Podcast Category: Education Chat

Imagine starting your educational career at a community college in Southern California, and ending up with a master’s degree from Yale University. This kind of path may seem unorthodox or unreachable to some, but this is the journey of today’s Education Chat guest.

In the seventh episode of Education Chat’s fifth season, your host Natalie Hinton sits down with recent Yale School of Public Health graduate Pargoal Arab to learn more about her journey. Starting at Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa, California, Arab went on to achieve a total of seven degrees: three associate’s, one bachelor’s, and two master’s, with one of those being awarded from Yale University. With a focus on how air pollution and climate change impacts public health, Arab has been awarded for her research and dedication.

Arab also navigated the difficult challenges of higher education with a learning disability. After battling self-doubt and imposter syndrome, she has managed to accomplish incredible things. July is Disability Pride Month, and Arab’s story is one that deserves to be heard.

Many students may feel pressured or like they are falling behind when it comes to pursuing an education. Pargoal Arab reminds us that everyone has their own different path. No matter where you start, you have the potential to change the world by understanding what resources are available for you to jumpstart your journey. 

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Almost every person at some point or another has played video games. This can include a simple mobile game on your phone, or an intense MMORPG that you have sunk thousands of hours into. For college students especially, video games are among one of the most popular hobbies. They provide a chance for students to unwind and immerse themselves into a world that can become all their own. Many people believe that playing video games can come with negative effects, but your host Natalie Hinton speaks out about how gaming can actually improve a student’s learning habits and general well-being in the sixth episode of Education Chat’s fifth season: Video Games and College E-Sports.

Gaming proves to be more accessible as technology improves, but Natalie takes a blast to the past by visiting Retrovolt Arcade in Calimesa, California, a local arcade with a variety of classic and modern games. Since the first arcade game was released in 1971, more genres and play styles have been created to cater to almost every audience. Your host speaks with an employee and recent CSU San Bernardino graduate named Cesselie to learn more about why people enjoy video games so much, and her answer has a lot to do with the struggles of real life. 

Not only does this episode cover the benefits and history of video games, but it also dives into the professional side of gaming through college e-sports. Natalie speaks with Yufeng Chan and Kadell (KD) Washington, a professional Valorant player and events officer for the Highlander Gaming club at University of California, Riverside. Yufeng shares what it is like playing competitive with a team of like minded individuals, and Kadell opens the curtain to share the behind the scenes of preparing competitions and events for both the competitive players and the general student body. 

Even if you would not classify yourself as a gamer, this episode provides a glimpse into why people love playing video games, either casually or professionally. As gaming and e-sports continue to explode in popularity, it is essential to understand how the growing gaming world can change a student’s life for the better.

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Pursuing an education can be an amazing experience, but everyone knows that it comes with its fair share of pressure, stress, and emotional challenges. Conditions such as depression and anxiety can creep into the minds of students that are overwhelmed with the requirements of school, while also experiencing outside factors. All this combined can lead to students facing mental health struggles that are becoming more and more common. Despite mental health being an important topic for students across the globe, there is still a stigma behind it.

In the United States, the month of May is observed as Mental Health Awareness Month. While mental health is a topic that students, faculty, and educational leaders should be talking about year round, this month provides an intentional space to raise awareness. The fifth episode of Education Chat’s fifth season revolves around the awareness of mental health when it comes to students.

Your host Natalie Hinton takes the time to sit down with student leaders at Riverside City College that are making change on their campus by making the effort to destigmatize the conversation around mental health. Kyle Larson (President) and Xavier Garcia (Treasurer) are members of RCC’s Active Minds chapter. Active Minds is a non-profit organization dedicated to mental health advocacy through supporting students on campuses, striving for legislation, and hosting workshops that educate others and has many chapters across colleges in the Inland Empire. The three chat about what mental health struggles students are facing, the USC Speak Your Mind challenge, and discuss more about ways to break the stigma ourselves.

This episode is a space for reflection, for connection, and for hope. Whether you are struggling with mental health yourself, supporting a peer who may need a companion during this time, or just curious about what challenges students face today, we hope these conversations with Natalie, Kyle, and Xavier resonate with you. 

Content Warning: This episode of Education Chat covers sensitive topics relating to mental health. Please take care while listening, and viewer discretion is advised.

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In the United States, there are approximately 16 million veterans who served in the U.S. Military. An even smaller sample of that population are veterans to returned to higher education, about 800,000. Have you ever wondered what it is like going from being apart of an intense armed force to then pursuing a degree?

For thousands of student veterans, this is a reality. Although veterans make up approximately 6% of all undergraduate college students, their stories often go untold, lack the support they need, and they face misconceptions that affect their education journey. In the fourth episode of Education Chat’s fifth season, your host Natalie Hinton sits down with a student veteran to understand what it is truly like to return to a classroom setting after military service.

Special guest Ralph Figueroa is a graduate student at Cal State San Bernardino and a U.S. military veteran. An active supporter of the Veteran Success Center and 2024 National Student Veteran of the Year, Figueroa has dedicated his time and effort towards advocating for students who are just like him. He shares his story as a student navigating a system that was not built with him in mind, and emphasizes the importance of support for disadvantaged students.

This episode provides a powerful reminder that all student veterans have different backgrounds, but all share the same drive to gain a valuable education. Any person that wants to gain a better understanding of the challenges veterans have to face within the education system will leave this episode informed and inspired. And to any veteran, student veteran, or loved one of a veteran, Figueroa’s personal journey will resonate and encourage you to pursue your dreams.

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