Taking on a mission to expand awareness about global learning opportunities at UC Davis, the Aggies Near and Far podcast club produces educational episodes each month. It is led by Ph.D. candidate and fourth-year graduate student Jannet Torres Espinoza, who takes her knowledge of Latin American Literature, Culture, and Human Rights and applies it to podcasting. 

A Background in Podcasting

The diverse community at UC Davis made Jannet eager to learn more about the individuals who study here. Being an international student from Peru, she has established a welcoming atmosphere among Aggies Near and Far members, offering them the same positive experience she has gained while living in the United States. 

With a keen interest in podcasting since 2020, Jannet has always wanted to create a podcast on her own, especially once she became a graduate student. In January 2022, she participated in the Graduate Student Podcasting Institute hosted by the National Humanities Center. The program focused on public storytelling and the technical aspects of podcast production. With this knowledge and excitement, Jannet applied her newly learned skills to an on-campus project that needed a bit of reviving. 

When fellow graduate student Benjamin Fong came to her with the opportunity to reestablish the Aggies Near and Far club after its previous members had graduated, Jannet happily took on the role of project lead in 2023. Wanting to uphold the principles of leadership and collaboration, she has strived to work collaboratively with a diverse group of people. 

Combining this with the challenge of engaging an audience and producing episodes that average about forty minutes long has become much easier for the entire club, thanks to a strong culture of creativity and teamwork. 

Memories in the Making

Her favorite stages in the podcast-making process are both recording and editing. 

Jannet explains that, “Recording feels like a deep, meaningful conversation. It’s exciting to know that we’re creating something valuable that will be preserved through sound.” She also appreciates that it allows her to shape a conversation in great depth. Jannet enjoys highlighting the most important parts of a story and removing unnecessary bits, as these stages can bring out the personality of an episode and allow for its best qualities to shine through. 

Looking back on her years with Aggies Near and Far, it has been special for the club to gain clarity about global learning through discussions with groups like Global Education for All and the UC Davis Study Abroad Awards department. Producing episodes based on the insights of students, faculty, and other organizations has been eye-opening in terms of the number of opportunities the UC Davis community offers, as building cultural connections is at the forefront of the podcast’s mission.

Jannet is deeply proud of her entire team, as each member has discovered their own strengths over time and a purposeful way to contribute to the club as a whole. With the delegation of tasks such as social media management, editing and operations, the club has led key interviews and produced episodes available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud. 

Takeaways for Global Learners

Being a part of the Aggies Near and Far team allows members to gain a multifaceted package of benefits, Jannet explains. Developing skills through coordinating activities, learning about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, and engaging in technical practice, such as audio editing, can be beneficial areas of knowledge when entering the job market. This podcast is built on the idea of connecting curious minds with talented people from different countries and programs on the UC Davis campus. 

Aggies Near and Far member Jeff Nagle shared that “Participating in student clubs, studying abroad, or doing an internship is never a waste of time,” as Jannet chimes in, “There is a richness of global opportunities.” 

Ending on a note of positivity and eagerness for the future of this student organization, Jannet is looking forward to expanding the reach of this podcast, collaborating with new individuals, and advancing international cultural connections on the UC Davis campus. 

• Contact aggies.near.far@gmail.com or visit @aggies.near.far on Instagram to learn more about the Aggies Near and Far podcast club or to explore potential opportunities to join.