Sun, 12 Apr 2026 05:12:03 -0400 https://youngwoke.buzzsprout.com en-us © 2026 The Young and the Woke yes fb798800-5a4e-50ba-8a08-b9458534204c Young Whan Choi episodic false The Young and the Woke is a podcast that gives the mic to high school students in Oakland, California to tell their stories. Step into the shoes of these students as they eat school lunch, ride the city bus, vote at the polls, and  speak their minds. On this audio journey, keep your ears open for how students awaken to their sense of purpose and what helps them find their way. Young Whan Choi is a writer and educator and his writing and more info can be found at youngwhan.com

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) education, OUSD, Oakland, high school, linked learning, youth, empowerment, woke, young, civic engagement, PBL, performance assessments Young Whan Choi https://storage.buzzsprout.com/yhb7auiilddde8f6a91cqnycappv?.jpg The Curious Mind of Manuel Martin If you are a teacher, do you ever wonder about life in other schools? Or when you were a student, did you ever have that feeling like some students had it better or worse than you did? These are the seeds of curiosity that too often get squashed in the daily grind of classes and responsibilities. 

But what if we allowed those seeds of curiosity to grow into action? What if we took the chance to see how other students and teachers live their lives? What could we learn?  In this episode, we catch up with a student who one day decided to act on his curiosity…

]]> If you are a teacher, do you ever wonder about life in other schools? Or when you were a student, did you ever have that feeling like some students had it better or worse than you did? These are the seeds of curiosity that too often get squashed in the daily grind of classes and responsibilities. 

But what if we allowed those seeds of curiosity to grow into action? What if we took the chance to see how other students and teachers live their lives? What could we learn?  In this episode, we catch up with a student who one day decided to act on his curiosity…

]]> Young Whan Choi Buzzsprout-11394286 Tue, 27 Sep 2022 09:00:00 -0700 768 Oakland Tech, Ellen Dahlke, Young, Woke, OUSD, curiosity, mind, how other people live, school, social experiment 4 4 full false Cross Racial Solidarity (Creating Space to Talk About Race, Episode 3) You are tuning into "Creating Space to Talk About Race," a special series where we hear from a racially diverse group of Oakland Technical High School students reflecting on their experiences in the Race, Policy, and Law academy known as RPL. In this episode, the students turn their attention to cross-racial solidarity and what it might take for us to get there. They speak candidly about the challenges and successes that they experienced in their classroom. You will hear from Samira, Nia, Audrey, Simona, Nyla, Imahni, Ceterra, Ruby, Summer, and their teacher, Heath. 

]]> You are tuning into "Creating Space to Talk About Race," a special series where we hear from a racially diverse group of Oakland Technical High School students reflecting on their experiences in the Race, Policy, and Law academy known as RPL. In this episode, the students turn their attention to cross-racial solidarity and what it might take for us to get there. They speak candidly about the challenges and successes that they experienced in their classroom. You will hear from Samira, Nia, Audrey, Simona, Nyla, Imahni, Ceterra, Ruby, Summer, and their teacher, Heath. 

]]> Young Whan Choi Buzzsprout-10562603 Thu, 05 May 2022 08:00:00 -0700 655 RPL, Oakland, Oakland Tech, OUSD, race, critical race theory, CRT, Race Policy Law, Linked Learning, pathways, Heath Madom, young, woke, cross-racial solidarity, solidarity 4 3 full false Racial Affinity Groups (Creating Space to Talk about Race, Episode 2) For over a year now, conservative politicians and pundits have weaponized "critical race theory" in attempts to turn out voters. Enraged parents have been protesting at school board meetings about what they fear is the indoctrination of their children.  Few, if any of them, have ever stepped into a classroom where students of different backgrounds are discussing race. What would the students themselves have to say about the impact of discussing race in the classroom? In this episode, guest host and producer Rose Khor shares the voices of a racially diverse group of students from Heath Madom's class at Oakland Tech. The students participated in racial affinity groups where they first divided into groups based on their racial identity to share their experiences and then, importantly, came back together as a whole group to listen to each of the groups offer their reflections. Tune in to what the students have to say about racial affinity groups.

