We Met U When… Season 3
During production of Season 3, a theme emerged: duty of care – with our interviewees and with each other behind the scenes. Instead of digging up stories from a decade earlier, we went back just five years to 2020. With two seasons behind us, we were more established and it was time to amplify more underrepresented voices. In 2020, voices often underrepresented were at the forefront of many news stories. Once again, students far exceeded expectations. They demonstrated the highest level of care as they produced episodes about a Black woman who survived being shot by police two weeks before George Floyd was murdered, a fierce advocate for sex workers who were forgotten when it came to financial support during lockdown, a microaggression a student producer on this team experienced in the middle of production. For the first time, we had an Indigenous producer on our team who produced our first Indigenous-focused episode about the power of pow wows and the impact of losing that space to connect during lockdown.
Season 3 is a finalist for the 2025 Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA). Student producers won an Award of Excellence in Narrative Audio from The Broadcast Education Association (BEA), were finalists for the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) student Award of Excellence and received Honourable Mention in the inaugural Canadian Student Journalism Awards from J-Schools Canada.
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Season 3 – Episode 1: Power of Chantelle
Chantelle Krupka wanted to see her son on Mother’s Day 2020. Instead she was tased and shot by police outside her home. It was two weeks before George Floyd was murdered. Chantelle’s still here, still healing, and wants her voice to be heard.
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Season 3 – Episode 2: Let’s Meet At The Powwow
When gathering for powwows wasn’t possible in 2020, many people felt lonely and isolated. To raise their spirits, an Algonquin woman wrote a feature about dancing at powwows. That story resonated with producer Gabrielle McMann, who is Anishinaabe. And when the two women connected for this episode, they discovered just how much their paths are intertwined.
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Season 3 – Episode 3: Sex in the Archives
Jelena Vermilion (she/her) is a trans woman who is also a sex worker. She fights stigma and demands respect for her community in news interviews, at protests, at church. In 2020 she talked about the financial hit when in-person work wasn’t possible. Now Jelena’s not just explaining the realities of sex work, she’s preserving them – at the library!
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Season 3 – Episode 4: Carmine’s Second Act
Carmine Posteraro tested positive for COVID in 2020. He wound up on a ventilator and was in a coma for 12 days. But that wasn’t the first time he had to fight for his life. There were at least five close calls before that. It was no joke. But now, his story actually gets a lot of laughs.
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Season 3 – Episode 5: The Call
When a We Met U When…producer was wrapping up a phone interview for this season, she didn’t expect to suddenly be on the receiving end of a microaggression – and get it all on tape. This episode explores that long awkward exchange and why it makes sense to report on it.
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Season 3 – Bonus Episode 1: RESONATE
Four students from Professor Shari Okeke’s Advanced Podcasting and Radio Documentary course attended the first Student Podcast Day at RESONATE 2024, a podcast festival in Richmond, Virginia. They had no idea it would be such a pivotal moment – meeting so many pros and gaining new perspectives on the journalism industry and their place in it.
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Season 3 – Bonus Episode 2: Inside Season 3
In this We Met U When…bonus episode, we reflect on some of the hardest moments during production of Season 3, some fears we faced, and how we stepped out of our comfort zones and discovered new passions. We also bring you into our visit from Pulitzer Prize and Peabody award-winning investigative journalist, Connie Walker.
