A little over a year ago in the midst of the bread-making and Netflix binging part of quarantine, I had the ultimate GenZ idea to create a podcast. The first person to ever reach out to me was Anica. ——————————— Anica was adopted from China as a baby, grew up in the Northern California Bay Area, and currently is living in Los Angeles, CA. When we last spoke, Anica was planning on entering her 3rd year of college. Additionally, when we last spoke, Anica was just in the beginning stages of her work with outreach and activism. It’s been a hectic and fast-moving 12 months, to say the least- let’s check in and see where we are a year later… !TW: Discussion of the 2021 Atlanta Spa Shootings!

•Episode 10: Jade Alvarez-Lauto - From Buddhism in the South to Boston  ——————————— In this episode, I had the opportunity to talk to Jade Alvarez- Lauto, a recent graduate from The Boston Conservatory and soon-to-be graduate student at Northeastern University. We discuss upbringings in her predominately white hometown, such as the bullying she experienced and her time in a Buddhist temple in Florida. Further, we talk about transitioning from Florida to Boston and the environmental shift she experienced that wasn’t just the change of weather. ——————————— Jade was adopted from China and grew up in Melbourne, Florida. After studying violin at the Boston Conservatory, she hopes to gain her master's at Northeastern University studying public relations! Tune in this Friday to hear about Jade’s experiences and perspectives as a student, adoptee, and Asian American.

•Episode 9: Celeste Good- Advocating for Social Justice Through Finding Your Identity •  ——————————— In this episode, I had the opportunity to talk to Celeste Good, a Junior at Penn State studying Kinesiology. Celeste is incredibly involved in the multicultural and Queer community at Penn State. She will serve as the VP of APIDA Caucus (Asian Pacific Islander Desi American) next year, is the President of QTPOC (Queer transgender people of color), and is the kinesthetic learning coach of Island Fever- just to name a few. This week we discussed ways to get involved in social justice and how your identity can be an influence. ——————————— Celeste was adopted from China and grew up in Charlestown, RI. Celeste attended a small private catholic high school before coming to Penn State. Tune in this Sunday to hear about Celeste’s experiences and perspectives as a student, adoptee, Asian American, and member of the Queer community

•Episode 8: Liza Mei Stone - Tapping into Identity in the Wake of Mass Social Justice Movements ——————————— This episode I had the opportunity to talk to Liza Mei Stone who is also the host of @imadopted.podcast . We talked about her experiences up to and through her time at Boston University, her identity discovery post-college career, and insight into the social justice movements as someone who now has a masters in Criminal Justice! ——————————— Liza was adopted China, grew up in Highland Park, NJ and perused both her undergrad and graduate degrees at of Boston University where she recently received her masters in Criminal Justice. This Saturday we talk about discovering identity as a young adult, and how Liza’s knowledge in Criminal Justice has influenced her perspectives.

•Episode 7: Katie Mastriano - Studying in Senegal during a global pandemic as an Asian-American ——————————— Katie and I take some time to catch up since our time on the cross country team in high school! Since graduation, Katie studied abroad during a gap year in Senegal- one of the many students abroad at the start of the pandemic. We talk identity, time abroad as an Asian American, and her first year in university during a global pandemic. ——————————— Katie was adopted from China at 9 months, resides in Phoenixville, PA, and is currently a freshman at Skidmore College. This Friday we talk about identity in our upbringings, and Katie’s experience in Senegal at the start of the pandemic.

•Episode 6: Lia O’Leary - Weaving Together Identity, Passions and Career Aspirations• ——————————— This week I had the amazing opportunity to talk with Lia about her experience as an adoptee in Penn State! As a junior majoring in Public Relations and Japanese, aspiring to learn Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, Lia found a way to combine her Asian identity with career paths. ——————————— Lia was adopted from Wuhan, China, and currently resides in Yardley, PA when not at Penn State University. This Friday we talk about Lia’s struggles but positive approach to identity as an Asian American and how she has embraced the culture.

Episode 5: Joy Zinn - We Are! Adoptees at Penn State University ——————————— We’re back and better than ever with Joy Zinn and her experiences as an adoptee at Penn State! Though Joy and I go to the same University we actually met through Subtle Asian Adoptee traits! Social media truly is powerful. ——————————— Joy was adopted from China at 10 months, currently resides in Connecticut, and is currently a senior at Penn State University. This Friday we talk about identity in our upbringings and our experiences so far at such a big school.

• Episode 4: Mackenzie Griffin- Florida Upbringings and Diversity in Marine Sciences• coming this Friday at 12 pm ————————— Mackenzie was adopted from Liuzhou, China in the Nanning Provence and was raised in Bushnell, Florida. She graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Marine Science and Wildlife Ecology and a Conservation Minor. She is now at Savannah State pursuing a master's in Marine Science. ——————— In this episode we discuss Mackenzies' upbringing as an only child in rural Florida, transitioning into University, racial identity throughout undergraduate and graduate, and diversity within the Marine Science field.

• Episode 3- Talia Lochner: And They Were Roommates! • ————————— Talia Lochner was adopted from Yiyang, a city in the Hunan Provence, and now resides in the Pittsburgh area. She is a junior at Penn State and also my freshman year roommate! ——————— In this episode, we discuss how our upbringings effected transitioning into college, rooming with another Chinese adoptee, our experiences as a freshman, and where we are now in our identities.

Anica was adopted from the Anhui Provence in China. She currently resides in the Northern California Bay Area. As a 3rd year in University, Anica is researching how identity affects activism. Along with her research, Anica uses her social media to spread awareness and information about returning to school, resources to educate yourself, and even self-defense tips. ———— This week we discuss how our racial identity and upbringings play a role in our perspectives on social justice, being Asian American in the wake of COVID, and how upbringings effect transitioning into college. Find Anica on her Instagram page @anicadf_j