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To figure out her future after graduation, a college podcaster looks back to her past

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Recent college graduates across the country may be asking themselves big questions about their futures. One recent graduate turned to the microphone to seek answers, and she was a finalist in ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ's College Podcast Challenge this year. ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ's Lauren Migaki has more about this young podcaster.

SHERIDAN FOLLIS: I graduated.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Sheridan Follis, Bachelor of Science, integrated communication.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FOLLIS: I did pretty good, all considering.

LAUREN MIGAKI, BYLINE: Sheridan Follis at Minnesota State University, Mankato tackled a big existential question.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FOLLIS: Now that I've graduated, I've started looking into work, which is terrifying. And I've had to figure out why I did all this to begin with.

MIGAKI: Follis is passionate about radio, but she wanted to know, where did that come from? To find out she looked back at her childhood and went to a reliable source of information...

(SOUNDBITE OF FOOTSTEPS)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Hello.

MIGAKI: ...Her mom.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FOLLIS: Tell me a bit about how you saw me growing up.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: You really wanted to be a veterinarian.

MIGAKI: Follis' mom remembers when her daughter was in the fourth grade and sang at a school performance. She said that was a turning point.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Your singing voice was such a shock to me. How did I not know you could sing the way that you did? People came up to us after and said, she has a beautiful voice. I'm not shocked that you got into something with your voice.

FOLLIS: Singing wasn't the only thing I was doing in fourth grade. I was trying to run radio shows.

That was part one. Next one will be number 13 and SpongeBob's Greatest Hits, "Gary's Song."

MIGAKI: As she got older, her interest in radio grew.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FOLLIS: Let me introduce you to the one, the only MAV FM.

(APPLAUSE)

FOLLIS: Twenty students, including myself, joined together to help run the student radio. There, I ended up learning a lot more about audio.

MIGAKI: Once she'd gotten the basics down, Follis launched her own show.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FOLLIS: My name is Sheridan, and I'm your host for "Meeting With The Majors." I'm going to ask you ten questions about your major...

UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: Oh, my goodness.

FOLLIS: ...No more, no less. That's all you get.

MIGAKI: Along the way, Follis figured out this is what she wants to do with her life.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FOLLIS: I think I got drawn towards this because I just want to hear people. I want to hear their stories. I want to hear what makes them who they are. Or maybe that's just a cop-out answer, and I don't even know why I got into it.

MIGAKI: In some words of advice that may apply to a lot of us, Follis says the why of her chosen career path may not be all that important.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FOLLIS: Maybe I don't need to know why I got into anything. Maybe I can just enjoy it.

MIGAKI: Lauren Migaki, ½ûÂþÌìÌà News.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

FOLLIS: That's all I have for you. Thank you, and keep listening.

I hope you listen to my next track. Thanks very much. Bye. Transcript provided by ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ, Copyright ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ.

½ûÂþÌìÌà transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an ½ûÂþÌìÌà contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ’s programming is the audio record.

Lauren Migaki is a senior producer with ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ's education desk. She helps tell stories about teacher strikes, college access and a new high school for young men in Washington D.C. She also produces and hosts ½ûÂþÌìÌÃ's podcast about the Student Podcast Challenge.