]]> For over a year now, conservative politicians and pundits have weaponized "critical race theory" in attempts to turn out voters. Enraged parents have been protesting at school board meetings about what they fear is the indoctrination of their children.  Few, if any of them, have ever stepped into a classroom where students of different backgrounds are discussing race. What would the students themselves have to say about the impact of discussing race in the classroom? In this episode, guest host and producer Rose Khor shares the voices of a racially diverse group of students from Heath Madom's class at Oakland Tech. The students participated in racial affinity groups where they first divided into groups based on their racial identity to share their experiences and then, importantly, came back together as a whole group to listen to each of the groups offer their reflections. Tune in to what the students have to say about racial affinity groups.

]]> Young Whan Choi Buzzsprout-10262546 Wed, 16 Mar 2022 10:00:00 -0700 620 oakland tech, OUSD, Oakland, education, schools, racial justice, critical race theory, racial affinity groups, racism, K-12, RPL, Linked Learning, pathways, Heath Madom, Rose Khor, Young Whan Choi, Young, woke 4 2 full false Creating Space to Talk about Race For over a year now, conservative politicians and pundits have weaponized "critical race theory" in attempts to turn out voters. Enraged parents have been protesting at school board meetings about what they fear is the indoctrination of their children.  Few, if any of them, have ever stepped into a classroom where students of different backgrounds are discussing race. What would the students themselves have to say about the impact of discussing race in the classroom? In this episode, guest host and producer Rose Khor shares the voices of a racially diverse group of students in Heath Madom's class at Oakland Tech. These students recently graduated from a career pathway at the school that discusses the intersection of race, policy, and law. Take a listen to what the students have to say about the role of discussing race in schools.

]]> For over a year now, conservative politicians and pundits have weaponized "critical race theory" in attempts to turn out voters. Enraged parents have been protesting at school board meetings about what they fear is the indoctrination of their children.  Few, if any of them, have ever stepped into a classroom where students of different backgrounds are discussing race. What would the students themselves have to say about the impact of discussing race in the classroom? In this episode, guest host and producer Rose Khor shares the voices of a racially diverse group of students in Heath Madom's class at Oakland Tech. These students recently graduated from a career pathway at the school that discusses the intersection of race, policy, and law. Take a listen to what the students have to say about the role of discussing race in schools.

]]> Buzzsprout-9981471 Mon, 31 Jan 2022 13:00:00 -0800 615 Oakland Tech, RPL, critical race theory, Race, policy, law, students, K-12, public education, equity, social justice, racism 4 1 full false Indigenous Ways of Knowing This is a special episode on indigenous ways of knowing and how we can awaken to the wisdom of indigenous communities. I was lucky to catch up with my friend and colleague Shane Safir as she interviewed Denise Augustine, an indigenous leader and educator from British Columbia. Check out this episode to learn about how indigenous ways of knowing can help us heal our relationship with one another and to the land we live on.

]]> This is a special episode on indigenous ways of knowing and how we can awaken to the wisdom of indigenous communities. I was lucky to catch up with my friend and colleague Shane Safir as she interviewed Denise Augustine, an indigenous leader and educator from British Columbia. Check out this episode to learn about how indigenous ways of knowing can help us heal our relationship with one another and to the land we live on.

]]> Buzzsprout-7483498 Mon, 25 Jan 2021 16:00:00 -0800 687 Shane Safir, Denise Augustine, listening leader, street data, indigenous ways of knowing, land acknowledgments 3 1 full false Ethnic Studies: Being Filled with Love This episode features Ozzy Johnson, a student in the ninth grade in OUSD. He is one of more than 1500 ninth graders taking Ethnic Studies this year. As someone who has spent close to a decade organizing for Ethnic Studies, developing curriculum, and supporting Ethnic Studies teachers in OUSD, I really wanted to hear what students had to say about the class. In this episode, Ozzy gives his take on Ethnic Studies, politics in general, and the upcoming presidential election.

