As students across the country don caps and gowns for graduation, big questions about the future loom. One student made a podcast to puzzle through her chosen path.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Recent college graduates across the country may be asking themselves big questions about their futures. One recent graduate turned to the microphone to seek answers, and she was a finalist in NPR’s College Podcast Challenge this year. NPR’s Lauren Migaki has more about this young podcaster.
SHERIDAN FOLLIS: I graduated.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Sheridan Follis, Bachelor of Science, integrated communication.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
FOLLIS: I did pretty good, all considering.
LAUREN MIGAKI, BYLINE: Sheridan Follis at Minnesota State University, Mankato tackled a big existential question.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
FOLLIS: Now that I’ve graduated, I’ve started looking into work, which is terrifying. And I’ve had to figure out why I did all this to begin with.
MIGAKI: Follis is passionate about radio, but she wanted to know, where did that come from? To find out she looked back at her childhood and went to a reliable source of information…
(SOUNDBITE OF FOOTSTEPS)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Hello.
MIGAKI: …Her mom.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
FOLLIS: Tell me a bit about how you saw me growing up.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: You really wanted to be a veterinarian.
MIGAKI: Follis’ mom remembers when her daughter was in the fourth grade and sang at a school performance. She said that was a turning point.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Your singing voice was such a shock to me. How did I not know you could sing the way that you did? People came up to us after and said, she has a beautiful voice. I’m not shocked that you got into something with your voice.
FOLLIS: Singing wasn’t the only thing I was doing in fourth grade. I was trying to run radio shows.
That was part one. Next one will be number 13 and SpongeBob’s Greatest Hits, “Gary’s Song.”
MIGAKI: As she got older, her interest in radio grew.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
FOLLIS: Let me introduce you to the one, the only MAV FM.
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FOLLIS: Twenty students, including myself, joined together to help run the student radio. There, I ended up learning a lot more about audio.
MIGAKI: Once she’d gotten the basics down, Follis launched her own show.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
FOLLIS: My name is Sheridan, and I’m your host for “Meeting With The Majors.” I’m going to ask you ten questions about your major…
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: Oh, my goodness.
FOLLIS: …No more, no less. That’s all you get.
MIGAKI: Along the way, Follis figured out this is what she wants to do with her life.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
FOLLIS: I think I got drawn towards this because I just want to hear people. I want to hear their stories. I want to hear what makes them who they are. Or maybe that’s just a cop-out answer, and I don’t even know why I got into it.
MIGAKI: In some words of advice that may apply to a lot of us, Follis says the why of her chosen career path may not be all that important.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
FOLLIS: Maybe I don’t need to know why I got into anything. Maybe I can just enjoy it.
MIGAKI: Lauren Migaki, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
FOLLIS: That’s all I have for you. Thank you, and keep listening.
I hope you listen to my next track. Thanks very much. Bye.
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Lauren Migaki 2025-07-05 12:00:54
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