The “In Passing” Podcast is a student-led project hosted and directed by Kendra Miranda (senior, psychology and religion) with co-hosts Raabe Garcia (senior, communications and theology), and Isaac Peterson (junior, religion).
How did this podcast start?
KM: It originated in CFE as an initiative to create more community and to use storytelling to spark a sense of community on campus. As a student chaplain in CFE, this was one of the projects I started to develop and the pot was stirring for a few months in Fall 2021 with some basic groundwork, but it didn’t take off until January 2022.
I was looking for 2 others to join the team as we had already made all the purchases and bought our equipment. I knew it was important to expand the team, and God brought just the two perfect people to mind–Isaac and Raabe. So I reached out to them and scheduled a dinner meeting. As I pitched the project to them over the dinner table, it was such a natural, exhilarating conversation as we started to create. The name came about as we just brainstormed, had fun, and talked about the purpose of the podcast and what we hoped to accomplish.
RG: Kendra mentioned the podcast a few times before our first unofficial meetup at the cafeteria where we sat across each other munching on grilled cheese and steamy tomato soup. With a computer in hand Kendra sketched out the concept as my eyes and Isaac’s sparkled. We were hooked. At one point, Isaac began doodling on a napkin brainstorming title concepts for the pod. Hashing out ideas, I blurted “what about passing by?” It stuck. Rebranding it to “in passing,” we solidified a clearer purpose and action plan.
IP: This podcast started literally on a napkin at the cafeteria. Kendra was eating food with myself and Raabe and a few other friends and explained to us that Campus Ministries wanted to have some sort of podcast that involved students. I jumped at saying yes, because I love to have an excuse to talk on and on.
What do you hope to accomplish with the podcast?
KM: Honestly, what more could we hope for than to see that the audience/listeners are inspired to “pass by” people well. I mean, we see so many people on any given day on campus and we pass by them, but what would it look like to let our curiosity be entertained in a way that results in a meaningful experience, lessons learned, light bulbs going off between people that simply care enough to know the stories of those that they walk by “in passing?” That looks like not being afraid to share and talk about stories, knowing that you aren’t alone in your experiences, and realizing even if just a little bit more that people are beautiful; every story in itself is one to find beauty in.
RG: Put simply, the podcast is deep, short conversations with people like you. The purpose is to connect with students you’ll normally pass by–“in passing.” I find it invigorating to share stories and find points of connection.
IP: I would love to cultivate a space where students can be honest about their college experience here at Andrews and talk out deeper issues: faith, relationships, personal growth/development, etcetera. The purpose of the podcast is to synthesize ideas from students on campus that many of us just pass by. We intentionally try to keep the time that it takes to articulate the ideas, voiced on the pod, under 30 minutes so that an individual can listen to each episode “in passing.”
How can people listen to the podcast?
KM: You can find us on Spotify, on Buzzsprout, and connect with us through the UFaith App.
We are always looking for students who want to share their stories or join the team too! DM me @kendramiranda_ or email me mirandak@andrews.edu.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.