Big plans slated for 'Galaxy Forum'

By Sophia Potter
Editor in Chief

LCC Academics and Outreach Coordinator Melissa Kaplan can tell you firsthand how powerful the experience of being on a podcast is.

“Do I have to work? Can I just do a bunch of podcasts?” she said with a laugh.

This fall she will be resuming her podcast, “Galaxy Forum,” through LCC Connect, a program on campus that allows students and staff to be heard on a wider platform by publishing their content on Spotify and Apple Music.

“I’m a curious person,” Kaplan said. “I like to know about a lot of different things. ‘Galaxy Forum’ is an opportunity to explore all kinds of different disciplines and fields and bring together what’s happening on campus with what’s happening in the community in any given area.”

While “Galaxy Forum” is the first podcast Kaplan has been a part of, she received her bachelor's in journalism and had done promotional content for the arts for most of her career. She also hosted a radio show called “So Much More: Arts and Culture” with Chad Swan-Badgero, who has been a guest on “Galaxy Forum,” for several years.

Last fall Kaplan made the tough decision to take a step back from “Galaxy Forum” to focus on family matters after her mother began experiencing a sudden decline in health. The break was needed and deserved for Kaplan, and it also helped highlight how truly important the podcast had become to her as well.

“When she fell and her health just declined, and I didn’t have the capacity beyond what I was already doing for my job – which was a lot of different things going on – and I didn’t foresee that she was going to die, but that’s what’s happened,” Kaplan said.

“I took some time after that, and during that time thought about, ‘What do I want to do? What do I miss?’ and the podcast was something that definitely came right back to mind.”

Back and better than ever, Kaplan has big plans for the future of “Galaxy Forum” – and keeps coming up with new and exciting ideas for new podcasts as well.

One project she is particularly excited about is an offshoot podcast called “Topsy Turvy” she will be hosting with Information Literacy Lead Librarian Ami Ewald, on conspiracy theories.

LCC Connect has podcasts covering a wide range of topics: Alumni Stories hosted by President Robinson, Coach Cut’s Corner hosted by Steven Cutter focused on creating successful and sustainable baseball programs, or the brand-new Now Spinning podcast being hosted by members of the LCC Vinyl Record Club.

Ever thought about having your own podcast? LCC Connect wants to help make that dream a reality through the Podcast Power Up pitch contest.

According to the website, “The Podcast Power Up is a two-round show pitching contest for LCC students to share their voices and vibe on-air on WLNZ 89.7FM and on-demand across the globe!”

Submissions are open through Sept. 30, and winners will be announced Oct. 15.

Listen to Galaxy Forum here, or explore all LCC Connect has to offer here.