James Loy  

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast by the hosts and guests may or may not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Miami University. I'm a senior. I'm about to graduate, and I've done a lot of cool things in college.

Student

I never thought that I was going to be an intramural curler. I never thought that I was going to be the student body president. 

Student

These four years have been the biggest amount of growth I've seen in my entire life. 

Student

It's not just about the academics, but like what kind of person you turn into, which is super cool.

Michaela  

Do you want me to say that, or do you want Parker to say her name? Do you know what I mean? Do you want to say your name?

Parker Green  

Parker Green. What is up? And I am so excited to be here. This has been my dream since I was a child. I'm so excited to be here.

Michaela  

Did you listen to Major Insight as a child?

Parker Green  

Yes. Like um, like when like the moms put like the headphones on the womb.

Michaela  

That was you preparing for this moment your entire life.

Parker Green  

Yeah,

Michaela  

20 years ago.

Michaela  

Hi, Parker. Welcome to Major Insight. I am Michaela, and this is a very special episode because this is our new incoming host, Parker Green. I'm so excited. So, who are you?

Parker Green  

I am an English Literature and strategic communication double major with a minor in political science, and I do a couple of other things around campus. But what I'm most excited about right now is that I'll be the host of Major Insight, which is so amazing,

Michaela  

so exciting, and I can't believe we are already here. It feels like I just got this role, but it has truly been like the

Michaela  

most fun, the most rewarding thing I could have done at Miami, and I'm just so happy that you now get to experience all of this too. And I feel like you are the perfect fit, so I'm so excited for you. Would you want to just walk us through kind of what your process was choosing your major, kind of getting to Miami, and maybe if it kind of took you a while to decide what you wanted to do, or if you came in with a plan, how that all kind of went down.

Parker Green  

For most of my life, I swore up and down that I was going to be a doctor, specifically a cardiologist. And when I got into high school, I was like, "Yeah, like I'm going to be a doctor. That's just what I'm going to do. And I really liked the idea of having like a defined structure to follow. You know, you do your undergrad, you go to med school, you do your residency, and then you just become a doctor. But then I sort of realized I was saying that mostly because I got a lot of validation from adults in my life by saying that I wanted to be a doctor or I wanted to be a lawyer or something like quote unquote like prestigious like that. And it's not that I think I couldn't be a doctor. I just don't think I would be a good one because I'm not passionate about it. I'm not like I don't want to be a doctor deep down. So I realize like what am I passionate about, and that was definitely like the one consistent my entire life has been reading, and so I to like the horror of everyone in my life, I was like, I'm not, I'm not going to be a doctor. I'm going to be an English major. To which everyone just immediately assumed I'm going to be a lawyer, and we're still on the fence about that. But for now, literature was the way to go, and then strategic communication kind of just made sense. I love yapping. I love talking to people, and it kind of just merged my two interests together. So that is how I settled on literature and stratcom.

Michaela  

I resonate with everything you just said a ton because I felt the same way about law. That was like what I went into college saying because a political science degree is kind of similar. Like it's so vague and so broad that it's like, what path are you really going to take with that? The immediate cop out is like, I'm going to go to law school. I'm going to go to law school, even though I was just really passionate about politics, and so that's kind of what, why I chose that. So I feel very similar to you. Like, well, I know I love this, so I want to choose this, and then we'll kind of see where it goes from there. But yeah, I just think it's funny that we kind of have similar stories because it is. It's about like when you're younger finding validation, like oh, I'm gonna say this because I know the reaction will be great. Like I know my parents will be like, oh, Michaela's gonna be a big shot attorney, and we can't wait to see it. Have your majors kind of played into what you've joined extracurricularly on campus, or those kind of separate, or how did you get to joining some of the clubs you're in? Because you are very involved, and now this is like another fun, cool new involvement with Major Insight. So I'm just intrigued, kind of how you have gotten into all the clubs that you're in.

Parker Green  

I can't sit still. I get anxious if I have like gaps in my schedule. So I was always like, I'm just gonna join a bunch of things, but I. Definitely think you know I'm definitely more attracted to the things that align with my interests. So like I'm in the Happy Captive literary magazine. It's about reading. It's about literature. It's great.

