Popping the Bubble

Happy Sunday! In this episode we commemorated the ending of our freshman year of college with a fun game of 21 questions. From campus crushes to our most regrettable and embarrassing moments, nothing was off the table! Turning our experiences into entertainment with a hint of unsolicited advice....

Happy Sunday! In this episode we interviewed Nicole Parks, a friend and current Division 1 collegiate basketball player. We asked her everything! From how she knew basketball was her first love, and the transition from high school to college, to the reality for Black women in sports. She shared her personal experiences and gave us an exclusive teaser about what we can expect from her in the future.

Happy Black History Month! In the third and final episode of this BHM series, Tharaly and Karla discuss examples of Black Resistance, from the art produced during the Harlem Renaissance to the resistance of hegemonic Euro-centric beauty standards by embracing hairstyles that nurture the Black identity. We conclude our BHM series with Black History Trivia, testing the knowledge of special guests: Jasmine Kennedy, Kade Walton and Tony Franco. Happy Black History Month!

Happy Black History Month! In the second episode of this BHM series, Tharaly and Karla talk about something that they are incredibly knowledgable about: Black Twitter. Despite the fact that Twitter is a platform that was created in a dominant culture that actively works to exclude Black people from producing digital media objects, Back Americans have revolutionized Twitter's digital platform and reappropriated Twitter into a digital homespace. Black Twitter is a sacred space for discourse among Black Americans where they are free to make social, political, and cultural commentary that otherwise wouldn't be received in the "real world." We hope you enjoy as we talk you through exactly how and why Black Twitter has become a cultural phenomenon.

Happy Black History Month! This year we are so excited to kick off the theme of Black Resistance by catching up on current events. We start off this episode by paying tribute to Tyre Nichols and the legacy of joy he left behind. We also discuss the Grammys' Album of the Year controversy while also celebrating the many incredible Black artists that were honored for their talents. We also talked about the groundbreaking history being made by Black athletes, including this Sunday's Super Bowl game and HBCU sports. Lastly, we discuss the College Board's exclusive AP curriculum in addition to the books being banned in American public schools. Altogether, we made it a point to highlight Black Excellence, in all its forms!

Happy first Sunday of Season 2!!!!! Catch up with us as we give updates on our lives and the future of the podcast! Get ready to watch us tackle adulthood and ELEVATE!

On our last episode at St. George's along with three of our closest friends, we each wrote a letter to John Diman, the founder of SG. Each of our letters is unique to our experience and bears our final message to the institution that has taken up so much of our lives throughout these last four years. To the St. George's community, thank you for supporting this podcast, we wouldn't have grown without you. And to our friends, Yasmin, Jane, Grace, and all those who we haven't named, the love you've shown us will always stay with us!

Happy Sunday y'all! This Sunday we had an exceptional guest, Grace Ellison, a dear friend and UK resident on the podcast to take a break from discussing the U.S. We talked about the blatant racism that Meghan Markel endured from many facets of society including the royal family and the media. We even dissected the dichotomous media interpretations of the events between US and UK residents. We ended this episode with some current events and discussed our thoughts on the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade and what that may look like. As always, we implore you to look further into the topics we've discussed and to stay educated.

Happy Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. In the first part of this episode, we acknowledged the significance of the AAPI community and why it is important to celebrate this month. In the second half, we honor May 1st which is National Decision Day—when first-year applicants make college decisions—by talking about our college processes. We went through the ups and downs and gave a lot of advice about what not to do. As always everyone's college process is different and we hope you listen with the intent to hear someone else experiences. Happy National Decision Day to all Seniors!

In this very special episode, we had the opportunity to interview two special guests, musicians Miriam Elhajli and DJ Scaife who are singers and songwriters of folk, pop, and gospel music. They retold their individual journeys to arrive at this point in their music careers, and the impact it has had on their lives. We hope that through their experiences and wisdom you find a new appreciation for music and the powerful impact it can have in your lives.

Happy Women's History Month! In this episode, we talked about the origins of Women's History Month, Equal Pay Day, and some of the women in our lives who inspire us. We also delve into the historic Supreme Court nomination and confirmation hearing of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. We explain the process and highlighted what we deemed as some of the most notable moments. As always, we hope you listen with the intent to learn something new and do your own research beyond what we have discussed.

To end our Black History Month series, we brought on a special guest, Toni Woods Maignan, who is an alumni and friend. She spoke to us about her experience at St.George's and what drove her and others to create SG's Black Alumni Council. Not only has she made an impact on the school community, but she is also making strides in traditionally white male-dominated workspaces. As always, we hope that you listen to learn something, and we thank you all for tuning into our BHM series. Remember to celebrate Black history every day of the year. Happy Black History Month!

