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On January 29, Sarah Lawrence first-year Stella Sturgill ’28 appeared on The Today Show to discuss her work with the podcast “This Teenage Life”, a youth dialogue and podcasting program that features the voices of approximately 50 teenagers from around the world. Stella first discovered the podcast as a high school freshman while searching for accessible and engaging news sources. She was drawn to its unique mix of cultural topics — like the 2020 election and climate change — and personal conversations about friendship, identity, and family relationships.
“The podcast immediately resonated because I could envision my own experience listening to the stories,” Stella said. “The episodes were authentic windows into other teens’ experiences.” After listening to every episode, Stella reached out to get involved. Over time, she became a frequent contributor, eventually writing and producing two of her own episodes.
The values that drew Stella to the podcast — curiosity, authenticity, and community — also shaped her approach to the college search and athletic recruitment process. “I really wanted to play soccer in college, but the recruitment process can be arduous,” Stella said. “When I met Coach Grillo at Sarah Lawrence, I immediately felt how much he cares about his athletes. Then I learned about SLC’s conference projects and close faculty-student relationships. I knew it would be a perfect fit for me. This is what experiential learning should look like.”
At Sarah Lawrence, Stella has deepened her friendships with the podcast’s NYC-based contributors and found new ways to apply her skills. She’s using her interview experience for conference projects and hopes to integrate her passion for storytelling into her coursework in health and wellness, environmental studies, and storytelling.