My friend Naomi and I run a radio show called Soundboards. The name comes from the fact that we chronically repeat random sounds or popular TikTok audio snippets we hear (maybe to the chagrin of some of our other friends), and have thus been dubbed the “soundboards” of our group. Naomi and I love to chat, whether on the radio or just in general, so when our friend Hope (who runs Swarthmore’s student radio station) asked us if we wanted to have our own radio show, we were enthusiastic about getting started. Our show was every Friday night, and after a long week of classes and work, it was a perfect way to de-stress and hang out with my friends.

The radio room itself is on the fourth floor of Parrish Hall (Swarthmore’s oldest and most recognizable building) and is covered in text and drawings that past show hosts have written. The first time I went into the station, I was taken aback by how much cool stuff there was to stare at. Naomi and I also primarily light up the room using the LED lights in there (we’re big haters of a Big Light) so the ambiance is also always really cool. It’s always nice and dark outside when we show up, usually around 9 or 10pm, so it feels like we’re entering a cool cave. Once we get all the tech stuff set up, it’s time for us to finally start talking.

I love to talk, and Naomi and I talk about everything and anything. Initially, we tried to have a sort of structure where we talked about hypothetical questions and interesting things in pop culture that week, but it usually devolved into discussing whatever else interested us that week. I also love listening to the other shows on Swat’s radio station. There are ones that focus on music, doing album reviews, giving advice, having guests… there’s so much variety and never any dead air! Swat students are notoriously incredibly passionate about their interests, and it’s always fun to hear people speak passionately on the radio about music, culture, or whatever else they want to share. I love tuning in and hearing what my classmates are thinking about, listening to, and excited about. It’s a great way to get to know some of the community and an even greater way to feel like I have an audience when I talk about things that are interesting to me.

I love having a radio show because something about it also feels like a very quintessential college experience. When I was a kid, I used to pretend like I was being interviewed or like I had an audience listening to me ramble about whatever book or music video I was interested in at the time, and being in college and having an opportunity to actually be on air is so fun! I loved “college radio” as a concept before I even had a radio show, but now that I have one, I love it even more. I love that Swarthmore allows us to have these spaces where we can share our passions and interests freely.