In accordance with this year's Black History Month theme of mental health and wellness, this week we brought on three guests, our friends Alpha Barry and Bilal Khan, and expert Dr. David Dove, who is a clinical psychologist. We got real about our journeys as Black women and men to come to terms with how important mental health and wellness is to us, and how Dr. Dove feels being one of few Black male psychologists. Through experiences and life lessons from our conversations, we hope that everyone finds the resources to continue to better their mental health. TW: This episode includes some triggering conversations about suicide and mental health disorders, please listen at your own discretion.

1804! To kick off our Black History Month series, we have dedicated our first episode to Haiti. We talk about its history before and after 1804, which is when it gained its independence; the struggles, the beauty, and the culture of it all. Haiti is an essential part of Black History all over the world and it was time that we recognized that. Happy Black History Month!

Happy Sunday everyone! In our last episode of the year, we got real about our 2021 experience and try to pinpoint the exact moment where it all went wrong. In our recap, we talked about our goals from 2020 and shared the people and activities that got us through the year. Lastly, we set some new goals and expectations for the coming year. Thanks for tuning in and Happy Holidays!

Happy Sunday Everyone! We are back from our hiatus, with a long segment of “What's Poppin'” about current events. We talk about the results of trials, including the trial for the murders of Ahmaud Arbery. We also invited a special guest, Yasmin Serrano, to talk about the Rittenhouse Trial. In other news, we talked about Barbados becoming a new republic, and pay tribute to the late Virgil Abloh! Lastly, we end with some talk about music and the best albums to come out this year. As always please educate yourselves and enjoy!

Happy Monday everyone! In this episode of Popping the Bubble, Karla had the opportunity to interview Steven Campos about his experiences as a Latinx man, especially as it pertains to our school community. In the second half, we bring back our "What's Poppin" segment to discuss the dangers of the Texas abortion ban, the inhumane conditions Haitians immigrants have suffered at US borders, and acknowledge October 11 as Indigenous People's Day. Lastly, we took some time, in the end, to celebrate our one-year anniversary since we started Popping the Bubble. Thank you for listening!

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! In this two-part series, we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and discuss the intricacies of the Latinx identity. Karla talks about what it means to be Latinx and the rich culture that comes with it. We also had an interesting discussion about whether or not Tharaly can be considered Latina. The verdict is still out on that one. Lastly, Karla shared one of her biggest role models in the Latinx community. As always, we hope you enjoy it!

In the last episode of our PWI series, we invited Alex Gaines and Zuriel Jiménez to share their experiences at a PWI. We discuss their DEI initiative and the successes and hardships that came along with it. They openly shared their stories at PWI's and what they are looking forward to most. As always we hope that you listen with the intent to listen to others and learn from their experiences.

Happy Sunday Everyone! We are back with the second episode of the PWI series. We shared more of our stories, talked about certain events, and gave some more advice about navigating PWIs as BIPOC. Once again, we hope you listen with the intent to learn something. 

Happy Sunday everyone! We want to preface this by saying that we are incredibly grateful for the opportunities afforded to us by and through our school, that being said, the reality for many BIPOC at PWI's (predominantly white institutions) can be mentally taxing and sometimes traumatic. We shared our stories and experiences of some of our most difficult moments at a PWI in this episode. As always, we hope you listen with the intent to listen and learn!

Happy Sunday, we are finally back! In this episode of Popping the Bubble we talk about some current events; Haiti's presidential assassination, the great Simone Biles and her decision to withdraw from the Olympics, and Dababy's homophobic and ignorant comments, and the dangers of his influence. We also give props to some amazing women doing amazing things. As always, we hope you stay informed. Until next time!

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! In this episode of Popping The Bubble, we talk about the history of Pride Month and some terms that we think everyone should know. Karla also shares what being a part of the LGBTQ+ community means to her and we have an open discussion about what it looks like to be an ally. In our second part, we bring back our What's Poppin segment about current events and talk about the new harmful transgender laws and Naomi Osaka's powerful statement. We hope you enjoy and happy pride month!

Happy Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month! On this episode of Popping The Bubble, we invited three guests—Chloe Chisholm, Min Lee, and Kyle Layne-Allen—to speak about what it means to stand in solidarity with the AAPI community. We engaged in deep and reflective conversation about what “allyship” truly means and looks like. The lack of representation for the APPI community and the scarcity of knowledge about what they face is not talked about as much as it should be. We hope that this episode serves as a gateway for people to be better allies. Thanks for listening and engaging with us! 

