may not commonly know about him!).  00:00-8:41 how Isabah found out about UWC 08:42-14:46 Isabah's journey to UWC from acceptance day to China 14:47-17:49 differences between Bangladesh school and UWCCSC 22:29-26:26 Isabah's culture shocks 26:27-31:29 where Isabah was when we were told to leave China (COVID) 31:30-31:48 technical difficulties lol 31:49-34:40 who i'd want to be sponsored by 34:40-40:08 Isabah's interest in ethical fashion 40:09-46:23 trying to stay in touch with people during COVID 46:24-49:47 long distance relationship during COVID 49:49-53:41 thoughts on online learning 53:42-54:41 Isabah's next travel destination 54:42-56:32 fangirling over olivia rodrigo 56:33-58:11 potential hot ones series and UWC reunion planning 58:12-1:10:02 Isabah and I's best UWC memories 1:10:03-1:13:10 places to go and what to do in Bangladesh 1:13:11-1:19:36 iconic theme songs, Marvel fangirling, and conclusion

In this episode, I talk with my friend Hope Arnett, a rising sophomore women's basketball guard at Caltech, about her student-athlete experience. She's played basketball as long as she's been in school and is majoring in Electrical Engineering. We met at Caltech Womens Summer Stem Camp in 2019, and that was the beginning point of Hope's Caltech recruitment process. We reflected on being student-athletes and lessons she's learned in being a team sport almost her whole life. Enjoy!

This episode I talked with my dear friend Quan about racism in the United States. He came to me in the midst of reading Just Us by Claudia Rankine (an author of a book we both read in our IB English HL class) and wanted to discuss racial discrimination. My friend Quan is from Vietnam, so we went over what it means to have 'insider' vs 'outsider' perspective of the United States. 0:00-1:14 Introduction 1:15-3:54 Journey to UWC 3:55-8:11 What were you surprised by or happy about with UWC? 8:12-10:34 How Quan learned English 10:35-15:11 If there was a holiday or event from UWCCSC you’d want to bring to Carleton (where you’re going in the fall), what would it be and why? 15:12-18:04 As someone who isn’t from the U.S., what pops into your head when you think of the United States? 18:05-22:54 briefly, what does Just Us by Claudia Rankine cover? 22:55-27:56 Do you think international media portrays the U.S. as just white people? 27:57-31:09 How much international media influences perspective on the U.S. 31:10-56:16 Racism in the United States (Black Lives Matter, being a person of color, discrimination, & ways to combat it)

In this episode, I talked with a group of my international friends I met at UWC Changshu China in 2019 (left to right in the cover art: Celine from Netherlands, Amund from Norway, Sarah from Maine, Sebastian from Bermuda, and Zarena from Bali). We reminisced on moments from our international high schools, shared our favorite foods, and made plans for countries we want to go to.  00:00-2:47 introductions 02:48-8:31 journeys to uwc 08:32-13:43 tradition they'd want to bring to their schools 13:43-16:44 any culture shocks they had part 1 16:45-17:13 poor sarah's connection 17:14-21:52 any culture shocks they had part 2 21:53-29:47 naming things/talk about accents 29:48-37:09 who we first met in the group 37:10-45:52 food in China 45:52-50:51 where they'd take their tourist friends 50:52-58:18 what country they'd want to go to 58:19-58:34 closing

This episode I got to catch up with Brandon after he recently returned to Nicaragua from Costa Rica. Brandon attended UWC Changshu China, the Ranum UWC Denmark Bubble, and UWC Costa Rica (for a few months). He is nearly trilingual and is one of the most curious people you'll ever meet. Listen in to hear his international boarding experiences and an insight on introvertedness/high school. 

This episode's a bit long, but it is basically in three parts: nostalgia about elementary school, questions about private school, and random q&a! I met Emily about 3 years ago at the first high school I attended, and she'll be attending Purdue in the fall as Class of 2025. It was so much fun to record that we went over our targeted time, but nonetheless it was amazing to finally catch up :)

In this episode, I don't have a guest but I recall some of my fond memories of UWC Changshu from the time I was there and answer some questions from friends. I didn't want to talk about what happened while I was online because no would probably enjoy me ranting for minutes about how many days were repetitive and nonsense. 

