Episodes

  • Introduction Episode - Minority Stories - The First Few Podcast

    Introduction Episode - Minority Stories - The First Few Podcast
    May 23 2020
    This is our introduction video to "The First Few Podcast", listen in to learn more about our podcast and what we are wanting to achieve.  We will upload new videos every week. If you want to stay up-to-date on what we are working on follow us @firstfewpodcast.  We want to spread the voices and stories of those who have been silenced. We hope to inspire and motivate those who will be the next generation of leaders. The team's goal is to help spread the amazing, untold minority success stories. Our mission statement is as follows, “By using the power of storytelling, we will help guide minority individuals to regain and gain hope, motivation, and direction for their future.” Support this podcast
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    4 mins
  • Community College Is Just The Beginning - From Rejected To Accepted By A Four Year University - Nerina Campos Berkeley Bound

    Community College Is Just The Beginning - From Rejected To Accepted By A Four Year University - Nerina Campos Berkeley Bound
    May 31 2020
    Meet this week's guest Nerina Campos: a 20 year old Latina immigrant currently finishing her second year at Hartnell College. Faced with disappointing options at the end of her senior year, Nerina chose community college instead of the four year path she felt pressured to follow. During this time, she struggled with mental health and faced personal hardships including her experiences on her college's cross country team. Nerina describes her journey out of this dark time and how she was able to find positives and work hard to achieve what she wanted. After two years of grit and hard work, she was accepted to UC Berkeley. Nerina's journey illustrates the importance of support and asking for help. About The First Few Podcast: Learn from real minorities about their experiences through riveting conversations with host, Juan Perez. The First Few is a platform for minorities to share their journey and stories. Listen in to learn more. We hope to inspire and motivate! Support this podcast
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    52 mins
  • Starting A Political Minority Movement in a Predominately White Institution - Creating a Better Tomorrow - Manmit Singh Chahal

    Starting A Political Minority Movement in a Predominately White Institution - Creating a Better Tomorrow - Manmit Singh Chahal
    May 31 2020
    Juan Perez and Manmit (Manu) Singh Chahal discuss life as a 19 year old 2nd year 1st generation Desi-American Comparative Ethnic Studies student at Cal Poly SLO in today's episode. Dive into Manu's college decision process and how he ultimately chose Cal Poly SLO because he saw a struggle he wanted to be a part of. Manu jumps on any chance to use his voice and incite meaningful change. The opportunity to spur change at a predominately white institution was too good to pass up. In 2020, his run for Student Body Government marked the beginning of a movement. His platform, The Coalition of Love, was met with early success and has big plans for the future.  Manu truly embodies what it means to be a minority leader looking to create change and go against societal norms. About The First Few Podcast: Learn from real minorities about their experiences through riveting conversations with host, Juan Perez. The First Few is a platform for minorities to share their journey and stories. Listen in to learn more. We hope to inspire and motivate! Support this podcast
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    44 mins
  • An Improbable Stanford Graduate - Determined to Achieve - Mike Ponce, Facebook Global Lead

    An Improbable Stanford Graduate - Determined to Achieve - Mike Ponce, Facebook Global Lead
    May 31 2020
    Today's episode features Mike Ponce, a Digital Rights Integrity Global Lead at Facebook. As a young man in Los Angeles, Mike always knew what he wanted to achieve: leave the rough neighborhood where he grew up. Those dreams lead him on an unconventional path to Stanford and later Facebook. The story he shares with Juan portrays the man beyond the polished resume.     Almost a Stanford dropout, Mike temporarily left school and instead worked to support himself. He nearly accepted a life which he longed to break away from. Learn how Mike eventually returned to college, determined to succeed and finish this time. How does a Stanford grad spend their time as a Facebook employee? Mike details his involvement with employee resource groups (ERGs) that support Latino and LGBT communities in and outside of work. Mike believes that there is no roadmap or secret answer to accomplishing something. Our ability to persevere through failure and perspective is what makes us resilient.   About The First Few Podcast: Learn from real minorities about their experiences through riveting conversations with host, Juan Perez. The First Few is a platform for minorities to share their journey and stories. Listen in to learn more. We hope to inspire and motivate! Support this podcast
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    43 mins
  • Learning English at Fifteen - Surpassing Every Expectation - Angel Ramirez

