Push pause on your hectic schedule and push play on Flying High Podcast, a fresh take on student life. Its creators, sophomores Aaron Bai, Ishan Patel and Dale Tran, invite you to sit back, relax and let your troubles float away.
It opens with an upbeat, colorful melody that welcomes friends and strangers alike. Then, with practically audible grins, sophomores Aaron Bai, Ishan Patel and Dale Tran begin the newest installment of their podcast with the signature phrase, “Now, it’s time to fly high.”
Available on Apple Music, Soundcloud and Messy.fm, Flying High explores every aspect of high school life, from dances to academic struggles. Though they have an Instagram (@flying.high.pod) for marketing, the three hosts mainly spread their podcast by word of mouth, drawing in fellow students with their anecdotal humor and playful tic-for-tac banter. Though all three sophomores run the podcast together, Bai manages the technical aspect, whereas Patel and Tran contribute heavily to the script. While they may not have post-graduation plans for the podcast yet, they presently have a clear goal in mind: connecting with their audience through common experiences while also forging stronger bonds with one another.
Hidden within a small nook of the library and concealed by towering bookshelves, the trio might be found snickering and crowding around a laptop and microphone. Although Bai, Patel and Tran had already been relatively close in the past, creating the podcast — and all the shenanigans along the way — brought them even closer together. With sheepish grins, they recall getting kicked out of the 300s building by custodians once it grew too late to record. They may spend hours together bouncing around ideas for their ever-changing podcast topics. Such cohesive, face-to-face dynamics easily translate to their podcast, adding a lighthearted and entertaining flare that keeps the audience engaged.
“It’s more like we understand each other,” Bai said. “We know what’s going on in our lives, and I think that makes our podcast so much more valuable to our listeners and to us.”
The podcast may contribute to their development as a group, but it also helps Bai, Patel and Tran grow as individuals. Constantly discussing their own experiences, interviewing their peers and listening to their audience’s feedback helped them realize that people are shaped by their different experiences. As such, they understood that they can not make assumptions about others’ troubles without first learning more about them as individuals.
“I end up finding a lot more stuff that I didn’t really think about before, like relationships between certain people,” Tran said. “Sometimes we’ll interview other people at school, and that also allows us to hear their story.”
Such revelations frame their overall purpose of bonding with their audience through the common experiences they share on their podcast. From clashing with strict parents to balancing busy academic and social lives, all of their chosen topics deeply resonate with the audience. Ultimately, they hope that sharing their stories will encourage and support their peers. After all, the name “Flying High” comes from the belief that everyone can excel and persevere through the struggles they may be facing.
“I want them to know that they’re not really alone,” Patel said. “I want them to know that ‘hey guys, you may be going through some tough times and you may find something about your high school life that’s really nagging at you or something that’s really hard, but we’ve all gone through it and we know that you can too so keep on pushing and fly high.’”