Through nuanced interviews with current students and recent alumni, we will discuss the highs and lows of being the first in their families to attend college, enter new socio-economic spaces, and navigate career choices. Through honest storytelling, we hope more first-generation/lower-income college students feel less alone in their journeys through college and beyond.
DukeLIFE Pod is hosted and produced by Victoria Pinedo, Nowicki Fellow in the Office of Undergraduate Education, T ‘22.
Episode 9: Real Talk Panel with Current LIFE Students
Victoria shares a recording of the Real Talk Panel with current LIFE students, offering insights into their experiences at Virtual Blue Devil Days for the Class of 2029 in this interview episode.
9 Apr 2025
EP 8: Sophomore Besties with Luis Pereira-Lazo (T'27) and Gabby Mendoza (T'27)
This episode follows current student besties Luis Periera Lazo (T’27) and Gabriela Mendoza as they have a candid conversation about their leadership roles in extracurricular clubs, their biggest changes since arriving to Duke, and their friendship. Support systems are crucial to the college experience, and peer support through quality friendships in college are highly underrated. Luis and Gabby display the ways friendships in college support and challenge students to grow.
20 Feb 2025
EP 7: Making It Out Pt.3 With Mia Velasco (T'28)
In the final episode of our three-part series Making It Out, we sit down with Mia Velasco (T’28), a first-year student at Duke, to discuss her transition from a central New Jersey public high school to life on East Campus in Durham, North Carolina. Mia takes us through her college application journey, breaking down the financial realities of choosing a school as a low-income student. She challenges common myths about affordability and shares what truly influenced her decision. We also explore her experiences with FOCUS clusters, service-learning classes, and her perspectives on access to higher education for first-generation, low-income students. Tune in for an honest and insightful conversation about what it really takes to make it out—and make it work.
13 Feb 2025
EP: 6 Making It Out Pt.2 With Naomi Goldson (T'27)
This is the second part of a three-part Making It Out series. Naomi Goldson (T’27), a current student is from a small town called Laurinburg in North Carolina and a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Naomi and I met during her first campus tour after being admitted to Duke in 2023. We talk about the guilt that occurs when being in college away from loved ones and how to reframe your mindset to succeed in college despite these emotional and financial tolls.
4 Feb 2025
EP 5: Making It Out With Ari Miller (T'27)
Episode 5 of the DukeLIFE pod.
3 Dec 2024
EP 4: Staying The Course To Grad School With Ana Ramirez
In this episode of Duke LIFE Pod we get to walk in the shoes of Ana Ramirez (T’20). Ana discovered in undergrad that she was interested in pursuing a PhD to become a part of the small percentage of latinas with doctoral degrees. As a first generation college student, the PhD seemed to be the perfect step into making her intellectual curiosities into a solid career. Who wouldn’t want to read and write about their passion topics for a living? However, Ana’s journey to her PhD dreams would come with many setbacks before she was able to achieve her acceptances into different PhD programs. Ana’s story is the epitome of the perseverance it takes to achieve your goals when things outside of your control delay your plans. Give it a listen if you want to be inspired by this 1GLI Duke Alumna.
3 Dec 2024
EP 3: Pre Med and Pre Law with Stephany Perez-Sanchez (T'25) and Randi Jennings (T'24)
DukeLIFE POD co-presidents Randi Jennings (T'24) and Stephany Perez-Sanchez (T'25) share their unique paths to pursuing pre-med and pre-law at Duke University, highlighting the value of exploring alternative career trajectories.
3 Dec 2024
EP 2: Mentorship Throughout College and Life
This episode focuses on mentorship with guest Elizabeth Barahona (T’18). We talk about how mentorship plays an important role in your growth in college and beyond. Elizabeth shares her experiences creating a strong team of mentors behind her that have become her peers now. She shares some important tips on how to craft relationships with people you would like to be your mentors and how to pass it forward as you succeed in your journey throughout college.
2 Dec 2024
EP 1: Current Student and Merit Scholar Michael Ramos (T'26)
This episode focuses on Michael Ramos, a current sophomore at Duke University studying Public Policy and International Comparative Studies with a concentration in Latin America and the Caribbean. We talked about his educational trajectory to Duke. Michael takes us through his journey which starts in Los Angeles then to San Diego, the midwest, and finally down South to Duke. We discuss what it means to Michael to have “made it out” from his hometown and how attending Duke has opened his horizons. The conversation took some interesting turns to address topics like Latino identity, misconceptions about attending school in the South, and merit scholarships at Duke.
29 Oct 2024
DukeLIFE Trailer
In this trailer of the DukeLIFE pod, Victoria Pinedo, our host, describes the purpose of this podcast series. By archiving first generation, low-income stories from current students and recent alumni we hope to provide current and prospective students and families with resources that will help them feel less alone in their journeys throughout college.
Podcast Authority Score: 7 / 100
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