    Learning English at Fifteen - Surpassing Every Expectation - Angel Ramirez
    Jun 4 2020
    In today’s episode, tune in for another story of hope, hard work, and overcoming.  Our guest, Angel Ramirez discusses the brutal realities of immigrating to America with host Juan Perez. After his father’s death, Angel, then 15, and his mother immigrated to the United States in search of a better life. Angel faced the challenges of language barriers and learning a new language at age 15.  Learn more about Angel’s journey to eventual Cal Poly San Luis Obispo student!  Angel’s message? Sometimes all you need is hope.  Listen to Our Podcast Here: Spotify → https://spoti.fi/2ZGQ1pV (https://spoti.fi/2ZGQ1pV) Apple Podcast → https://apple.co/2M1pdsb (https://apple.co/2M1pdsb) Google Podcast → https://bit.ly/3dht9RG (https://bit.ly/3dht9RG) Follow Us On Social Media Here: Twitter → https://bit.ly/2Mgqv2Z (https://bit.ly/2Mgqv2Z) Instagram → https://bit.ly/2Xz6dH9 (https://bit.ly/2Xz6dH9) Facebook → https://bit.ly/2ZGTbKj (https://bit.ly/2ZGTbKj) LinkedIn → https://bit.ly/2AaowKC (https://bit.ly/2AaowKC) Check out Our Website → https://bit.ly/2ZHeAD5 (https://bit.ly/2ZHeAD5) Still Haven’t Subscribed to “The First Few” on YouTube? → https://bit.ly/3c7wQYT (https://bit.ly/3c7wQYT) Our podcast is a casual style interview that serves as a platform for minorities to share their journey and stories. Listen in to learn more about minorities and their stories.    About The First Few Podcast: Learn from real minorities about their experiences through riveting conversations with host, Juan Perez. The First Few is a platform for minorities to share their journey and stories. Listen in to learn more. We hope to inspire and motivate! Support this podcast
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    23 mins
  • College Ain’t Nothing But a Thing - Early Graduation, Honors, Etc - Brandon Roul

    College Ain’t Nothing But a Thing - Early Graduation, Honors, Etc - Brandon Roul
    Jun 7 2020
    If anyone can tell you about the value of hard work, it’s Brandon Roul, our podcast guest today!  Brandon, a recent Cal Poly grad, was somehow able to major in Political Science, minor in Ethnic Studies, in Anthropology and Geography, and French, average 20+ units per quarter, and finish with above a 3.8 GPA.  With a future of law school ahead of him, Brandon shares his story as a cisgender, heterosexual, Black man and firstborn son of immigrants.  Listen in to the podcast to learn more about what kept Brandon going through all of the long nights of studying. Listen to Our Podcast Here: Spotify → https://spoti.fi/2ZGQ1pV (https://spoti.fi/2ZGQ1pV) Apple Podcast → https://apple.co/2M1pdsb (https://apple.co/2M1pdsb) Google Podcast → https://bit.ly/3dht9RG (https://bit.ly/3dht9RG) Follow Us On Social Media Here: Twitter → https://bit.ly/2Mgqv2Z (https://bit.ly/2Mgqv2Z) Instagram → https://bit.ly/2Xz6dH9 (https://bit.ly/2Xz6dH9) Facebook → https://bit.ly/2ZGTbKj (https://bit.ly/2ZGTbKj) LinkedIn → https://bit.ly/2AaowKC (https://bit.ly/2AaowKC) Check out Our Website → https://bit.ly/2ZHeAD5 (https://bit.ly/2ZHeAD5) Still Haven’t Subscribed to “The First Few” on YouTube? → https://bit.ly/3c7wQYT (https://bit.ly/3c7wQYT) Our podcast is a casual style interview that serves as a platform for minorities to share their journey and stories. Listen in to learn more about minorities and their stories.    About The First Few Podcast: Learn from real minorities about their experiences through riveting conversations with host, Juan Perez. The First Few is a platform for minorities to share their journey and stories. Listen in to learn more. We hope to inspire and motivate! Support this podcast
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    34 mins
  • Leading The Way For POC - Entering A Space Not Build For You - Ernesto Portillo