Michaela  

Obsess.

Parker Green  

Miami student helps writing, but some things like I'm in Engineers Without Borders. Nothing to do with my major. I think I might be the only non engineer 

Michaela  

the only non-engineer major

Parker Green  

in there, but it's so much fun, and we just go out on the weekends and we build bridges in our free time, and so I feel like there's just some random clubs in there that I just joined because they talked me into it my freshman year, and now I can't leave. I'm there and I'm happy to be there.

Michaela  

I remember my freshman year. I was signing up for like skee ball club. Like I don't even know. I was like having a joy time there. Like I was genuinely like writing my name on everything, signing up on my email. And then I remember that first week, I was like just getting like inundated with all these emails from different clubs. I'm like, wait, I don't remember signing up for that, but sure, I'll come. But that's really cool, and Engineers Without Borders. That's kind of funny.

Parker Green  

Ally, I would say I'm an engineering ally.

Michaela  

That's hilarious! Oh my gosh, what is kind of your interest in this podcast specifically, or like, what are you excited for about the host position?

Parker Green  

I love talking to people, and I love just hearing people's different stories and how they approach college, like so. You know, college is like something that we all do, and like you think, okay, there's you know like one collective kind of Miami experience, but then when you actually talk with everyone, like duh, we all have a different, super unique, super individual experience, and I think just hearing that is the most fascinating thing in the world. And like, how do we all end up in the same place from all these different backgrounds and like across all sorts of different contexts? And we all join here, and we all have our own completely individual experience while still being in the same environment, which is pretty, you know, it's just like a very close community that kind of has a similar vibe. We're all in the same place all of the time, and so the fact that I can just with this role hear about everyone's different experiences and how they've learned new skills, how I can take from them because I will take a life hack from anyone. Super exciting! I'm so pumped to just like talk with people,

Michaela  

yeah, and I would say that is 100% the best part of everything. I find it so interesting. Similarly, how everyone has like a different 24 hours here, like even my friends who I live with, I'm like, what did you do today? And you went to that meeting, and you're going to that ceremony for this award. Like, it is just, it's so fascinating to see, like, how everyone, like you said, kind of has taken a different path here, and even like in the negative ways too. Like, some people do have really bad experiences that, like, other people have no clue about. So, I think it's been very insightful-no pun intended-to just like hear about all these different stories and like these different majors, like even hearing about music majors and engineer majors, and like I don't interact with like those majors on the day-to-day basis. So hearing kind of how their experience has been and how Miami specifically has kind of impacted that experience within those majors and within those fields has been so incredible. And it's also like like forming that connection too is so amazing. Like one of my favorite parts of hosting is like watching someone finally like get comfortable behind the mic and like start yapping a little bit more, and you're like, okay, like now you got it. It's not as scary as it seems, and so it's kind of like helping like break that wall down. It's so satisfying and it's so amazing to like find kind of that common connection, I guess, with the person sitting across from you.

Parker Green  

How do you do it? Like, maybe that's not the best thing to be asking. Like, oh yeah, you got the job. Also, how do you do your job? But I feel like you're so good at finding the question that will make people start to open up. Yeah. Do you have any any tips for a for an inquiring young podcaster? I

