By Danielle Skinner | Reporter
A new season of The “Good Neighbear” podcast promotes understanding and appreciation for a diverse range of identities — racial, religious and more. By sharing “stories of hope and healing,” the podcast creates a space for respectful dialogue and community-building.
The podcast is an extension of Better Together, a “collaborative partnership between Spiritual Life and the Department of Multicultural Affairs that seeks to offer students opportunities to reflect on their own culture, community and sense of ‘self’ and to learn about others,” according to its website.
Glendora, Calif., junior Karly Shepherd, the host of the podcast, said the goal is to feature the unique experiences of individuals on campus, because it is often easy for people to assume their personal experiences are true for everyone else.
“By highlighting stories about students’ varying experiences in community at Baylor, the podcast hopes to reveal new opportunities … to better welcome and support students,” Shepherd said. “’The Good Neighbear’ hopes to remind students and listeners that there is not one ‘Baylor experience.’ Students’ roles in the Baylor community can vary dramatically on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, field of study and dozens of other identifying factors.”
Shepherd said the podcast invites student guests to discuss their participation in cultural clubs and organizations and explain how their culture is represented at Baylor.
“[They] are not limited or required to speak about their cultural identities,” Shepherd said. “All perspectives are welcome, and stories about social groups, academic communities and ideological circles are equally valuable to the podcast’s mission of representing Baylor’s diverse student body.”
Shepherd said she is always looking for new student guests who believe they have a different perspective. In the podcast’s current season — the ninth since it started in 2017 — she has interviewed five students.
One student guest was San Antonio senior Manaal Salman, who said the podcast is a safe space that invites conversations about culture, faith and worldviews.
“I felt that I was able to share about how my experiences, background [and] culture shaped my worldview and how they play out in my personal and professional life,” Salman said. “My Pakistani, Muslim and Texan identity encourages being a good neighbor, and I hope my podcast conveys the message that anyone can be a good neighbor and involved in Baylor’s.”
According to its episode description, Salman’s interview featured “the merits of interfaith collaboration, the relationship between spirituality and medicine and the evolution of campus culture.”
“I wanted to talk about the evolution of campus culture because even in my short time at Baylor, it seems like so much has changed,” Salman said. “When I first started, the Muslim community was tiny, and it seemed like there would never be someone on campus with my name. But now there’s a lot more students of various faiths [and] backgrounds, and even another Manaal.”
Another student guest was Jones, Okla., sophomore Mike Chapple, whose interview discussed “the relationship between racial and religious identities in academic, residential and social communities, both on and off campus,” according to its episode description.
“The nature of cross-cultural or religious discourse is beneficial for both the listeners and the person expounding on their experience,” Chapple said. “For the listener, it’s insight into the life and story of another human; it informs our ideas and opinions and helps intellect meet emotion. For the speaker, it’s an opportunity to contribute both to the growth of others and of oneself in confidence.”
Chapple said “The Good Neighbear” podcast provides an opportunity to be brave.
“The chief aim in promoting any sense of unified identity as Baylor students is to promote peace within us,” Chapple said. “I would’ve hated to share in vain. My hope is that for anyone listening, they would be proud of who they are and proud of the university they attend. The individual uniqueness of us all forms into what we call community.”
Students who are interested in being a student guest on “The Good Neighbear” or have questions about the project can contact Shepherd at karly_shepherd1@baylor.edu.
The podcast can be accessed through the Good Neighbear website and Apple Podcasts.
