This episode of Behind the Connection goes behind-the-scenes of Lansing Community College as we feature soundbites from LCC's "Bring Your Child to Work Day." Held on April 23, we invited kids to share their stories on the microphone.

Since then, we've expanded to offer more than 30 podcasts, all of which are hosted by members of Lansing Community College or folks within our community. This is Daedalian. I'm the general manager for LCC Connect. And today's episode of behind the Connection is a true behind the scenes look.

On April 23, Lansing Community College hosted Bring your child to Work Day, and we decided to invite the kids in to take a look at the world of podcasting. Now, throughout the day, groups of kiddos were all over the place.

They toured the campus, they explored different departments, and of course, they stopped by the LCC Connect recording studios to find out what it takes to create a podcast.

We couldn't let them leave, not without giving them a chance to jump on the mic themselves and become a part of the voices, vibes and vision of LCC Connect. Now, if you've ever recorded a show like this of any type, you've got kids, they're rotating in and out of the studio.

So, you know, the energy we're working with here. There's a lot of laughter, some curiosity, a lot of movement, and just enough organized chaos to keep things kind of interesting.

So our editor did a lot of work to clean things up afterwards, but you're likely still going to hear a little bit of background noise here and there as we shuffle the kids in and out of the chairs, trade headphones, and of course, they enthusiastically make their way through the studio. Honestly, though, that's just part of what made it such a fun day. So here you go. Take a listen.

Hi there. This is Patty Spagnuolo. I have with me

Sophia.

And Vincent.

Okay, well, we're going to talk a little bit about today is Take youe Child to Work Day.

And I have a couple of questions. So first, let's start with Sophia. Imagine your future. What do you want to be doing in 10 years and why?

In 10 years want to successfully maybe graduate college and become a med student. I want to be. I want to work with kids who may have disabilities that. Or like, sicknesses that might affect their everyday life.

Wow. Very cool.

And who exactly is it that you are here with today at lcc?

My grandma.

Who's your grandma?

Patty Spagnuolo.

Oh, okay. Okay. There we go.

Okay, Vincent, what job do you think you would like?

I would like to be a United States Marine.

And why would you like to be a Marine?

I don't know, I just.

Feel like.

It would be a good job for me and like, suited for me.

Do you think you have some of the skills already to do some of those things, kind of physical activity? All right, very good. And you're here today with my grandma, Patty Spagnuolo.

Well, this has been such a treasure to have my grandchildren with me today. Who do we have with me today?

I'm Arifila.

Okay. And who are you here with today?

I'm here with my mom, Megan. She works in the learning commons, so I came here through lcc.

Very cool. All right, well, I'm going to ask you a question. When you hear the word job, what comes to mind?

Well, when I hear job, I think that I'm getting money for it, that I'm doing work, working 9 to 5 and getting money for something I'm trying to do. It can be anything. Like a small time job, like something you get as a teen or an adult. Full paying job that'll help you get to retirement.

What do you think your mom does here all day?

Well, she tutors because she also works from home, so I get my little sneak peek into what she's doing. Oh, great.

Okay, very good. And you're probably very appreciative that mom is working very hard. What's your name?

Layla.

Layla, and who are you here with today?

Both. My mom. She. She works at lcc.

And what's her name?

Stephanie Wicken.

Nice. How about you? What are you good at?

I play soccer a bit.

Great.

So I don't know.

So you'd want something very physical. So what kind of jab do you think you'd like?

I think a teacher.

Oh, like a phys ed teacher even?

Maybe.

No. Don't want to deal with the kids running around. Okay. All right. And what do you think your mom does here all day?

She. I forgot what it's called. What's the campus called again?

Lansing Community College.

Yeah, yeah, she. She has her own office.

Nice. That's always a plus.

I think she helps students. Like, what is it called again?

Like get in for admissions. Does she work in admissions or something like that?

I have no idea.

One way or the other, she helps students, right?

There you go. And she comes here and she makes money. And that's the most important part of having a job.

Thanks so much.

Awesome. Thank you. Well, hi there. Thank you for coming to the podcast. And what is your name?

Lucas.

Lucas. And Lucas, who are you here with today?

I'm here with my Aunt Cherie.

Nice. Okay, and what Does Cherie do here at Lansing Community College?

She is, I believe, the supervisor. She helps with everybody's needs.

Nice. All right. Okay. Well, I'm going to ask you a question. What job do you think you wouldn't like doing?

