In this episode of Voices of Shaping Our Future, we had the pleasure of talking with Isobel and Tanner — a current college student and a college graduate. Despite being on opposite sides of the country, the two share similar outlooks on many of the issues that were discussed during the two-day event. We begin our discussion with Isobel and her thoughts on electoral reform and her group’s reluctance with rank choice voting, the importance of engaging in conversations with each other, and the idea of national service. We end our discussion with Tanner and his thoughts on the concept behind Shaping Our Future and why he participated in our event, his opinion on climate change and national service, and what economic inequality means to him.
In May 2021, "Shaping Our Future" brought more than 600 young people together from across the country to discuss their insights on major societal issues our country is facing today. They discussed these issues in small groups, listened to panel experts offer their thoughts, and interacted with each other regardless of whether or not they agreed on the subject matter.
From the team that brought you Voices of America In One Room, this is Voices of Shaping Our Future.
Throughout this season, you’re going to hear from some of our “Shaping Our Future” online participants. In this episode, we meet Isobel and Tanner.
Isobel is a 27-year-old Marketing Manager currently working for an essential services, non-profit organization in the Seattle area. Originally from Santa Cruz, CA, she moved farther north for college, where she attended Seattle University while studying Communications and French.
Tanner is a senior at Centre College in Kentucky who’s currently studying physics. Originally from Nashville, TN, he runs track in addition to being a full-time student, and is looking ahead to continuing his studies and earning an advanced degree, and anticipates a career in STEM following his education.
The Voices of Shaping Our Future podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, and is hosted by Alice Siu. This series is executive produced by the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University, the Berggruen Institute, the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University, and Tobe Agency.
For more information about our sponsors, please visit their websites: