We Met U When… Season 1
For students, it was the first time back on campus in person since the COVID-19 pandemic forced classes online. For their professor, Shari Okeke, it was the first time teaching at TMU, just weeks after moving their family from Montreal to Toronto. Shari had pitched the idea of this podcast during their job interview but there was no guarantee it would actually happen. There were no past episodes to present to students, just the concept. Those amazing students – the founding producers – stepped up to the challenge. One student suggested the name “We Met U in 2012”, with “Met U” being a play on the university’s new name, Toronto Metropolitan University. They decided to avoid specific years in the title in hopes that it would be the first of many seasons. That’s when another student said, “how about just We Met U When?”
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Season 1 – Episode 1: Giftedness: A Sticky Label
A 12-year-old is interviewed about her school’s new focus on wellness. She’s surrounded by three trusted adults: her mother, her teacher and her principal. What could go wrong? Ten years later that child, now an adult, shares exactly why that news story bothers her so much today. We Met U When host Kendra Seguin sets out to learn what happened in a 2012 story …that’s still unfolding.
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Season 1 – Episode 2: Just Roll With It
Gwen McDonald opened a roller skate shop in 2012, with money from her late father. The business was described as “the only one of its kind” in Toronto. So when We Met U When host Jasmine Al-Kholani discovered the shop no longer exists, she wondered how Gwen coped with so much loss. Jasmine didn’t expect Gwen’s story to become part of her own journey, but it did.
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Season 1 – Episode 3: Jackie’s Gambit
At 14 years old she was making headlines as one of Canada’s best chess players — on track to become Canada’s first female grandmaster. Then, something changed. No more headlines, no more competitions. In this episode, We Met U When host Abby Hughes explores the chess career of a child prodigy and finds out what happened along that path to grandmaster status.
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Season 1 – Episode 4: Don’t Mess it Up
Michael Hinds is extremely wary of journalists. For years he agreed to do interviews with reporters covering stories in his neighbourhood. Too many of those experiences had a negative impact on him – and his community work. So he’s been refusing most interview requests for nearly a decade. Now he’s talking to We Met U When…about the stories that get lost when interviews cause harm.
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Season 1 – Episode 5: Bonus – Behind the Scenes
“I’m so proud of the students who produced the very first season of We Met U When… It was fascinating to see how much they grew and learned in just 12 weeks so I asked if they would be willing to tell you a bit about that experience. Have a listen to students from Toronto Metropolitan University’s Advanced Podcasting/Radio Documentary class share behind the scenes moments, lessons learned and what will stay with them as they advance their journalism careers.” – Shari Okeke