Michaela  

think you're so funny. I think that the biggest advice I have is really listening. Most times, you can get a little bit stuck on the questionnaire that you kind of given out, or following a certain arc of a storyline that you want to hear. And I think focusing on not what you want the result to be, because oftentimes, like if you're going into the podcast episode being like, I want to get this out of it, like you're gonna find yourself to be a little bit more scripted, a little bit more rigid. But I think if like you're really open and you allow yourself to listen more than you're talking, that is to me like the biggest advice I could give. Because once you're listening, I'll hopefully find something that. I can kind of like click with someone on, or agree with, or I've had a similar experience, or maybe I haven't, but I want to know more about it. I think listening and then asking a follow up question that related to their answer prior helps them know that you really care about what they're saying. So I think it's like that act of listening. I also think it's obviously listeners don't see your engagement with someone in real life, but like holding eye contact and like making them know that like what they're saying is valid and it's good enough to be on a podcast. Because I think oftentimes people think what they have to say isn't important, when in reality, what everyone has to say is important, and I care and the listeners care. So like making sure that they know what they're saying is something of validity and something, some content that people want to hear about, and also you being comfortable, right? Like if you're kind of like stiff and like nervous, or they can kind of sense that you know, like they're smelling your fear a little bit. Like I think once you kind of get into the swing of things, and that'll happen you too. The first couple episodes are a little bit intimidating, but once you kind of know how you work as a host, then like you you being comfortable help makes them comfortable too. Like rubs off, in my opinion. And everyone's different. I think that's another like piece of advice. You're never gonna know who's gonna walk through the door, right? I have no clue who someone is based off of the questions that they filled out, or I have no clue who someone is just based on looking at their LinkedIn, right? But I think like being able to handle all sorts of different personalities because sometimes someone's going to come in and want to talk for 45 minutes and laugh and giggle and kihi, and sometimes people are going to be a little bit more on the timid side, so you have to like drag that out of them a little bit. So just kind of knowing, I guess, how to work with like different personalities, and yeah, really just like finding that common connection that I think allows people to want to talk more and delve into themselves a little bit more. Because some people love to talk about themselves, and some people do not. So it's kind of knowing how to work with both ends of that.

Parker Green  

I'm like jotting this down. Yeah, good thing this is recorded.

Michaela  

I know. What do you think you're like most excited for?

Parker Green  

I'm excited to meet people that I feel like are outside of the college arts and sciences, just because I, you know, it's the biggest college within Miami. I meet a lot of them whenever I'm. I'm a tour guide, so whenever I am on prospective tours, it's a lot of like farmer kids and a lot of potential college arts and science kids. I want to know like the creative arts and like those kids that are kind of that you don't interact with a lot because they're like they're in the studio all day.

Michaela  

Yeah, I love that. I didn't know you were a tour guide.

Parker Green  

Yes.

Michaela  

Oh my gosh,

Parker Green  

I love it. I love it so much.

Michaela  

What is like the training like for that? Do you have to know a ton going into it? Because I feel like someone would ask me a question, I'd be like, "I'll get back to you on that.

Parker Green  

It's kind of funny because I knew that the tour guide role was like I had like three goals going into college. One of them was to get good grades. The second was to make a bunch of friends, and the third was that I wanted to be a tour

Michaela  

Obsessed.

Parker Green  

And so I walk in freshman year, day one, and I find the the college of admissions table, and I'm like, "What do I need to do to be a tour guide? Keep in mind, I have to use a GPS to get anywhere on campus right now, and they're like, "I mean, put your name down. I guess you can do the orientation

Michaela  

You're a freshman bro.

Parker Green  

Yeah, and I'm sitting there in the interviews, and I told them straight up, I was like, if I don't get this role this semester, I'm just gonna apply again the next semester and the semester after that until eventually you will let me in, and that's apparently the kind of energy that they needed. Oh, I'm sure. Got it freshman year, and I basically just went on a million tours with people who already did it, and that's just the entire training process. Is that you just go on tours over and over and over again until you have every facet of the campus memorized, and it's great. We have like fun little traditions, and I love forcing people to like rub the turtle heads when they pass, and it's just really fun to see all these people and be like, maybe they're gonna pick Miami because I gave them a really good tour, and I feel like that's kind of a gratifying aspect of it.

Michaela  

Yeah, absolutely. I'm laughing at your determination and perseverance. Like this is something I'm going to do, and I will not stop before I get to it. So let it be known.

Parker Green  

They could not have stopped me. It worked. I would have just started going on tours anyway without them.

Michaela  

Yeah, like I'm just gonna take a random group of kids around campus, and you will see me. That's so awesome. I love how involved you are. I think that also makes like a really great host too. Is like knowing so many different things about campus and like about our community in general, and like being involved just obviously helps make you a bit a more dynamic person. And so I think that will help you connect with a lot of people who come on the podcast as well, because you have so many fun experiences that like you'll be able to share with whoever comes in here.

Parker Green  

That saying, like, in order to have a village, you need to be a villager.