Wouldn't like doing. That's tough, probably. That's tough to say. But maybe construction. Just a lot of physical strain and.

Especially when it's hot out.

Yeah, especially. That's a big one. Yeah, when it's hot out.

Okay, so another one. What is an activity that you get so wrapped up in that you forget to look at the clock?

I have to say probably basketball.

Okay, good. I pegged you for basketball player. So do you play at a school locally here?

Yeah, I play at Eaton Rapids.

Nice. Very Good. What grade?

11Th grade.

11Th grade.

Wow. So you're almost done? I know you're looking for the next place to go. LCC has a basketball team, so.

Yeah, I saw that. Yeah.

Yeah. Very cool.

Have you been given any consideration to going to the LCC or not?

I've definitely thought about it, yeah.

Nice. Very good. All right, well, thank you so much for being on my show.

Yeah, thanks for having me.

Hi there.

Hi.

How are you today? What is your name?

I'm Oliver.

Oliver.

Yeah.

Okay, Oliver. And who are you with today?

Kelsey Lebo. Claire.

Okay. And what does she do?

I think she's. I can't remember. She works over at a building over there.

Okay. All right. Not in this building, though. No, no, no. Okay. All right. So are you happy to be here today? I love the bow tie.

Thanks. Yeah, I am happy to be here.

Do you wear a bow tie every day or is it just for this occasion?

Just for this occasion.

Well, it's very spiffy. I really like it. Okay, so are you ready for your question?

Yeah.

Okay. What job do you think you would like?

I haven't put any think in it yet.

Okay.

I'm just in third grade.

You're in third grade? Wow, you're pretty tall for a third grader. What do you think is. Is it your mom or your aunt or who that's here that you're here with?

My mom.

Okay. What do you think she does here all day?

She. What she does is she works and she takes care of the orders that come. And she also, like, she helped yesterday. I believe she helped two kids.

Okay, well, that's awesome. And that's what we're here for, right, is to help kids and get them into college.

Yeah.

Yeah. Do you think someday you might want to come to Lansing Community College. Yeah.

And it's free.

Whoa. See there? You can't beat that.

Yeah.

All right, well, thank you so much for being on my show. I really appreciate it. All right. Have a good day.

You, too.

Hi, there. How are you?

I'm doing fine.

Good. And what is your name?

Grace.

Grace. And, Grace, who are you here with today?

Gram-meer.

I'm sorry?

Gram-meer?

Gram-meer is the grandma. Okay. Who's grandma? Do you know her name?

Gram-meer.

It's always Gram-meer. It doesn't matter, does it? What was your name?

Grace.

Grace. That's a beautiful name.

Absolutely. So are you surprised at all about today and what the. What the college looks like and where your grammar works like? Did you know?

Have you been here before, or is this all new?

No, I just been here before.

You've been here before. Okay, so you know where. You know what buildings? And do you know what building your gramier works in? Yeah, you've been there. Great. That is awesome.

Not for anybody who can't see that. What's your favorite animal?

Dolphins.

Dolphins. Why dolphins? Do you like to swim? Is that why? Do you like to pretend you're a dolphin when you swim? Yeah?

Yeah?

Awesome.

All right, well, thank you. Yeah. Thank you so much for coming in and being part of our show.

Lots of head nods on that one.

Hi, there. How are you?

Good. And what's your name?

Blake.

Blake. And who are you here with today, Blake?

My dad.

Who's your dad?

Dad.

You can give us his name.

Do you know. Do you know your dad's name?

Yeah.

Jonathan.

Oh, okay. So you have discussed the name.

So what do you think your dad does here all day at work?

I think he transfers stuff to server. To server.

Okay. All right. So like a network guy type of thing? Yeah. All right. Very cool. So do you think you'd want to do that for a living?

I'm not sure. Okay.

Still thinking on it. What grade are you in? Sixth. Sixth grade. Okay. Wow, you're pretty tall for a sixth grader. What do you think the perfect job would be?

An NHL hockey player.

There you go. So are you. Do you play hockey?

Not yet.

Okay, well, you got a favorite NHL team?

Yeah.

Who is it?

Detroit Red Wings.

Red Wings.

Nice. There you go. You can go to Big B Ice Cube in East Lansing and take skating lessons. They have hockey skating lessons. Oh, interesting. Yeah. So, dad.

All right, well, thank you so much for coming in and being on our show. Yep. All right. Nice to meet you. Hi, there. How are you today?

Good.

And what is your name?

Everly.

Everly? Oh, that's a pretty Name and who are you here with today?

My mom.

Your mom. And what is your mom's name?

Courtney.

Courtney. Do you know where she works Here at Lansing Community College.

She works to, like, I think, hire people.

Hire people. Okay, very cool. So today is take your child to work day. So what do you think so far about the workplace that your mom is at?

I like it and it's very big and beautiful.

Oh, very cool. Have you been here before other than today?

No.

No. Okay, what job do you think when you get older that you would like to do?

I think I would like to be a designer.

Designer of clothes or. Okay, very cool. Well, thank you so much for being on the show. I appreciate it. Hello, gentlemen.

Hello.

What's your name?

My name is Julian.

Julian. And you are?

Israel.

Israel.

Okay.

And who is your parent?

We're with our godmother.

Your godmother. And who is that?

Tanya McLean.

Oh, okay. And obviously you know where she works at and all that stuff. So first of all, how you feel about today? Have you been here before?

I have.

Okay.

Yeah.

Have you all. Are you all planning to come to Lansing Community College or do you already attend?

I plan to go in the fall.

Okay.

I'm still thinking.

Okay. Are you twins?

No.

Thank you. I. I was. I was hoping you were gonna ask. I was like, are they twins?

I think they are.

Okay.

Where are you at in school then as far as grade wise?

I'm a senior.

You're a senior.

I'm a sophomore.

Sophomore.

Okay. So you guys are about two years apart.

Yeah.

Yep. Oh, wow. Yeah. I would not guess that.

No. You look like you're the same age and. Yeah. And you look like you're basketball players. Do you play basketball?

Yes,

yes, I do.

Oh, wow. You could come to Lansing Community College and play basketball.

Yeah.

Awesome. Awesome. What are your plans? Let's start with you.

I want to go into basketball.

Oh, you do? Okay. All right. And.

Accounting for school. But I'd like to in the future branch out into multiple businesses.

Nice. Very cool. And had you had those plans before you came today or being here today? Did that just like, you know, solidify it for you?

I've had these plans for a while now.

Awesome.

Yeah, I've been thinking about it for the past year and a half, so.

Great. All right, well, thank you so much for being on the show. I really appreciate it. Nice meeting you both.

Nice meeting you.

Nice meeting you.

Good morning. How are you?

Good.

Can you give me your name?

My name is Pip.

Pep?

Pep?

Pip.

Pip.

Pip. Okay.

Is that short for anything or is it just Pip?

It's just Pip.

Okay.

Okay.

And who are you here with today?

My dad is Jordan Graves.

Okay. And do you know what your dad does here at Lansing Community College?

He is a math. He is a math teacher.

Okay. So do you like math?

Yeah, because I'm. I'm good at it.

Oh, yeah, that happens. Yeah. That helps. So what would you like to do when you get older? I'm assuming something in math.

I want to be a nurse.

A nurse. Oh, wow, that's very cool. Do you do things right now to, you know, like.

I don't know, sometimes people have, like, they help animals and things like that. That's what kind of.

I'm gonna go to a summer camp about it, I think.

What is it again?

A summer camp.

A summer camp. Okay.

In the state here?

Yep.

Oh, okay. Is it here at LCC or.

I think it is. I just remember dad telling me he gets a. Like cuz he works here. He get. He saves a lot on it.

Great. That is awesome. Well, are you looking forward to the rest of the activities today?

Yeah.

Take your child to work day. Good. Have you ever been on a podcast before?

No.

No. Well, you're doing just wonderful, so I want to thank you today for coming in.

Thank. You.

What's your name?

Romero.

Romero. Romero what?

Ferreira.

Ferreira. So you are here today for take your kid to work.

Right?

Yes

Yeah.

Si.

So who. Who exactly is your mom?

Sophia.

Sophia. Do you know what Sophia does here at Lansing Community College?

She works.

She works. But what does she.

I don't know. I haven't been here a lot.

You haven't been here a lot? Well, do you have any idea what you'd like to do when you get a little bit older?

I like to. I actually think I want to be in the army.

In the army. All right. What's your name?

Abel.

How are you doing?

Good.

And who are you with today? Who's your parent today that brought you here?

Mommy.

Okay. And what's your mom's name?

Sophia.

Sophia. Do you know where Sophia works here? Okay. Yes. Here at Lansing Community College? Yeah. Have you been here before at her work?