]]> This episode features Ozzy Johnson, a student in the ninth grade in OUSD. He is one of more than 1500 ninth graders taking Ethnic Studies this year. As someone who has spent close to a decade organizing for Ethnic Studies, developing curriculum, and supporting Ethnic Studies teachers in OUSD, I really wanted to hear what students had to say about the class. In this episode, Ozzy gives his take on Ethnic Studies, politics in general, and the upcoming presidential election.

]]> Young Whan Choi Buzzsprout-5928496 Fri, 16 Oct 2020 12:00:00 -0700 581 OUSD, Oakland, Ethnic Studies, CA Ethnic Studies, AB331, Gavin Newsom, Skyline High School, Catalina Del Canto, debate, presidential, Trump, Biden 2 4 full false Teachers and Students: We Are Not Empty Vessels In recognition of Labor Day and all of our teachers, I caught up with Jah-Yee Woo — long time Oakland teacher and Oakland teacher of the year in 2018-19. We’ve worked together over the years on various initiatives in the district from civic engagement to Ethnic Studies to the graduate capstone. Sit back and listen to her story: how she became a teacher, why she’s passionate about centering youth voice, how she continues to learn and grow, and finally what her dreams are for changing public education. Through her journey, she reminds us that students and teachers alike are not empty vessels. 

]]> In recognition of Labor Day and all of our teachers, I caught up with Jah-Yee Woo — long time Oakland teacher and Oakland teacher of the year in 2018-19. We’ve worked together over the years on various initiatives in the district from civic engagement to Ethnic Studies to the graduate capstone. Sit back and listen to her story: how she became a teacher, why she’s passionate about centering youth voice, how she continues to learn and grow, and finally what her dreams are for changing public education. Through her journey, she reminds us that students and teachers alike are not empty vessels. 

]]> Buzzsprout-5300749 Sat, 05 Sep 2020 10:00:00 -0700 685 OUSD, Oakland Tech, Jah-Yee Woo, Young Whan Choi, Young Woke, empty vessels, Mills College, distance learning, COVID, pandemic, Oakland 2 3 full false Class of 2020: Graduating During COVID In this episode, I catch up with two students who were featured on this podcast before. Don't worry, we recorded the interviews online, so no social distancing guidelines were broken. Given all the changes that are happening in our world during the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to hear from young people, particularly high school seniors who are at a critical moment at the cusp of adulthood. We hear from Fremont High School student Midori Butler and former Skyline High School student Angelica Perkins. 

]]> In this episode, I catch up with two students who were featured on this podcast before. Don't worry, we recorded the interviews online, so no social distancing guidelines were broken. Given all the changes that are happening in our world during the COVID-19 pandemic, I wanted to hear from young people, particularly high school seniors who are at a critical moment at the cusp of adulthood. We hear from Fremont High School student Midori Butler and former Skyline High School student Angelica Perkins. 

]]> Young Whan Choi Buzzsprout-3558856 Wed, 29 Apr 2020 15:00:00 -0700 757 covid, coronavirus, skyline high school, fremont high school, OUSD, Oakland, Anderson Union, graduation, prom, cap and gown, young and woke, Young Whan Choi 2 2 full false The Elements of Powerful Learning There’s no shortage of advice out there for how teachers should teach, but little of it comes directly from students. And that’s why in this first episode of our second season, I travel to Castlemont High School to talk to two students in the Sustainable Urban Design Academy about what makes learning powerful. America and Jessica are juniors and they take Green Urban Design with their teacher Ms. Jacobson. In a recent project, they created designs for an empty lot in their East Oakland neighborhood. But this wasn't just an exercise, the students partnered with Carolyn Johnson at the Black Cultural Zone and with Oakland City Council Member Loren Taylor. The students designs are amazing. But don't take my word for it. You can check out links to the students' designs on this document. The City is also using the finalists' designs as the basis for future bids to develop the site. The students are activating the site throughout the spring and summer in partnership with the Pop-Up Resource Village. Their first event is Saturday, March 14, 2-5pm at the nearby Glover Center. Check it out!

