Mic Drop Moments: LTs Amplify PEAK’s Legacy through sPEAK On It Podcast

During Covid, PEAK had to pivot in order to still provide safe and engaging activities for participants. This led to the creation of the sPEAK On It podcast. The podcast served as a way to give LTs a platform to discuss things going on in their lives and communities, while also giving families something to listen to and stay connected to PEAK. It was paused once regular programming resumed - that is, until PEAK’s 20th Anniversary.

To give more attention to the rich history of Lake Valley Camp, PEAK staff decided to revive the sPEAK On It podcast to present a timeline of the organization. The podcast interviewed important figures in Lake Valley Camp’s past including the founders, LVC’s first director, and the alumni still connected to the organization. True to the original format, LTs continued to host the show, with Saul Flores and Zamarah Martinez-Santa Anna stepping up to lead. Mariah Johnson, Teen and Community Manager, knew taking on such a project would require some dedication and flexibility. "We wanted two interns who had already done a good amount of internships... and also are very in touch with their PEAK stories. That's how we ended up on Saul and Zamarah,” Mariah said. While neither LT had experience in the podcasting world, they accepted the challenge. "When PEAK gives you an opportunity, you just got to take it, because you never know what it has in store for you,” Saul explained.

While the PEAK team started doing outreach to schedule guests, Saul and Zamarah got to work by learning the ins and outs of podcasting. Three times a week, they came in after school to meet with local artist and educator DSCRIBE. With his guidance, they learned how to operate a sound board, the fundamentals of audio editing, and studied other podcasts to learn what makes for a compelling interview. It was a lot for the two to learn in a short amount of time, but the longer it went on, the more they enjoyed the autonomy they had. "It was fun,” Saul said, “we were the ones in control and we had a lot more freedom than I thought we were going to have." Zamarah was quick to agree, “It was also like, hey, if this isn't working, then this is our responsibility to figure out what is happening,” she added. Saul and Zamarah produced the intros, interviewed guests, guided the conversations, set up and broke down the equipment, and did most of the editing work.

Having the confidence to work independently was important for the two LTs. Their first interview was with Bill Kellogg, Lake Valley Camp’s founder and current board chair for PEAK. Saul and Zamarah were nervous, but they quickly became comfortable, both because of their own skills and Bill’s approachability. "I wasn't expecting Bill and Kurt to be so laid back,” Saul admitted, “but they were really talkative and weren't afraid to be themselves." From there, the process only became easier.

Saul and Zamarah enjoyed the project and were able to learn a lot from the internship. For Zamarah, she was amazed by how excited people were to talk about their experiences with Lake Valley Camp. It didn’t matter if they were across the city, across the state, or across the globe- there were staff and camper alumni who were thankful for the role LVC played in their lives. Saul also attended the 20th Anniversary event and did an impromptu podcast with attendants and looks fondly back at that experience. He interviewed a wide array of people, from pathfinder kids, to partners of PEAK, to neighbors who lived in the neighborhood. No matter who it was, there was always an underlying theme of love for PEAK and Lake Valley Camp and the positive impact they experienced.

Zamarah and Saul are both set to graduate this year and they expressed their appreciation to PEAK and the opportunity to host sPEAK On It for a year. "I hope PEAK continues to let LTs host the podcast and transform it into even more than just the 20th Anniversary,” said Saul. While that has yet to be decided, PEAK couldn’t be more thankful for the work the two of them did to highlight Lake Valley Camp’s twenty years of service, and we wish them the best as they graduate and begin their next journey.