Ke Alaka’i: The Podcast hosts share their different takes on the podcast—favorite episodes, how their perspective changed through it, and even Thanksgiving traditions as they express gratitude for the year
As Ke Alaka’i: The Podcast wrapped up its 13th season, hosts—France Valerie Lucillo, Abbey Adams and Haley Cowan—stepped away from guests’ interviews and dove deeper into their own takes regarding the past season.
Season 13 recap
Reminiscing each host’s favorite episode to record, Lucillo, a senior from the Philippines double-majoring in communications, media and culture and intercultural peacebuilding, shared her favorite episode was the first episode of the latest season. She continued she learned about college life and school hacks such as finding a mentor, good friends and balancing life as a student by prioritizing mental health. “It was with Abbey and Myco, who were the previous hosts of the podcast, and it was very special because I learned a different perspective of being a student from them,” she said.
For Cowan, a senior from Utah majoring in elementary education, it was with Rean Abancia’s episode that she was reminded of the importance of storytelling as his story was really touching. “Also, it was my first episode hosting, so it was memorable for me,” Cowan added.
The Halloween superstition was the most memorable for Adams, a senior from California majoring in biology. “I saw one of our photographers ... editing the clips from that episode and all you could hear were us laughing, so it was fun,” she said.
In connection with their favorite episodes, the hosts shared how some episodes changed their perspective of this season. Lucillo said through Fetuao Tuaina’s story, she saw tender mercies from the Lord just by being here at BYUH and how knowing your “why” could get you through everything. Cowan shared she learned to apply what was discussed during Nate Pierce’s episode on peacebuilding, especially on learning how to deal with conflict. Adams shared the episode with Parker Stanley and Mya Muhlstein helped her to see that villains are still human. “It really opened my eyes to acting especially how both humanized those villain characters they were portraying,” she said.
Describing the season with words such as motivating, personal and storytelling, Cowan said she was excited to try putting games through every episode for the guests. “They make the podcast more engaging and fun. Also, we can bring professionals or people with experiences as guests to share their applicable, real-life advice,” she continued.
Ending the year with Thanksgiving
Touching on the topic of gratitude during Thanksgiving season, Lucillo said she was grateful for the friends she gained this Fall semester as well as the tender mercies she encountered. “Getting through the days without breaking down was one of those tender mercies,” she said. Going with the same note on little things, Adams shared, “Things such as people offering me food and small acts of service helped me get through the semester,” she said. As for Cowan, she said she was grateful to be busy but productive while enjoying her classes and work. “I go to bed at the end of the day satisfied with how busy I am,” she said.
Cowan shared how her Thanksgiving tradition is family focused as she gets together with extended families, eating and laughing together and going Black Friday shopping. Adams shared the same thing regarding being with family, especially enjoying food such as her aunt’s mashed potatoes with lots of butter. “Being together in times like this is very special,” Adams shared. While for Lucillo, she shared Filipinos don’t traditionally celebrate Thanksgiving. However, she continued she and her family started adapting to the celebration through her sister who is a BYUH alumna. “My sister wanted her kids to remember the traditions while they were in Hawaii, so we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving every year,” she shared.
Leaving with a message from each of the hosts, Lucillo said having a grateful heart goes a long way. “So, try to be grateful every day,” she said. Cowan added by telling the listeners to find something that they love doing and sharing their stories with others. “Don’t be afraid—everyone has something to learn from your story,” she said.