Express Yourself!

it Means to be an American

• "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country." – John F. Kennedy
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Host Sharanya discusses how being a naturalized citizen has affected her and her family. Being an American to her means being honest about governmental failures instead of prete...

"I think every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine." - Neil Armstrong

Some people use their heartbeats to make noise. Others use them to make meaning. In today's broadcast, host Julia interviews someone who does exactly that through music.

Rachel Schaub is an emerging 17-year-old pop ...

"I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious." Albert Einstein

Brothers, Jatin and Milan, reporters on Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio, talk about how being curious leads to success in all things. Jatin discusses how curiosity helped some people become famous for their inventions. Milan reads a poem and encourages teens to explore and be curious. Producer,...

"Our greatest ability as humans is not to change the world, but to change ourselves."~ Mahatma Gandhi

It's a brand-new year, and Express Yourself!™ teen reporters, Milan and Jatin, share their suggestions for creating goals and resolutions. Producer, Cynthia Brian, hosts providing a few insights into ...

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." – Norman Vincent Peale. 

In this holiday episode, Host Julia explores what the season really feels like for teenagers: balancing stress, shifting family dynamics, and the pressure to enjoy a "magical" time of year, while learning how to make the holidays meaningful on our own terms. Julia re...

"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him." Voltaire

Does asking whether God exists help teens think about bigger questions like what gives life meaning? What makes something right or wrong? Who or what do I look to when I'm trying to understand my purpose, my identity, my relationships, or the challenges? Host Hanna talks about the fact that even tee...

"When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed."— Maya Angelou

A family-friendly Thanksgiving program with host Kirpa and her cousins Milan and Jatin as they celebrate gratitude, food, music, travel, and joy.  Thanksgiving is a time of connection, a time to apologize, and forgive. Kirpa advises that life doesn't need to be perfect to be beautiful — and that's the heartb...

"If we are to preserve culture, we must continue to create it." by Johan Huizinga

Culture is not only about connecting the past to the present, but it is also a way we form our identity; it is a part of the puzzle in our lives. Host Julia and reporter Milan discuss the importance of studying culture and keeping one's heritage and culture alive. Milan talks about how culture forms our identi...

" The future belongs to those who prepare for it today." - Malcolm X 

Although college applications can be stressful, there are small steps to take to make the process feel less overwhelming! Host Diya walks you through actions that will help you fill out successful applications to colleges that will be best suited to your life preferences. Stay...

On August 5^th, 2012, when Express Yourself!™ teen, was a toddler, he, his brother, and his mother stopped for three minutes at a gas station on their way to their Sikh temple. Those three minutes saved their lives as a gunman began a mass shooting. Today, host Kirpa and reporter Milan discuss gun control and what teens think about it. There are an estimated 400...

"I've learned you are never too small to make a difference." Greta Thunberg

With college deadlines looming and pressure mounting, this week's broadcast turns inward, toward the grit it takes to be a teenager in a world obsessed with perfection. Host Julia opens the show with a commentary on the myth of effortless success, breaking down how real grit isn't gold stars o...

"I know nothing of man's rights, or woman's rights; human rights are all that I recognize." Sarah Moore Grimke

With global conflict rising, human rights violations demand attention, especially abuses against women and girls.  Host Julia begins the broadcast with an investigation of "The Myth of the Perfect Victim". She asks, "Why do we know Gabby Petito's name, but not Kaysera Stops Pretty Places, a 17-year-o...

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are." – Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Host Julia and reporter Hanna tackle the topic that we chew on every day: ultra-processed foods. Hanna asks if it is ethical to sell food that is unhealthy just to maximize profits at the expense of our long-term well-being. What is the price of health? Whose responsibility is it? What is the future of...

"Climate change is the most severe problem that we are facing today, more serious even than the threat of terrorism." - Anonymous

The answer is YES! Host Keerthi starts off the show with this message: "We are concerned. You know why? Because we live here! You can't just order a new planet from Amazon Prime." The concern is real. Studies show that over 70% of teens say climate change makes t...

"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person."— Mother Teresa

In today's episode, host Julia with new reporter Hanna talk about what concerns teens the most…mental health, the climate crisis, waste, eco-anxiety, and more. Julia dives into "doomism", doom-scrolling, and advocates for her generation that has lived through "historic" tragedies: terrorism, endless wars, "orange alert" paranoia, the 2008 ...

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." Norman Vincent Peale

Host Saanvi Phaneendra take you on a journey into the world of rockets, space, and the story of her nonprofit, Galactic Getaway. Her Eagle Scout project turned into a mission: bringing museum-quality rocket exhibits into libraries and universities across the San Francisco Bay Are...

"Self-care is not selfish. You cannot serve from an empty vessel." – Eleanor Brown

Host, Julia, is an athlete and a healthy teen. In today's program, she talks about how teenagers can stay healthy. She highlights student researchers who are part of the Hitting the Wall Curriculum project that she founded in 2023. Hitting the Wall is a movement dedicated to fostering p...

"Democracies may die at the hands not of generals but of elected leaders—presidents or prime ministers who subvert the very process that brought them to power. " - Steven Levitsky

Host Keerthi brings substance and humor to a very serious topic: democracy. Democracy is a mess. It's a beautiful, chaotic, meme-worthy mess. Democracy has made mistakes. Big ones. But she's...

"To every child – I dream of a world where you can laugh, dance, sing, learn, live in peace, and be happy" - Malala Yousafzai

Host Sharanya Roy doesn't believe brilliance is limited by borders. She recently returned from Africa where she witnessed children eager to learn and study, with a profound quest for knowledge. Learning is freedom. It's power. And it deserves to be shared. To bring...