Senior Rolando Morales, president of the WMHS club, had the idea of creating something that can inspire all of his classmates. That idea was the WMHS podcast, a show meant to bring to light problems that students may or may not know. With hard work and determination, Rolando knew that his project would be something amazing. 

The Purpose of the Show 

   The WMHS Podcast is the club’s way to spread awareness of issues that affect all of us. One way they did this is by doing a collaboration with InTouch president Jose Caballero to spread awareness for mental health. Rolando said, “The podcast has the ability to inform people about not only mental health, but any problem in general.” They have talked about other issues that teenagers might be interested in such as ocean pollution and body dissatisfaction. 

   “They get both informed and offered a way to partake in the solution to a problem,” said Rolando. This is why he enjoys making these episodes, since it allows people to know about these prevalent issues and take action against them. Rolando believes that students can benefit from watching these episodes. 

The Process of Making an Episode 

   Making these podcast episodes is difficult and takes hard work. First it starts with an idea. Rolando gave the example of making an episode on racism and discrimination in light of Black History Month. Afterwards, they start looking for someone that wants to talk about said issue and schedule a time to meet up. The podcast team makes sure that the guest understands what the podcast is and the impact they’ll make. Finally, they set a date to record. 

   Once that date comes, it would take a minimum of 2-3 hours to film the podcast. Afterwards, Rolando would take the footage home and edit it to make sure it looks really nice. Rolando said, “If the podcast is bad looking or if the audio is bad, it might deter from what I’m saying or what I’m trying to convey to other people.” Most of the work is in the editing, since he usually spends around 15 hours editing an episode that usually last around 10-15 minutes. Once he’s done, the episode is uploaded to the club’s Instagram before being shared around the school. 

Reactions so far 

   The podcast currently has 3 episodes out. So far, the public opinion has been very positive. People have come up to Rolando and complimented his work or have asked how they can get involved. “I can see that many Miami High Stingarees want to be involved in the community,” said Rolando. Rolando is glad that this is the outcome because not only will we have well known people talking in the podcast, but our own students’ voicing their own opinions. 

   The club advisor for WMHS Mr. Phillips has said that he’s happy for the great success of the podcast. He also wants to see which students are going take over the podcast once Rolando leaves for college. This is to get them ready for next year and have them continue Rolando’s legacy. 

The Podcast’s Future 

   Rolando wants the podcast to be continued in Miami High and he believes that there are a couple of people who are capable of taking over. When he goes to college next year, he also wants to continue it and branch out of the support system of Miami High, essentially starting his own podcast. He wants to continue his dream even when he’s in college in order to inspire more people in the future. 

   If you would like to view the podcast, please visit @mhs_wmhs on Instagram.