Michaela  

Yes, I talked about that on an episode. That's so funny. Yeah, that's awesome. It's so true.

Parker Green  

Maybe I heard it from you first, and honestly, I'm just. We have talked about how I wanted to just become you eventually.

Michaela  

We were laughing because Parker and I are both wearing stripes, so I was saying you just basically want to be me. You're gonna come on the podcast with brown hair next time. So funny.

Parker Green  

Check it.

Michaela  

I'm just curious. What do you think? Since you are only a sophomore right now. What do you think your biggest challenge has been of college this far? And maybe what do you think might come up in your next two years? Are you particularly scared about anything? Are you excited for anything? Yeah. Do you feel well prepared for this back half of college?

Parker Green  

Honestly, I am trying really hard. I always feel like I'm trying to think like five years ahead of where I am, and so right now I'm like, well, hopefully I can get a job, and I want my own apartment. I want to move out, and I want to like you know start my adult life, and I feel like I kind of have to just pump the bridge. I feel like the biggest challenge in the next couple of years will just be like living in the moment and being like, this is a really unique time of like my life, and I just need to savor it while I'm here. And you never get these four years of undergrad again, even if you continue to go in school. So it's just I think my challenge will be like pump the brakes, stop thinking 1020, years ahead, and just focus on the now, and having a really wholesome, in the sense that doing everything that you want to do now while you can, instead of being like, well, what does this look like years from now?

Michaela  

Yeah, and these years are really the only time that you can like maximize all of your time in a day. Like you could really be doing everything that you possibly wanted, and I always encourage people to do that. Like if there's something you want to join, if there's something you want to do, if there's a club you want to be a leader of, go do it because like this is the time to do it, and it's now, and that's what makes people's college experiences so special. Is like everything that they're a part of. So, yeah, I just think I encourage you to kind of keep up that tour guide persistence throughout the rest of your experience. And I had a huge issue with always thinking of the future. That was like I've had that problem since I was a kid, since I was in high school. Where am I going to college? What can I do to make sure I get into a good college? How many clubs should I join? What grades do I need to get into this college? And then I was like my senior year, and I'm like, what was I even doing the past three years? Like, why was I so focused on the future? And you really have to have like your feet where you are. It helps just make the experience that much more special too. Like now, looking back on all my time spent here, I'm like, I'm so happy I lived in the moment during that. I'm so happy that I really enjoyed that day because like the time is gonna pass anyway. So like, you might as well just be doing everything you can, and then once you get to where you're going, you're gonna figure it out. Like everything is going to work out, and everything will be okay. I was so concerned about getting a job, and like that lined up way sooner than I ever could have possibly imagined. And it's not the job I necessarily thought I was going to have, but you know, it's just like you kind of have to let college work itself out. And I think a lot of people take different paths than they anticipate. So I'm excited to see where yours goes because I don't know. That's like the best part is like looking back and be like, "Oh my gosh, I'm I'm not the person I was freshman year, sophomore year, junior year. So yeah, I'm just excited for you, and I think that's a really great perspective. Is just like focus on where you are right now because the future will figure itself out if you are putting all your energy into the present bar.

Parker Green  

That was so deep. Yeah, I know. I was like, jot that down. Put that like a pull quote.

Michaela  

I don't know why that just like came out, but awesome. Yep, so true.

Parker Green  

What's like a not like a niche experience? Because I want to put that kind of pressure on you, but like an experience that you've had your upperclassman years that you're like, you have to do it. Look forward

Michaela  

to it. Ooh. Okay. So, on the more fun side of things, since I think we talk about academics and extracurriculars a lot, I would say make a bucket list with your friends. We have a senior year bucket list, and it's like the most random things. Like we have like an assortment of restaurants on there that we have yet to try in Oxford, and I know you love food, so like that would be the perfect opportunity. And like just a bunch of like we did like an Olympic game match with all of my friends. We did like we try to do something every ounce of free time we have, so that we can have the most fun ever our senior year. That was. Goal where like we just want to have so much fun, and all my friends have a red card. And so basically, when you have a red card, it means you all your friends have to do whatever you say that day. So like

Parker Green  

that's so beautiful.

