Meet our Fall 2025 Podcast Fellows

The Democracy Group's podcast fellowship is back! We're so excited to introduce you to our newest cohort of fellows eager to get to work. For the next few weeks, they will learn how to start a podcast and build an informed and engaged audience to strengthen our democracy!

Shae Himmelberger is a graduate student studying political theory at UCLA. Together with Joseph Strassman, he will start a podcast about the emergent threats that technological developments pose to democracy. Through the fellowship, Shae hopes to develop connections with a community of like-minded scholars and sharpen his podcasting skills.

‍Joseph Strassman is pursuing a graduate degree in social sciences at the University of Chicago. He previously worked in aerospace engineering. Together with Shae, Joseph hopes to be in conversation about the dynamics between technological innovations and democratic institutions.

Aleena Khan recently earned a master's degree in Journalism at Northwestern University. She is interested in audio storytelling and hosts Kitaabcast, a podcast that explores Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) books and literature. Through the fellowship, Aleena hopes to engage in constructive and respectful dialogue across different demographics.

Tenzin Jamyang is a junior at the Renaissance Charter School in New York. Through the fellowship, he hopes to learn the framework of political and grassroots advocacy, develop his voice and political beliefs, and turn ideas into actions. Some of Tenzin's favorite podcasts are "The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Ezra Klein Show."

Annalise Huang is a junior at Monte Vista High School in Danville, California. Last year, she produced an audio story with PBS Student Reporting Labs' podcast On Our Minds about her dad's multicultural identity. Through the fellowship, Annalise hopes to develop skills to promote diverse civil discourse and thought-provoking conversations about democracy on a broader stage.

‍Learn more about the fellowship

This is Jessie Nguyen, The Democracy Group's Community Manager. Here are some of my favorite podcasts this week, check them out!

New Faces of Democracy: A Pep Talk from Robert Hubbell

Robert Hubbell, author of Today's Edition newsletter, joined the episode to give listeners a much-needed pep talk. He reflected on today's political climate and talked about how to keep on keeping on during dark times, the importance of perspective and how to find joy in activism.

Democracy Works: The new gerrymandering battles

Guests Carol Kuniholm of Fair Districts Pennsylvania and Emma Addams of Mormon Women of Ethical Government joined the episode to talk about their successes in creating fairer maps. Kuniholm and Addams also shared tactics in creating change and why gerrymandering is not just a partisan issue.

The Context: What makes social movements win

Guest Deva Woodly, professor of political science at Brown University, discussed the importance of social movements for American democracy and how they've changed in today's context. Woodly also dissected MAGA as a social movement and pointed out how protests, such as the "No Kings" protests, have become more localized and less centralized.

FEATURED EXPERTS

Future Hindsight: Miranda Spivack on Holding Democracy Accountable

Miranda Spivack is a veteran reporter and editor who specializes in government accountability. She is the author of "Backroom Deals in Our Backyards," which explores the underreported rise in state and local secrecy. Spivack's "State Secrets" series won the Society of Professional Journalists' 2017 Sunshine Award.

TPNR: Kurt Ver Beek on Transforming Systems, Not Just Souls

Kurt Ver Beek is the co-founder of the Association for a More Just Society, an organization that seeks to do justice in Honduras. He works with experts in Honduras to develop innovative solutions to strengthen public systems.