4.3. Past and Present with a Singer-Songwriter

As her final goodbye to the show, Susan is alone at the mic to reflect on each of her four years on this campus. She describes what she has learned while being challenged every step of the way and offers a few pieces of advice to incoming and current students.

If you or anyone you know would like to continue the work of P's in a Pod, don't hesitate to reach out through our Instagram @psinapod.

Thank you to everyone who has made this show possible.

At Princeton, the word "career" can be pretty charged, with endless pressures and decisions to navigate. Susan and Nathan look back on how their ideas of careers have changed over time, what types of career pipelines circulate at Princeton, how their own career paths have changed, and advice they would give to their younger selves. They also discuss their career bucket lists, romanticizing what paths lie ahead of them.

Also, Susan chose the job over grad school!
This episode was recorded on April 26 and 28, 2023.

Princeton has 11 eating clubs, which are basically huge houses lined up on one street, unironically called "the Street," that provide dining and social spaces for upperclassmen. 6 of them require you to "bicker" to become members (think rushing for greek life but slightly more regulated). Co-ops, which are also mentioned in this episode, are another dining plan option where students alternate cooking for each other in a designated space. Susan and Nathan discuss their thoughts on eating clubs, bicker, and a new dining pilot that aims to increase upperclassmen dining options.

This episode may be somewhat of a time capsule, since it was recorded several months ago on September 25th, 2021. This was at a time when returning to campus and attending in-person classes was still a fairly recent event, and this was before the emergence of the Omicron variant.

Meet Imaan Khasru: third-year student from Bangladesh and Wales.  Imaan and Ava talk about how strange the transition to an in-person campus has been. Imaan also discusses colonialism in the world of fast fashion and microtrends, the Rana Plaza factory collapse, the history of the word "thug" by the British in India, and problematic campus language like referring to certain dorms as "the slums."

Links mentioned:
The True Cost (film)

Sponsored by Ringle

“Princeton” and “music” are often spoken in the same sentence when talking about our guest in today’s episode: Sam Spector! If you haven’t heard her music before, check her out using the links below and wait until the end of the episode to hear a spinnet of one of her songs! Jani, our in-house musician, also joins, and she, Ava, and Susan draft with Sam their favorite female artists of 2021. The group also discusses Sam’s recent musical successes. Speaking of which, GO SEE HER PERFORM LIVE AT TERRACE ON THE 16TH! The categories of this draft include 3 different genres, 1 wildcard, and 1 “underrated” category. It’s clear that all four women have different music tastes (though there is some overlap) so we’ll be interested to see which dinner table y’all vote as the most interesting. Susan is still salty that Nathan won against her in our last draft. Go follow us on Insta @psinapod to stay tuned for the vote!

Watch the full YouTube video here.

Check out Sam’s music: https://linktr.ee/samspectormusic
Follow Sam on Instagram @samspectormusic
Follow Jani on Instagram @janidumapit
Janielle on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3ZD64...

Apply for the P’s in a Pod Network! Applications are due on September 10th.
Host application: https://forms.gle/6VwBfV4n15hdZiqM8
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Recent alumni Morgan Smith and Joe Ort join Nathan and Susan to "draft" Princeton alumni for their dream dinner tables. Listen as Susan roasts Nathan's picks, Nathan convinces himself that he can change the world, and Morgan and Joe prove that they've done more research than either of the hosts.

Video of this episode is found on our IGTV and Youtube!

*This was recorded on July 17, 2021.

Featured song: Sleepless Nights (feat. Phoelix) by Dinner Party

Meet Danielle Samake: a rising second-year Princeton student from Maplewood, New Jersey. Danielle shares how she has grappled with her tricultural identity as a Jamaican, Malian, and first-generation American. She asks us to reconsider the ways in which we ask too much of marginalized communities, discusses her experiences as a Black woman at Princeton, and imparts wise words on how she stays optimistic. A literary enthusiast, Danielle provides an entire shelf of book recommendations, to which Susan and Anna share a few as well.
*This episode was recorded on April 10, 2021.

Links mentioned:
The Loveland Foundation
Girls Learn International
Vikalp Sansthan
Jatan Sansthan
Danielle's blog

Danielle's book recommendations:

What We Lose  by Zinzi Clemmons
Swing Time  by Zadie Smith
Annihilation of Caste  by B. R. Ambedkar
Half the Sky  by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
Becoming  by Michelle Obama
Sexual Citizens  by Jennifer S. Hirsch and Shamus Khan

Listen to the 10 lessons learned podcast

Meet Jani Dumapit: a second-year student and graphic designer of P’s in a Pod. A singer-songwriter herself, Jani shares her journey with music, from the beginning to producing her very first EP this year. Coming from New York City, she discusses her experience with the public school system and the different phases she went through growing up.  A member of the Limits Matter task force at Princeton, she gives her take on healthy and safe drinking. Jani, a resident Swiftie, also delivers her opinion on her favorite song by Taylor.

*This episode was recorded on March 20, 2021.

Links mentioned:
Listen to Jani's EP rose colored  glasses 
Chinese Satellite by Phoebe Bridgers
UMatter
Legal Outreach

Meet Vignesh Panchanatham: Princeton junior from Cupertino, CA. Vignesh sits down with Nathan as they consider where they see their future selves, discussing the merits of city versus suburb and whether they would send their children to private or public school. As an avid cook and baker, he plans out a hypothetical dinner party itinerary "Come Dine With Me"-style, beginning with appetizers and ending with dessert plus entertainment.  He also shares tips for prospective chess players, an explanation of ultimate frisbee and its similarities (or lack thereof?) to netball, and how he goes about maintaining an inbox with no more than 10 emails on any given day.

Links Mentioned:
The Marshall Project
Watch Come Dine With Me
Chess.com
weChess

For the first episode of Season 4, hosts Susan Baek, Ava Vilensky, and Nathan Gage tune in from quarantine at Princeton. Returning for the first time in a year, the group discusses everything  campus life — from the best dining hall meals, to their favorite spots on campus, to eating clubs and bicker. The hosts also offer recommendations on their latest music finds, TV shows, and YouTubers. 

*This episode was recorded on February 13, 2020.

Links mentioned:
The Zac and Jay Show
Chloe x Halle: Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
Claudia Sulewski