U OK UVA?
A STUDENT-PRODUCED PODCAST ABOUT STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
Featured in Feedspot’s 10 Best Virginia Student Podcasts!
SEASON 1
EPISODE 1: “WORK HARD, PLAY HARD”
Production Team: Jade Burns, Kathia Crawford, Prachi Joshi, Paolo Vicencio
This episode explores the various factors that contribute to a toxic culture around student mental health and well-being at UVA.
EPISODE 2: “THE SILENT STRUGGLE”
Production Team: Paul Lee, Aayush Patel, Bryson Taylor, Raymond Wen
This episode focuses on Asian-American students’ struggles with mental health and social belonging at UVA.
EPISODE 3: “AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE”
Production Team: Caitlyn Cordes, Nate Hartzell, Jeremy Odrich, Sebastian Oliver
This episode features the stories of international students at UVA as they assimilate, deal with challenges, and find community.
EPISODE 4: “THE TRUTH BEHIND UVA MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVES”
Production Team: Raneem Khan, Philine Lor, Mimi Waller, Maggie Young
This episode investigates the mental health resources available to students at UVA and how the burden of mental health support and access has fallen on student-led organizations.
AUDIO COLLAGE
Students were asked to record themselves talking about what they learned this semester. Here’s what they had to say.
SEASON 2
EPISODE 1: “HOO ARE YOU?”
Production Team: Alex DeLoach, Khai Nguyen, Bushra Osman and Owen Markow
This episode explores what it’s like to try to assimilate to UVA culture—focusing specifically on the experiences of low-income and transfer students.
EPISODE 2: “THE COMPULSION TO FEEL PRODUCTIVE”
Production Team: Lauren MacDonald, Tommy Hodgkins, Bertram Zhai, and Kate Riccio
This episode zones in on UVA’s culture of toxic productivity, examining the challenges and necessary coping strategies that students grapple with each year of their college careers.
EPISODE 3: “PERCEPTION VS. REALITY”
Production Team: Kate Newton, Greg Cho, Christina Liu, and Nour Goulmamine
This episode investigates the relationship between academic majors and mental health at UVA, featuring interviews with students in STEM, Arts & Humanities, and Commerce.
EPISODE 4: “COMPARISON AND COMMENCEMENT”
Production Team: Olivia Richine, Eleanor Barzun, Will Peritz, and Nada Bencheikh
This episode focuses on the stress many UVA 4th years feel about choosing the “right” future path post-college.
SEASON 3
EPISODE 1: “ROOMMATE ROULETTE”
Production Team: Sophia Fadoul, Leena Fraihat, Tsega Kidanu, Luke Heerens
This episode amplifies how negative situations with assigned roommates can impact students’ mental health and well-being.
EPISODE 2: “SHATTERED SISTERHOOD”
Production Team: Jasmine Wang, Paola Quiroga, Imran Khalid, Tucker Mullen
This episode dives into some of the negative aspects of sorority life that are rarely discussed in public.
EPISODE 3: “BRIDGING THE ACCESSIBILITY GAP”
Production Team: Anna Frye, Ryan Milcetic, Yasmeen Ofleh, Charles Zhao
This episode highlights the challenges and barriers faced by UVA students with physical disabilities, making a case for why improving accessibility benefits everyone.
EPISODE 4: “POUR DECISIONS”
Production Team: Chloe Cooper, Braden Hussain, Hayden Peper, Evan Thompson
This episode examines how combining alcohol and social media in college can have significant effects on mental health, relationships, and future job opportunities.