    Leading The Way For POC - Entering A Space Not Build For You - Ernesto Portillo
    Jun 11 2020
    In today’s episode we will be talking to our next guest Ernesto Portillo. Ernesto is a First Generation, Latino male, who is studying Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. His parents are Mexican immigrants who have worked hard their entire lives to give him the opportunity of a better life through education. To repay the favor, he has given back to those around his community to show them their potential of shaping their lives for the better. In this episode he talks about being the only brown leader and the only Latino in his engineering club. He also talks about the difficulties of claiming a space not meant for himself and gives tips to those looking to achieve where no one else has. Listen to Our Podcast Here: Spotify → https://spoti.fi/2ZGQ1pV Apple Podcast → https://apple.co/2M1pdsb Google Podcast → https://bit.ly/3dht9RG Follow Us On Social Media Here: Twitter → https://bit.ly/2Mgqv2Z Instagram → https://bit.ly/2Xz6dH9 Facebook → https://bit.ly/2ZGTbKj LinkedIn → https://bit.ly/2AaowKC Check out Our Website → https://bit.ly/2ZHeAD5 Still Haven’t Subscribed to “The First Few” on YouTube? → https://bit.ly/3c7wQYT Our podcast is a casual style interview that serves as a platform for minorities to share their journey and stories. Listen in to learn more about minorities and their stories. About The First Few Podcast: Learn from real minorities about their experiences through riveting conversations with host, Juan Perez. The First Few is a platform for minorities to share their journey and stories. Listen in to learn more. We hope to inspire and motivate! Support this podcast
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    52 mins
  • A Unique Journey At Higher Education - Stepping Forward With Community College - Kaylee Benting

    A Unique Journey At Higher Education - Stepping Forward With Community College - Kaylee Benting
    Jun 18 2020
    Today’s guest, Kaylee Benting, speaks on her unconventional college experience.  From a four year institution, to a community college, then back to four year college again, Kaylee has many twist in her story, but she has come out on the other end all the wiser. A future Cal Poly SLO student, Kaylee speaks to the value of education and the importance of taking charge of your options.  Download the podcast to hear more about her experience as a biracial first-generation college student! Listen to Our Podcast Here: Spotify → https://spoti.fi/2ZGQ1pV (https://spoti.fi/2ZGQ1pV) Apple Podcast → https://apple.co/2M1pdsb (https://apple.co/2M1pdsb) Google Podcast → https://bit.ly/3dht9RG (https://bit.ly/3dht9RG) Follow Us On Social Media Here: Twitter → https://bit.ly/2Mgqv2Z (https://bit.ly/2Mgqv2Z) Instagram → https://bit.ly/2Xz6dH9 (https://bit.ly/2Xz6dH9) Facebook → https://bit.ly/2ZGTbKj (https://bit.ly/2ZGTbKj) LinkedIn → https://bit.ly/2AaowKC (https://bit.ly/2AaowKC) Check out Our Website → https://bit.ly/2ZHeAD5 (https://bit.ly/2ZHeAD5) Still Haven’t Subscribed to “The First Few” on YouTube? → https://bit.ly/3c7wQYT (https://bit.ly/3c7wQYT) Our podcast is a casual style interview that serves as a platform for minorities to share their journey and stories. Listen in to learn more about minorities and their stories.    About The First Few Podcast: Learn from real minorities about their experiences through riveting conversations with host, Juan Perez. The First Few is a platform for minorities to share their journey and stories. Listen in to learn more. We hope to inspire and motivate! Support this podcast
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    37 mins