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. So do you like it here? It's a pretty campus, isn't it? Well, what were you thinking that you want to do when you get older? Not sure yet.

You got a favorite animal?

No.

No.

No.

How about a favorite car? Do you like cars?

Hot Wheels or I was gonna say a superhero. Sometimes you're like superhero.

No,

no.

Cars. Okay, Cars. What's your favorite car? I like cars too. Oh, okay. You just like.

What's your favorite color?

Red.

Why red? Is it bright? Is that why you gotta talk? Otherwise people don't know what you're saying.

Or what you're thinking. They don't know what you're thinking.

They don't know what you're thinking.

You like being on the headset?

Mm-hmm

This is the first time you've been on a podcast, I bet.

Yeah.

That's

a new experience. Well, we're glad you came in.

Thank you. Hello.

Hi there.

I have a song to see.

You have what?

A song to sing.

A song to sing. All right. We got a musical talent here.

All right. Is it gonna be short?

Is it a short song?

It's gotta be a short song.

All right. Up to the microphone.

I usually usually sing long songs.

Okay, let's go this.

Let's go this route. What's your favorite song?

The songs I sing.

Do you have a favorite artist?

A singing artist, like Taylor Swift or.

No.

No. Okay.

All right.

All right. So let's let it go. Let's hear your song.

(singing) Some days cannot be be a rainbow. But flip it over and see you can be a rainbow. Your day doesn't have to be one. Come on, let's dance and sing together on stage. Not always.

People don't always see you Bean a kid a bean rainbow. But sometimes you just have to breathe in or out. Cause we are gotta stand up for. For ourselves. Okay. We are going to be a rainbow today.

Thank you so much.

Thank you so much. That was beautiful.

It was.

We absolutely loved it.

All right. All right. And what is your name?

Chloe.

Chloe, okay.

And Lily.

Lily. Okay. And who are you with today?

Today? Our aunt.

And who's your aunt?

Melissa.

Melissa. Do you know what Melissa does here at Lansing Community College? No. I bet it has something to do with performing arts. Is she big into that?

Yeah, I know your. Your aunt, so I know what she does here mostly. She probably does a lot of things that I'm not even aware of, but.

Did you know she does a podcast?

Oh, yeah.

That's actually quite a few. She ends up doing other ones.

Yes. I think she's done way more than I have.

So Melissa Kaplan's your aunt?

Yeah.

Okay.

So do you have the same, like, performing arts feeling? Are you singers and dancers and.

Yeah, we dance. We do dance at Rising Star in Grand Ledge.

Okay. Have you been in any shows?

Yes.

Oh, my goodness. So how old are you? How old are you?

I'm 11 and I'm gonna be 12. Okay.

And you're.

I'm seven.

You're seven. Okay. So what grade are you in?

Like fifth. Fifth.

And you're in?

First.

First. Okay. All right. Well, I want to thank you both for being here. It's take your child to work day.

So are you learning anything about like where your aunt works?

Yes, you are.

Okay, so what's something that you've already thought about today? Being on campus with your aunt.

I'm thinking about I might want to go here when I'm older.

There you go. Do you know what you want to study?

Art.

Art. Okay. There still kind of that artsy background like your aunt.

What about you?

Probably what Chloe said.

What Chloe said. Okay, very good. Well, maybe you might end up on the stage. Stage? I'm guessing maybe at some point. Maybe even sooner than when it's college time.

You think? Because they need kids for shows too, so. Yeah. Yeah.

You've been in an LCC show. Which one was it?

I don't know what it's called.

Okay. Yeah. How long ago was that? Were you real little or.

I was like her age, I think.

Oh, okay. All right. Well, you seem like you get along as sisters. That's a good thing. Mostly.

Yeah.

Yeah, mostly. Okay. What do you. Why do you think grown ups come to work? To make money maybe. But also it might be something they really love doing.

Yeah, I think your aunt really loves what she does.

Yeah.

So. And I know I really love what I do. I help students learn how to go on to a four year school so they transfer from lcc. So I really love doing that.

I love helping students. So it's been such a pleasure talking to both of you. Do you have any questions for me?

What's your favorite part about working here?

Seeing students be able to go on to whatever they want to do. Whatever their journey is for their education. That's my favorite part. And working with people like your aunt.

There's a lot of great people here at the college, so I really appreciate that. Well, I want to thank you both for coming in. That's so nice and I hope you have a good rest of your day.

Thank you.