Through experiential learning, Alvernia students like senior communications major Sherrin Smith '25 discover their passions and turn what they love into success and personal fulfillment 鈥 helping them make a positive difference in the world and the lives of others.
Before enrolling at Alvernia in 2021, Smith discovered podcasting and thought about starting her own. Throughout her experience at Alvernia, podcasting became her passion. She started the 鈥淣o Questions Asked鈥 podcast in her sophomore year and discusses topics to 'help Gen Z and others stay curious' as well as college life and pop culture.
"The communications department has been extremely helpful and supportive," said Smith. "They make themselves available as a resource for me to develop as a podcaster and provide advice to promote it."
Smith also shared that while most of her classes discussed podcasting in some capacity, it was her classes and assignments with Ryan Lange, Ph.D. that allowed her to practice her audio editing skills and learn how to develop compelling episodes. With the success of 'No Questions Asked' in surpassing 50 episodes and a passion for student involvement as a peer mentor and Wolfpack Media Club president, she wanted to take her podcasting skills a step further for the Alvernia student body.
Smith launched the 鈥淎round the Den鈥 podcast which will feature conversations with students, staff, and faculty to showcase Alvernia events and happenings. She shared that she will be recording the debut episode in the podcast suites that are available for the Alvernia community in the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne.
"I started this podcast as a need to help student organizations and other departments increase their student engagement numbers," said Smith. "Though it's a small campus, there is always something taking place that students may be unaware of. As I continued coming up with ideas for the podcast, I also thought to give the students an opportunity to share their unique experiences on campus or thoughts they may not be able to speak on in the classroom."
The first episode will air on Monday, September 9, 2024. Listeners can find it on Spotify and follow @aroundthedenpod on Instagram for updates about future episodes.
"I'm looking forward to seeing where it goes," said Smith. "I hope people will like the podcast and suggest ideas on what else they would like to see and hear from it. I really want this to be student-driven, so I'm excited to see what the trajectory of this podcast will be."
Alvernia students are welcome to contact sherrin.smith@alvernia.edu for episode ideas or guest recommendations.
