podcast

Did you watch the debates last night and wonder, "What does any of this mean for someone my age?" Then the politically engaged students at Columbia U might be able to help answer that. Today's post, which wraps up our three-part series, features interviews with the political chair of the Black Student Association and one of the leaders from the College Republicans.

Just a reminder -- the views expressed here don't necessarily reflect the views of the Social Citizens bloggers or the Case Foundation. This presentation simply highlights how students view the intersection of service and politics, and how Millennials overall can play a part.

Ok, CYA moment is over. :) On with the interviews! And thanks for checking out all these terrific examples of students in action.

Sooo, remember that time I conducted a bunch of interviews with students before the ServiceNation candidates' forum and promised to post them? Probably not, because I promised it three weeks ago, and we all have memory spans attuned to a fleeting digital age. :)

That said, there's no better time for a reminder about all the ways Millennials are serving on- and off-campus, particularly as the ServiceNation event hoopla dies down, and the real work of a movement begins. And Social Citizens is doing its part by featuring a series of posts this week that highlight the students, organizations, and causes they dig at Columbia University.

I recorded these on-the-go mini-sessions on Sept. 11 while on the prowl through the student activity fair near Low Library. I did my best to hit on a wide array of missions, program structures, ethnicities, political orientations, and religious views in my interviews.

College usually consists of picking a major, studying for finals, and hanging out with friends. But not for Duke University student Josh Sommer. Instead, he's leading a foundation and conducting cancer research -- all in a fight for his life.

That's because Josh has chordoma, a rare cancer affecting 300 Americans a year. And rather than wait around for more research, he and his mother have taken matters into their own hands and created the Chordoma Foundation to accelerate the search for a cure.

I can't do Josh's remarkable story justice in a blog post alone, so I'm very glad he's our inaugural Social Citizens podcast and can tell you his journey in his own words. His unique perspective -- as a patient, Millennial, and nonprofit executive director -- is one you probably can't hear anywhere else on the Web, so tune in here to find out how this young leader is making some serious lemonade out of one of life's biggest lemons.

Ed. note: There's a full transcript following this note for those of you who prefer to read the interview. Also, many thanks to Josh for being our first podcast guinea pig! As with everything else on Social Citizens, we'll be constantly refining and improving our approach to audio -- so don't be surprised if the format changes in the future. And if you hit any technical glitches, shoot us an email or comment, and we'll get right on it. Thanks!