Rethink University – St Mary’s students ponder in podcast series

Students attending St Mary’s College (CIC), have launched a podcast series called ‘Rethink University’ that asks the bold question whether young people in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean still need a formal university education.

This historic, student-led initiative coincides with the school’s 160th anniversary celebrations being observed this year.

In the five-episode series, the students interviewed distinguished CIC alumni from Shaka Hislop, former national goalkeeper and ESPN soccer analyst to the popular entertainer, Rome (Jerome Precilla).

For those for whom university education really is the right choice, the podcast dives into how one can decide on what to study, where to study and how to approach admissions.

“We’re thrilled to bring this podcast series to life and create a platform that resonates with Trinidadian students and Generation Z. Our aim is to inspire, educate, and entertain our listeners while also supporting the CIC Film Studio’s growth,” says Adrian Daberam, one of the passionate team members and co-hosts of the show. Joining him in co-hosting duties are fellow students Kyle Matthew and Kamran Hogan.

Dubbed as the first podcast in Trinidad and Tobago made by and for secondary school students, members of the CIC Film Studio in partnership with other interested students conceptualised, planned, filmed, edited, and marketed the podcast.

The CIC Film Studio was supported by the CIC Past Students Union who coordinated training from experts in the field of media and podcasting, including Jayron ‘Rawkus’ Remy, a host of the NOW Morning Show on TTT, Franka Philip of Trini Good Media and Coray Ward, host of the Dadography podcast out of Panama.

The training sessions took students through the fundamentals of research for podcasting, framing and composition for vidcasting, audio preparation and lighting for the interview. Students ended the session with an interactive mock interview exercise that involved them interviewing the facilitators as podcast guests.

Nyron Rolingson, Teacher Coordinator for CIC Film Studio shared, “as the teacher rep for the CIC Film Studio, I am incredibly proud of the effort the boys have made. The quality of the podcast is great, so much so that they were able to bring on board sponsors including Blewstream, Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, Guardian Life of the Caribbean, and Term Finance. This funding for which we are really grateful, will help the team market the podcast online to ensure the widest possible reach as well as allow the club to purchase some equipment required for future filmmaking projects.”

The participating students have attributed their success in completing the series to the following persons who contributed in part: Franka Philip, Jayron ‘Rawkus’ Remy, George ‘Big Daddy George’ Gonzales, Brian ‘DJ Charlo’ Charles, Keevan Chang On, Dana Chulan, Kevin Valley, Coray Ward, Jerome Spence, Yert Cyrus and James Walker.

The podcast can be viewed and listened to on YouTube (youtube.com/@CICFilmStudio) and on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, Buzzsprout and Apple Podcasts, with episodes launched on a biweekly basis. The launch episode for the podcast aired on Thursday, July 20.

Contact information:

James Walker, VP Student & School Affairs, CICPSU

james.walker@aya.yale.edu

Nyron Rolingson, Teacher Coordinator, CIC Film Studio, CIC

rolingsonnyron@faculty.stmarys.edu.tt