Maclay School sophomores Simon Joos and Arnav Kolli will join Rickards High School students Kaylee Jeon and Sahasra Akula to host a Tallahassee mayoral debate with candidates Jeremy Matlow and Loranne Ausley. The episode airs Sunday, October 25, at 2 p.m. on 411 Teen, a radio podcast on WFSU.
411 Teen is a locally produced program created with teen input for a teenage audience. It is led by Dr. Liz Holifield, a developmental psychologist and former professor at Florida A&M University. Each episode features young guests sharing their perspectives on issues that matter to adolescents.
Simon and Arnav first appeared on the show as guests last December with hosts Kaylle and Sahasra. That appearance quickly turned into roles as co-producers. The two now help host hour long episodes once a month on topics such as health and wellness, SAT preparation, and AI in schools. They also invite fellow Maclay students to join each episode as panelists, with the goal of reaching even more of their classmates in the future.
Maclay School sophomores Simon Joos and Arnav Kolli will join Rickards High School students Kaylee Jeon and Sahasra Akula to host a Tallahassee mayoral debate with candidates Jeremy Matlow and Loranne Ausley.
For the mayoral debate, the four students build a question bank, which was not shared with the candidates ahead of time.
“I think it’s important to hear young people’s voices,” said Simon. “We’ll be able to vote in a couple of years, so it’s important to be involved now. We were really surprised that the candidates were willing to do it, so it was such a great opportunity.”
“Sometimes candidates don’t take teenagers seriously, so this was a chance to show that we are interested in the elections and the issues,” said Arnav.
Both students credit Dr. Holifield for her guidance and for creating a prepared but relaxed atmosphere where it’s okay to make mistakes and learn along the way.
Tune in to 411 Teen
Mayoral Debate airs Sunday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. on WFSU. Listeners will hear Simon, Arnav, Kaylee, and Sahasra alongside Dr. Holifield and candidates Jeremy Matlow and Loranne Ausley. Visit https://news.wfsu.org/show/411-teen-on-88-9-wfsu-fm to listen.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Local students host Tallahassee mayoral debate. Here’s how to listen in