Happy six months of Popping The Bubble!! In this very special episode, we start with our current events segment, “What's Poppin” and discuss the Dereck Chauvin Trial, the Arkansas Anti-Trans Laws, and the new voting laws in Georgia. We talk about why it's important to stay educated about new legislation in your state and others, especially when those laws are meant to target specific groups of people. In the second portion of the episode, we celebrated our six-month anniversary by playing some games from who knows who best, to unpopular opinions, and even a vocab test for Tharaly. Thank you for all the love and support these past six months! We can't wait to see where this goes!

In this episode of Popping The Bubble, we bring a special friend, Camryn Flessel, to celebrate Woman's History Month with a discussion about the different ISMs. Whether your a feminist, womanist, or practice Intersectional Feminism, we talk about it all. In the second portion of the episode, we've started our new segment called “What's Poppin,” about current events. In it, we talk about Haiti's political problems and the ongoing violence against Asian people that has taken place since the start of the pandemic. We hope this episode is informative. Stay educated and enjoy! 

In this episode of Popping The Bubble, we talked to one of our biggest role models, Dr. Kim Bullock, about her experiences. Dr. Bullock is currently the head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at St. George's, in addition to teaching and advising students. We asked her about her journey as a black woman who has navigated the realm of education and predominately white institutions. She is a true inspiration! After our discussion with Dr. Bullock, we took the time to discuss the history and significance of the Equality Act at the end of the episode. We hope you enjoy it! 

In the final episode of our Celebrating Black History series, we bring a friend, Chyra Wiliams, to talk about the amazing Black people who are changing the world today! We know that these people will be talked about for decades for making an impact through their work and by being who they are. We hoped you learned something this month and while the calendar only gives us one month a year, we must continue to celebrate Black History, Black Joy, Black love, and all things Black, every day!

In the third episode of our Celebrating Black History series in honor of Black History Month, we pay tribute to the late Cicely Tyson. We talk about her childhood, her career, her awards and recognition, and the legacy she left behind. We recognized all the amazing things she did for Black women in the industry and we hope that her life and achievements are embraced forever. In the second part of this episode, we catch up on how our Black History month has been going, what shows and movies we have been watching, and what we have been listening to. With one more week left of Black History month, we hope you guys are engaging and learning something new. See you next week for the last episode of Black History Month!

This episode of Popping the Bubble is a continuation of our Celebrating Black History series in honor of Black History Month. We focused on a group of people who we feel don't get the recognition they deserve: queer black icons. In particular, we highlighted the lives of activist, Marsha P. Johnson, and esteemed writer, James Baldwin. We told their stories, celebrated their accomplishments, and talked about the legacies that they left behind. We hope you enjoy it! Happy Black History Month!

Happy Black History Month! We are so excited to kick off this "Celebrating Black History" series for you all! In this episode we gave a brief history of Black history and its significance. Additionally, we talked about the legacies that Lucille Clifton and Gordon Parks left behind as a poet and photographer. We hope you enjoy! Tune in next Sunday for the next addition to this series. And go celebrate Black history!

On this episode of Popping The Bubble, we concluded our pop culture series with special guest, Kasamba Amiri. We talked about the treatment of black content creators on TikTok and the disrespect of black women in the music industry among many other fun topics. Thank you to Kasamba for engaging in a passionate conversation with us! We hope you enjoy this episode!

In the last episode of Popping The Bubble of this year, we took the time to reflect on everything that has happened in 2020. We discussed our goals going into the year and how we have coped with all of its events, including the global pandemic and starting this podcast. We hope you enjoy and we'll see you all back in 2021!

On the first episode of our pop culture series we discussed the difference between good and bad media representation. We provided a list of shows and movies that offer great examples of black and queer characters in the media.

On this episode we discussed the results of the 2020 Presidential Election and what it means for the future. We dove into its historical significance and what it means to have the first woman to hold the Vice Presidential position be a woman of color. Enjoy and stay informed!

In the third episode and conclusion to our Black Lives Matter series, we have invited two guests to speak on issues that are important to us all. The first guest is Zuriel Jiménez, a sophomore at St. George's who talks about what it is like to be a student of color at a PWI and what she is doing to benefit the school community. The second guest is Tosan Obatoyinbo, a junior at St. George's who informs us about the effects of SARS and the wide range police brutality that is currently sparking protests in Nigeria.

On this episode we took the time to pay tribute to Breonna Taylor after her unjust death. It was difficult for us to talk about, but it was also necessary. Please continue to remember her name and her story.

Welcome to the first episode of Popping the Bubble. This episode is a short introduction to us and why we chose to start this podcast. Enjoy!