]]> There’s no shortage of advice out there for how teachers should teach, but little of it comes directly from students. And that’s why in this first episode of our second season, I travel to Castlemont High School to talk to two students in the Sustainable Urban Design Academy about what makes learning powerful. America and Jessica are juniors and they take Green Urban Design with their teacher Ms. Jacobson. In a recent project, they created designs for an empty lot in their East Oakland neighborhood. But this wasn't just an exercise, the students partnered with Carolyn Johnson at the Black Cultural Zone and with Oakland City Council Member Loren Taylor. The students designs are amazing. But don't take my word for it. You can check out links to the students' designs on this document. The City is also using the finalists' designs as the basis for future bids to develop the site. The students are activating the site throughout the spring and summer in partnership with the Pop-Up Resource Village. Their first event is Saturday, March 14, 2-5pm at the nearby Glover Center. Check it out!

]]> Buzzsprout-2975668 Tue, 10 Mar 2020 20:00:00 -0700 713 SUDA, City of Oakland, Loren Taylor, Black Cultural Zone, Civic Design Studio, Pop Up Village, Oakland, OUSD, Castlemont, Jacobson, Sustainable Urban Design, Linked Learning, Pathway, high school, Oakland 2 1 full false High School Students in Oakland Take College Classes--For Free Students, especially low-income students, don’t have the luxury of taking expensive college classes and building up debt while they “figure things out.” What if we could expose students in high school to more college, career, and community experiences to help them understand how to pursue their future goals? In this episode, we learn about Dual Enrollment - a program between Oakland Unified School District and Peralta College that aims to do just that.

]]> Students, especially low-income students, don’t have the luxury of taking expensive college classes and building up debt while they “figure things out.” What if we could expose students in high school to more college, career, and community experiences to help them understand how to pursue their future goals? In this episode, we learn about Dual Enrollment - a program between Oakland Unified School District and Peralta College that aims to do just that.

]]> Young Whan Choi Buzzsprout-2260082 Tue, 10 Dec 2019 16:00:00 -0800 804 dual enrollment, Peralta College, Oakland Unified School District, Madison Park Academy, Leslie Hsu, Fatima Ghatala, AP, UC Berkeley, Measure N, Linked Learning 1 6 full false Special Episode: Youth Vs. Apocalypse Climate March On September 20th, more than a thousand youth from Oakland Unified School District participated in the largest climate protest in human history. This was a response to the international consensus that we have to cut our carbon emissions in half within the next 11 years to prevent irreversible damage to the planet. In this episode, we hear from Skyline High School students, including protest organizer Angelica Perkins who works with Youth vs. Apocalypse.

]]> On September 20th, more than a thousand youth from Oakland Unified School District participated in the largest climate protest in human history. This was a response to the international consensus that we have to cut our carbon emissions in half within the next 11 years to prevent irreversible damage to the planet. In this episode, we hear from Skyline High School students, including protest organizer Angelica Perkins who works with Youth vs. Apocalypse.

]]> Young Whan Choi Buzzsprout-1806538 Wed, 02 Oct 2019 15:00:00 -0700 587 Skyline High School, OUSD, Oakland Unified, Youth vs. Apocalypse, Green Academy, climate change, climate justice, environmental justice, intersectionality, blackrock, field trip, San Francisco, Amazon, Nancy Pelosi, 1 5 full false Home is Where My Heart Is: An East Oakland Story In today’s episode, we meet Tayland Sou a senior in the Community Health Equity Academy at Castlemont High School. He cherishes East Oakland. It’s as if his home, his block, his school, and his community are coursing through his veins.  All the generosity and support he receives are what fill his heart, and it’s that positive energy that he gives back to his home community. 

]]> In today’s episode, we meet Tayland Sou a senior in the Community Health Equity Academy at Castlemont High School. He cherishes East Oakland. It’s as if his home, his block, his school, and his community are coursing through his veins.  All the generosity and support he receives are what fill his heart, and it’s that positive energy that he gives back to his home community. 

