The Envoy

Aside from being the Program Director of the Where Hunter College Speaks (WHCS) Radio station, Celine Zhang (Hunter-CUNY Baccalaureate ‘25) is also the host of her own podcast, The Cool Corner, which airs on the WHCS station. 

Currently boasting more than 35 episodes, Zhang’s podcast has brought together Hunter students who have discussed their personal experiences, tips for everyday college life, and much more. Outside of the podcast, Zhang is a student at the CUNY Baccalaureate program, where she designed her major “Art and Sustainability,” as a means to examine the intersection between sustainability and mixed media.

The Envoy’s JK Rajjo spoke with Zhang about her journey as a host and the future of the podcast.

This conversation has been edited for clarity.

What brought you to join WHCS Radio and start your podcast?

When I first moved to New York City, almost a year and a half ago [Zhang is from Arizona], I was looking for friends at Hunter. Then, I met my friend Stella at a “Cookies and Combos” social. She was part of the Radio Station, specifically the station manager at the time. She said, “You should join the Radio.” I thought, “I don’t really know what to talk about. But, I really want to do a podcast. I’ve been thinking about that for a while.” 

The motivation behind The Cool Corner was to talk about issues and to explore what people at Hunter were going through. I didn’t start doing my podcast with other people back in Fall 2022, but I would do a lot of Google Forms on my Instagram to ask students, “What do you guys think about this issue?” I’d read those responses during my podcast. 

Nowadays, I try to do something different with my show every semester, including incorporating different ideas or having someone on my show with me. I’m also the Program Director for WHCS Radio, managing the events. We recently had the “Battle of the Bands” and that went really well.

What made you transition from one-person podcasting to collaborating with Hunter students and WHCS for your podcast?

Frankly, I felt like I almost ran out of ideas by myself. I just really wanted to connect with people and I thought, “You know what, I feel like people put posters up at Hunter, and I’m going to try that and find people too.” I had a lot of people respond and it was so exciting. I’ve met some really cool people through having them on The Cool Corner. It’s also a really great experience to have new people come into the WHCS Radio room and try this new activity of podcasting, which I feel some of my guests haven’t done yet.

Everyone at WHCS Radio has been super supportive, especially since talking about these topics can psychologically be a lot sometimes, However, it’s great to listen to and understand these episodes. My guests and other Hunter students often ask me about certain topics I mentioned in my podcast. You may think it’s a little bit too much for WHCS since people usually focus on music, but these episodes and conversations about the important issues we see around us can serve as a break.

What topics do you typically cover for The Cool Corner? How does your topic exploration and brainstorming process work?

A lot of the topics I talk about are related to the typical, “early 20s” …college student life subjects. I’ve done episodes about breaking habits, romance, growing up too fast, setting boundaries, recovering from burnout, and others. The topics have mostly been about lifestyle and mental health.

The topics come from a lot of personal reflection. I think of topics sometimes randomly, such as on my subway ride home, and make sure to write them down. I would think, “I bet other people feel the same way. Why don’t I just talk about it?”

When I was managing The Cool Corner by myself, it was a lot easier to change my topics every week if I felt a different topic interested me more. Now that I have Hunter students coming in as guests, I keep a huge list of different topics for them to choose from, while considering their ideas too. I also make sure to schedule out episodes around a month in advance.

It is so interesting that you’re a part of the CUNY-BA program. Could you provide any insight on the program, the creative freedom designing your own major allows you, and if you feel that being an arts and sustainability major impacts your work at the podcast?

Being part of the CUNY-BA program definitely gave me a lot more freedom in my field! Especially having two things that I was so passionate about. I initially came to Hunter as an environmental science major, but I didn’t like the courses on there and I knew I had a passion for art too. I met someone who was in CUNY-BA and I immediately decided to do it! I think my major has definitely impacted some of the episodes I’ve made on my podcast-specifically relating to being a student in the art and science world.

I think that being in the art/science world has opened up two very different sides to my creativity. There are definitely a lot of polarizing aspects to each yet somehow they tie into one another so well. I hope that with my major I can combine the two in my own way!

Which episode of The Cool Corner was the most challenging for you to create and why?

When I was doing my podcast by myself, it was definitely harder to record since I couldn’t bounce ideas [and feedback] with someone else. I think my hardest episode to record was my episode titled “Homesickness.” At that time, I struggled with feeling out of place in New York and all I wanted was the comfort of my home.  

How can Hunter students find and tune into The Cool Corner? What is one episode you would recommend for beginners?

Right now, we’re not part of a WHCS Radio FM, but I usually put my episodes on Spotify and broadcast it live on the WHCS website when recording. The latest episode we had was about consumerism. 

I would recommend students to listen to my latest episode, “Over Consumerism by Eleni,” mostly because it is my most recent episode and I really enjoy the dynamic in that episode!

What is coming up for you and The Cool Corner in the future?

We are going to continue The Cool Corner in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025! I think I may switch to a topic more focused on the history of music, specifically jazz, and incorporate different genres of jazz. Though, I would love to still run the podcast with other Hunter students and talk about different topics around lifestyle, mental health, and other issues. Readers can feel free to reach out to me through Instagram or e-mail me with any ideas, comments, and suggestions.

Hunter students can apply to host their own radio show at WHCS for the Fall 2024 semester by August 19.