In this podcast, VOX ATL’s Tavin Lewis talks with BEST Academy students about their dreams, their relationship with media, and how they see their future.
Transcript (Edited For Clarity)
Tavin Lewis: How’s everybody doing? My name is Tavin Lewis. I’m a junior business administration major with a concentration in marketing from Austin, Texas. I attend Morehouse College, and I am this year’s near-peer production intern here at VOX. Today, we are here at BEST Academy to talk about all things related to their future and how the media helps impact their future as well.
Randy Rios Montoya: My name is Randy Rios Montoya, and I’m 17 years old.
Tavin Lewis: Nice to meet you. My first question for you is, even though it’s generic, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Randy Rios Montoya: When I grow up or when I graduate from high school, I would like to go to a four-year college and get a degree in biology, maybe do a pre-med medical program. At the end of my educational journey, I want to become a trauma surgeon.
Tavin Lewis: A trauma surgeon?
Randy Rios Montoya: Yes.
Tavin Lewis: I’ve never heard anybody say that they wanted to be a trauma surgeon. I like that. We need more of those, honestly. My second question for you is: how has BEST Academy helped you get to a point where you feel capable of becoming who you want to be?
Randy Rios Montoya: BEST Academy — we’re pretty big in STEM. I’m in the National STEM Honor Society. We do STEM-related activities. We’re having shipping containers delivered to the school. We’re going to grow food (vegetables) and we’re going to give them to people in the community, because this area is a food desert.
Tavin Lewis: Wow. I like that. I love how y’all are pouring back into the community. So, how do you feel like you express yourself through media? And if you don’t really have a way to express yourself, how could you express yourself through media?
Randy Rios Montoya: I don’t make a lot of posts. But I like to express myself and show a little bit of humor, and give some of my opinions. But I mostly send messages in a group chat with a few friends.
Tavin Lewis: Yeah. Thank you so much for joining the podcast.
Randy Rios Montoya: No problem.
Tavin Lewis: It was great meeting you.
Jayden Hope: My name is Jayden Hope. I’m 17.
Tavin Lewis: All right. Nice to meet you.
Jayden Hope: Nice to meet you.
Tavin Lewis: So my first question for you is, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Jayden Hope: An entrepreneur.
Tavin Lewis: In what way? Like, you want to sell clothes?
Jayden Hope: Yeah.
Tavin Lewis: That’s fire! How do you think BEST Academy has helped you get to the point of becoming an entrepreneur?
Jayden Hope: I ain’t gonna lie, like everybody. Everybody thinks it’s just so sweet, ’cause like they don’t think it is just because they don’t see the girls. They think like, you don’t get an education here. They going, they’re gonna make sure you walk out here. Smart. For sure.
Tavin Lewis: That’s good. So, trying to become an entrepreneur, in what ways do you think media and posting content can help your brand pop off more? How do you think media can help you?
Jayden Hope: Oh, skits and junk because my partner has been doing that. I’ve seen him do something like clothing brand-type skits or something? I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I told this boy when he was dropping his junk.’ I was like, ‘Man, we gotta do that.’ And he was like, “Alright, but ain’t do that yet. Hot junk on the way, y’all! Boy, hot junk on the way!’
Tavin Lewis: Yeah, no, y’all gotta make that for real. Thank you for joining the podcast. That’s all the questions for you. Thank you!
Jayden Hope: Whoopty-Doo!
Curtis Martin: Curtis Martin. I’m 16.
Tavin Lewis: Alright. Nice to meet you.
Curtis Martin: Nice to meet you.
Tavin Lewis: My first question for you is, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Curtis Martin: I wanna go to the league. NFL.
Tavin Lewis: You want to go to the league?
Curtis Martin: Yes, sir.
Tavin Lewis: That’s fire! What position?
Curtis Martin: Safety.
Tavin Lewis: So, how do you think BEST Academy has helped you get to that point?
Curtis Martin: For me, I’ve been starting since my ninth grade year, so just being able to have the experience since my ninth grade year. Like most people at most schools, they don’t start their freshman year. So, for me to be able to start my freshman year, it’s so good.
Tavin Lewis: My last question for you is: by wanting to go to the league, how do you think the media can help you get out there more? How can you best showcase your talents through media?
Curtis Martin: Well, you know, social media is big these days, so just whatever you post, it’s always going to be on social media or whatever. So. I don’t dunno how to explain it — just posting your highlights.
Tavin Lewis: That’s what I was going to say — your highlights, different clips. Doing different edits is a great way for you to showcase your talents and what you can do through media.
Curtis Martin: Exactly.
Tavin Lewis: Bet. Thank you, dog!
Curtis Martin: Thank you.
Camden Alexander Williams: My name’s Camden Alexander Williams, and I’m 16 right now.
Tavin Lewis: So my first question for you is, what do you want to be when you grow up?
Camden Alexander Williams: I got plenty of options I was thinking about. At first, I wanted to be a firefighter.
Tavin Lewis: Really?
Camden Alexander Williams: That’d be really cool.
Tavin Lewis: That is really cool.
Camden Alexander Williams: Then, I thought, what if I were a teacher? Now I’m kind of gravitating toward losing weight and going to the military.
Tavin Lewis: Yeah, that’s good. Also, being so young, you have time to figure it out, which is really good too.
Camden Alexander Williams: Yeah, it is a great thing to know that I have time on my side at least.
Tavin Lewis: Exactly. How has BEST Academy helped you get to a point of figuring out what you want to do?
Camden Alexander Williams: I think it’s done a lot, truly. It gave me great experiences that I most likely would’ve never had if I went to my regular school. So I’m just thankful for all the places I’ve been to, because like 100 Black men have been to a bunch of them — been to a bunch of college campuses. Actually, tomorrow I’m going to a college campus. Like at Morehouse.
Tavin Lewis: I go to Morehouse.
Camden Alexander Williams: Oh, you’re going to Morehouse? Alright. But I truly think is like BEST Academy has given me almost everything.
Tavin Lewis: That’s amazing. So my last question for you: being at VOX, we are all about posting uncensored content, but not unedited content. So, how do you think media can help you in your own life, and how do you use media in your day-to-day life?
Camden Alexander Williams: That’s the thing about me and media. I use media every day, no matter what. As soon as I open this phone, I’m on media.
Tavin Lewis: Thank y’all so much for listening to this podcast. It was a great time here at BEST Academy, and I’m very excited to see where they end up in their future endeavors. If you want to learn more about VOX ATL and hear this podcast, please go to VOX ATL.org. Thank you!
