Spill the KriTEA

Grab some assam tea, as we look back at the unbelievably crazy year 2021 was. From the Tokyo Olympics to COVID-19 vaccine distributions, get ready to reflect on some of the most significant events of the past year! 

¡Hola amigos!

In this episode, I'll share my recent work as a youth ambassador for the U.S. Department of State to Chile and Argentina. As a part of the foreign exchange program, I've stayed with the Riquelme-Huaiquifils, my host family from Neuquén, Argentina. They have taught me everything about Argentinian culture from asado barbecues to everyday slang. Today, Luciana Riquelme and Sandra Huaiquifil are sharing a glimpse of their lives, culture, and traditions in Argentina as special guests in this episode! 

Today's interview is fully in Spanish (with English translations), so grab your bombilla, mate gourd, and ceviche tea leaves to brew some yerba mate! 

Grab your sage tea, and buckle up for a serious topic - the mass ethnic cleansing of indigenous children from Kamloops residential schools in Canada. I'll focus on the severity of this event, its significance, and actionable steps we can take to support indigenous communities.

It's summertime, which means endless beach trips and redbush tea sipping! As we wave goodbye to school and welcome in summer, it's important to recollect the plentiful adaptations and changes that students and teachers endured this year. 

Today, we'll talk about how our education system slowly transitioned back to in-person school and the effects on students and administrators. Once again, I'm delighted to feature a very special guest, my school principal Mrs. Jennifer Leighton, who spills the tea on transitioning back to in-person school, creating a safe learning environment, restarting activities and events, and planning for the upcoming school year.

Let's SWIM from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to the Great Barrier Reef, while we DIVE into FISHY practices around plastic accumulation, ocean acidification, and overfishing. So grab your matcha tea, and get ready to discuss various steps to preserve marine life!

Make sure to drive to your local polling place, cast a ballot, and brew some violet leaf tea as you turn on the news for live election updates! Today we'll talk about voter turnout in the 2020 United States presidential election, compulsory voting systems, and whether a mandatory voting policy would be feasible in the U.S. 

Ruff ruff! A person who has never owned a dog has missed a wonderful part of life. Seeing more and more dog owners these past few months really inspired me to write this episode about my favorite furry friends.

Today, we’ll talk about my experience with adopting our dog Pongo (Australian Shepherd-American Eskimo mix), and the incredible increase in dog adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic. So grab some Darjeeling tea, and tune in to this paw-some episode!

There are over 600,000 homeless people in the United States who are suffering without a shelter in a pandemic where we’re told to shelter-in-place.

Grab some Hojicha tea, and buckle in for a serious topic. Today, we’ll talk about how mental illnesses and chronic homelessness play a heavy role in the severity of this issue during this pandemic.

It's September 8th, Happy International Literacy Day!

To celebrate this day, we'll dive into the devastating impact of global illiteracy in today’s episode.

I'll also share my recent work as an ambassador for the World Literacy Foundation (WLF), a nonprofit dedicated to lifting young people out of poverty through literacy. For my particular project, I've partnered with WLF and a local nonprofit, Cognitive Exchange, to teach public speaking and language enhancement skills to students in underprivileged areas. Most recently, we have connected with new students and schools in Africa and South America. Our newest partnership is with fellow WLF ambassador Mariatu G. Kanu from Sierra Leone, Africa - she’ll be sharing her thoughts on the program as a special guest in this episode!

We have a lot to cover today - grab your lavender tea, and let’s get started!

Welcome to Zoom High School! Make sure to find the correct online meeting link, and join your first period class at 7:45 am.

Today we'll talk about how our education system has transitioned to online school to keep students safe during the pandemic. I'm thrilled to feature a very special guest, my school principal Mrs. Jennifer Leighton, who spills the tea on how the school administration is adapting classes quickly to the online format, maintaining student resources online, and sharing tips for students to thrive in this new digital format. 

So grab your honeybush tea and join me in this exciting episode!

Climate Change Mini-Series: Part 1 of 2

Don’t forget to turn off that faucet, recycle those cans, and swap those bulbs out for some LEDs! That’s right - this week, we’ll dig up some dirt on how to save Earth. In Part 1 of this mini-series, we will outline the causes of climate change, its harmful impacts, and legislation aimed to mitigate these concerns. So grab your Earl Grey tea, and let’s protect our home!

Grab your Chong Cha tea, face mask, and hand sanitizer. Today we'll be talking about how the Coronavirus pandemic has shaken up our lives starting with the case status in the U.S., necessary precautions to take, and actionable steps to return back to "normalcy". 

Grab your Tieguanyin tea, and take a quick break from scrolling through your #foryoupage. Today we will discuss the foundation of the TikTok platform, how the algorithm functions, and the cultural and informational impact that TikTok has brought.

Look out for a special guest - a fellow TikTok enthusiast who has some serious tea to spill. 

Grab your jasmine tea, and get ready for a serious and important topic - racial injustice and the Black Lives Matter Movement. I’ll focus on the severity of systemic racism, why we should end the Qualified Immunity Act, and actionable steps we can take to support black communities.

Grab your oolong tea to discuss a topic that I’ve been passionate about advocating for this past year. In this episode, we’ll be talking about the opioid epidemic in the United States - the problem, the severity, and the realistic effects on individuals of all ages.