In this interview, we hear from a member of the first four-year graduating class of James River High School, Kevin Powers. After leaving high school, he enlisted in the army and was called to serve in Iraq, simultaneously pausing his writing career while also providing him with the tools to succeed in it later on. Tune in for the next few minutes as he shares his journey from the military to publishing his award-winning book: The Yellow Birds. He discusses life experiences, explains his writing process, gives advice to aspiring authors, and answers the question: did he or did he not meet Jennifer Aniston on the set of his book’s movie?

Instagram: @kevincpowersauthor

Website: https://www.kevincpowers.com/

In this episode, we hear from a recent graduate from James River High School, Lilah Moons. Tune in for the next few minutes as she shares the process of building her musical career over time. Lilah elaborates more on releasing her first album while studying at VCU, and looks back at her younger self to share some advice for aspiring musicians.

Go listen to 18 Years (her debut album) anywhere that you stream your music, or purchase a record at Plan 9 today!

Instagram: @lilahmoonsmusic

In this episode, we hear from an anonymous student at James River High School. Tune in for the next few minutes as she shares her journey from Venezuela to Colombia, and from Colombia to Virginia. She details the obstacles she and her family faced throughout their immigration and talks about what gives her hope. We also have an amazing ESL teacher, Ms. Gail, with us in order to facilitate the conversation.

This episode is in both English and Spanish.

*Also, a side note: this interview was filmed in a school, so there are a few times when there are pauses due to interruptions that had to be cut for the sake of the flow.