Rashida Poonawala, a junior at Manhasset High School, has taken her passion for podcasting to new heights. The high school received new, professional podcasting equipment this school year, courtesy of the Tower Foundation of Manhasset. Poonawala, a member of the Manhasset Broadcasting Company, was excited to put it to use. She created Manhasset High School’s first podcast, The Career Spotlight, which tells the story of different highly successful individuals in their specific career industries.
Thus far, Poonawala has had the pleasure of interviewing Carson Daly, television host and personality, radio personality and producer, and Jennifer DeSena, Town of North Hempstead Supervisor. Guests are invited into the Manhasset Broadcasting Company studio to be interviewed by Poonawala who researches and prepares for each podcast episode ahead of time.
“I love interviewing people and hearing their life stories,” Poonawala said. “The reason I chose a career spotlight was because there are a lot of kids, especially in high school, who are trying to figure out what they want to pursue in college and as a career. If I can help even one student with this career podcast, that would be amazing.”
Poonawala is the driving force behind the entire production with new episodes premiering every other month. She personally reaches out to guests that she would like on the podcast, records their interview and edits the episode together. The final product then gets uploaded to Manhasset Broadcasting Company’s YouTube channel (@manhassetbroadcast).
This podcast is just the start for the high school junior. In the future, Poonawala is interested in pursuing journalism in college.
“I love journalism and I love media,” she said. “It’s super interesting and you get to meet so many new people. There is something new to learn every single day. I’m learning something new just by talking to these people.”
To listen to The Career Spotlight, please visit www.youtube.com/@manhassetbroadcast and click on the Podcasts tab.
—Submitted by Manhasset Public Schools