In this episode, I talk with my dear friend Sanaa from Jamaica about her journey to UWC Changshu China, memories from being at an international boarding school, learning languages, thoughts on IB/online learning, and Jamaica as a travel destination. This one was really fun to record, which explains why it's longer than normal, so I've included time stamps for different topics we cover. 0:00 - 5:45 our journeys to UWC (United World College) 5:46 - 7:00 knowing her dear co-year aleigha :) 7:01 - 9:56 differences between Jamaica/UWC, stereotypes about jamaica 9:57 - 14:41 differences between the U.S./UWC 14:42 - 17:43 expectations going into UWC/what Sanaa's first month was like 17:44 - 21:26 what my first month was like 21:27 - 28:59 culture shocks, putting faces to countries/languages 29:00 - 37:30 what we took away from the curriculum 37:31 - 43:30 favorite class/extracurricular, our thoughts on online learning  43:30 - 44:52 my being spoken to in Chinese :0 44:53 - 56:00 where were you at being sent home?/highlights at UWCCSC 56:01 - 1:03:19 highlights of what we worked on and/or did during DLP (Distance Learning Program/online learning) 1:03:20 - 1:10:03 advice about travelling to Jamaica and "overhypeness" of LA 1:10:04 - 1:14:04 what Sanna wants to do/where we'd travel to after covid ends 1:14:05 - 1:19:04 interesting conclusion lol :)

In this episode, I ask Analei about GWC (Girls Who Code) memories, going to a film high school, being in the acting/directing industry, and people/projects she'd like to direct with/on in the future. 

Hey! In this episode I talk with Erin about the fascination behind languages, how we got to UWC, and our international experiences in different parts of the world. We became close from living in the same residential floor (or 'house') at UWCCSC plus we played basketball together. Erin is a good friend of mine from Luxembourg, and I'm excited for you to hear what she has to share! 0:00-11:52 Languages 11:53 Process to going to UWC (leading up to UWC) 22:06 A storm 22:49 Leading up to UWC part 2 26:50 IB (International Baccalaureate) and UWCCSC (United World College Changshu China) experience 37:44 Ranum Bubble in Denmark experience vs UWCCSC experience 43:09 Hobbies picked up during COVID 47:00 Top 5 Influential people to Erin 53:55 Describing 2020 or international experience

In this episode with Emily, we talk about being part of the the Japanese-American community, high school, and Asian representation. This episode's the longest I've done yet, so I made a breakdown of categories and time stamps! 0:49 how we felt turning 18 3:19 how we met 7:05 involvement in the japanese-american community (kizuna youth camps versus kizuna leadership) 10:13 involvement in the japanese-american community (finding out about rising stars) 11:37 my introduction to kizuna, then the mix of kizuna/rising stars 14:22 our experiences in kizuna 16:32 em's yonsei experience 19:46 em's rising stars experience 21:04 my rising stars experience 26:03 em's ties to japanese-american community 30:26 my ties to japanese-american community 35:18 asian representation 43:50 what we wish we knew going into high school/takeaways 46:30 relationships and expectations 55:45 eye contact!  1:01:33 lil intermission 1:02:15 three people on an island island/what we'd tell ourselves a year ago 1:16:35 outro

Hey! This episode I spoke with Diana about her hobbies, life in Belarus, international boarding school experience, and being in a school bubble located in Denmark with some classmates in our year. I hope you guys enjoy!

In this episode, I talk with Sofia about being bilingual, her passion for music, international boarding experience, and experience in her first semester (and a bit) of college. She's been an athlete, composer, student at UWCCSC (United World Changshu China) and Columbia University, and dear friend of mine! I hope you guys enjoy hearing what she has to say.

Hey listeners! This first episode is me telling most of my life story in 53.5 minutes. If you don't know me too well, want to get to know me, or already know me but want to see what I have to say, this first one's for you! Amongst the stuttering, I hope you enjoy!