]]> Young Whan Choi Buzzsprout-1729753 Wed, 18 Sep 2019 10:00:00 -0700 627 East Oakland, gentrification, homeless, Castlemont, OUSD, Oakland Unified, Oakland, high school, linked learning, YMCA, Early Pathways to Success, Berkeley City College, Community Health Equity Academy, public health 1 4 full false A Rose in Oakland's Concrete Check out our back to school episode! In this episode, we meet Midori Butler - a student in the Media Academy at Fremont High School in Oakland, California. She helps us contemplate the importance of teaching in the lives of students, particularly those who have faced many challenges in their lives. Midori has overcome a lot in her life to get to where she is. She's put herself on a fast track to graduation by taking a college class this summer, which allowed her to skip her junior year of high school. But getting to this point in high school wasn't a walk in the park. For much of her life, Midori was on her own and raising herself. Her experiences have given her a critical perspective on what qualities are important in a teacher, particularly those who work with students who have faced a lot of trauma in their lives. Through Oakland Unified's summer internship program, Midori worked with the Talent Division to develop a teacher candidate screening form that reflects her perspective as a student on what makes a good teacher. Take a listen to Midori's story - A Rose in Oakland's Concrete.

]]> Check out our back to school episode! In this episode, we meet Midori Butler - a student in the Media Academy at Fremont High School in Oakland, California. She helps us contemplate the importance of teaching in the lives of students, particularly those who have faced many challenges in their lives. Midori has overcome a lot in her life to get to where she is. She's put herself on a fast track to graduation by taking a college class this summer, which allowed her to skip her junior year of high school. But getting to this point in high school wasn't a walk in the park. For much of her life, Midori was on her own and raising herself. Her experiences have given her a critical perspective on what qualities are important in a teacher, particularly those who work with students who have faced a lot of trauma in their lives. Through Oakland Unified's summer internship program, Midori worked with the Talent Division to develop a teacher candidate screening form that reflects her perspective as a student on what makes a good teacher. Take a listen to Midori's story - A Rose in Oakland's Concrete.

]]> Young Whan Choi Buzzsprout-1546531 Tue, 13 Aug 2019 14:00:00 -0700 710 OUSD, Fremont, Media Academy, Linked Learning, Oakland, Oakland Fire Department, EBMUD, Highland, Cypress Mandela, BART, Rose in Concrete, Fremont High School, ECCCO, internship, Alameda Courthouse, OUSD Talent Division, Sarah Glasband, Mr. Basta, Midori 1 3 full false It Takes a Village In this episode, we learn about Leonardo, a senior in the Health Academy at Oakland Technical High School. His story paints a picture of how the path to high school graduation isn't always a straight line, but rather a windy road full of twists and turns. There isn't a GPS device to help you navigate all those curves, many of which are uncharted. Instead, it takes the wisdom, guidance, and resources of an entire village. The village that supports Leonardo to be successful begins with his mother and also includes the Oakland Housing Authority, amazing classroom teachers, community organizations like the HOPE collaborative, internship opportunities, and not insignificantly the financial support of voters in Oakland in through Measure N.

If you want to support this podcast, please consider a donation here.

]]> In this episode, we learn about Leonardo, a senior in the Health Academy at Oakland Technical High School. His story paints a picture of how the path to high school graduation isn't always a straight line, but rather a windy road full of twists and turns. There isn't a GPS device to help you navigate all those curves, many of which are uncharted. Instead, it takes the wisdom, guidance, and resources of an entire village. The village that supports Leonardo to be successful begins with his mother and also includes the Oakland Housing Authority, amazing classroom teachers, community organizations like the HOPE collaborative, internship opportunities, and not insignificantly the financial support of voters in Oakland in through Measure N.

If you want to support this podcast, please consider a donation here.

]]> Young Whan Choi Buzzsprout-901343 Wed, 26 Dec 2018 20:00:00 -0800 600 Leonardo, Oakland Tech, voting, civic engagement, OUSD, Oakland, students, high school, housing authority, OHA, GFPP, school lunch, Cat Brook, education, Oakland 1 1 full false