Michaela  

It could be so we have a huge projector, yeah, at at my house, and so like one of someone's red cards is like we all have to watch this movie from eight to 10 tonight, no exceptions. I don't care if you have an exam tomorrow. That's not good advice for people who are listening, but you get the gist. It's like basically just like forced quality time together of someone's own fruition. So that has been just so much fun, and it's something to look forward to. And if we're all free on a Friday because we don't have classes, we'll be like, oh, we said we were gonna go to Houston Woods, or we said we were gonna ice skate at Coggin. Let's go do that, and like it kind of just makes something to look forward to, and like fills out your time. So that's something I would definitely recommend because it's like we have so many more memories now this year than we ever had in years past. I kind of wish we did it every year almost. So you don't have to wait to senior year to do it. You could totally do it next year or whenever. But yeah, I think that has been something that's been like just such an awesome experience because we are doing everything we possibly can at both at Miami, at Oxford, and having so much fun while we're doing it. So that is something I recommend if you can do

Parker Green  

1. I love it. I love a bucket list. I have a bucket list for my 20s.

Michaela  

Oy, I love that.

Parker Green  

I am so excited because I need like long term, you know. I'm a little. I get stressed out with the deadline.

Michaela  

Yeah, I know not to. I mean, this totally goes against what I was just talking about with you. So disregard. But do you have any clue what you want to do post grad? Are you kind of just like seeing how things go?

Parker Green  

I don't know if this makes sense, but I feel like I have a couple of like very like defined paths in my head. Maybe I'll speak it out in the universe right now. My dream job would be publishing to be an editorial or publicity person for a big publishing house in New York City.

Michaela  

Love it, manifest it, girl.

Parker Green  

But you know, law school could be an option, a random like just like master's degree could be an option. I don't know yet.

Michaela  

Yeah, yeah. I think definitely focus on your dream and go for it. I think you have all of the capacity and ability to be a publisher. I guess just to wrap up, do you have any advice for your freshman yourself, I know that wasn't that long ago, but I think maybe just to

Parker Green  

like, who was I last year? I feel like okay, it's gonna be cringe, but I I feel like it is all going to work out, and I I have a lot of beef with the saying like everything happens for a reason. So do I. Don't believe that. I

Michaela  

hate that saying. Oh my gosh! I'm gonna start crying. No one ever believes or like agrees with me.

Parker Green  

Yeah. No.

Michaela  

I hate it.

Parker Green  

I don't think that everything happens for a reason, but I do think that things usually work out, and so like even I feel like if things seem like chaotic, like speaking to my freshman year self, even if things seem like chaotic or unstable, it is all going to lead to a new shinier, better thing.

Michaela  

So true, and I feel like typically that stress is like temporary. You know, that's something that's good to remember.

Parker Green  

Yeah, like all emotions are temporary, and so it's like the bad is temporary, the happy is temporary, but it'll all go away eventually. I'm so depressing. I don't mean that in a death way.

Michaela  

Oh my god! I'm the happiest temporary, and yeah, then you're just not gonna be here anymore. So have so much fun. Oh, that was really good. Yeah, I completely agree, and also don't like the saying "everything happens for a reason. Yeah, I second that. Well, I am so so so so excited for you. I think you are going to kill this role as the host, and I'm jealous you have two more years left. Soak it all up, have so much fun, make your bucket list, become a publisher. I have big dreams for you, and I think you should keep your big dreams for yourself.

Parker Green  

Thank you, and thank you so much for like your service to this podcast. It's been absolutely amazing hearing and listening to you.

Michaela  

Thanks, Queen. It's been my pleasure. I'm gonna cry.

Parker Green  

This is so emo.

Michaela  

I know another thing ending. I hate when things end.

Parker Green  

I am gonna get emotional. Hello.

Michaela  

And now I'm crying. So this is awesome.

Parker Green  

You're incredible!

Michaela  

Oh,

Parker Green  

it's been incredible.

Michaela  

Thanks. You're so awesome. Parker Green is an English literature and strategic communication double major. Miami University, where we are also so thrilled to welcome her on board as the new host of Major Insight. So please keep listening because we are just getting started as a brand new era of Major Insight continues to unfold this fall.