A student-produced podcast examining the global banana industry and its human impact has earned national recognition for five SUNY Oneonta students.
“it all started with bananas,” a podcast created by Leonella Abreu Garcia, Yanelyse Cruz, Hayley Garabitos, Katie Goris and Emily McDougall, received an honorable mention in the fifth annual NPR College Podcast Challenge. The competition drew approximately 200 entries from students in 31 states and the District of Columbia. Ten finalists and 35 honorable mentions were selected.
Over six months, the student team, made up of Exercise Science, Anthropology, Psychology, and Human Development and Family Studies majors, conducted background research before traveling to the Dominican Republic for a 13-day field reporting trip, accompanied by Philosophy Adjunct Professor Daniel Patrone. Students interviewed farmers, scientists, trade officials and community members, while collecting audio and visual materials to support the final production, as they investigated plant disease and farming practices in the banana industry. Their reporting takes listeners to the Dominican Republic, where the story expands beyond agriculture to explore colonialism, economic inequality and community resilience.
“Recording the podcast was a beautiful and chaotic experience,” said Goris, a Human Development and Family Studies major. “We started the process in October and spent a week developing the research on bananas, plantains and Black Sigatoka. We thought this was going to be our focus, but things took a turn. The more we dug into information, the quicker we realized this wasn’t what our research was going to be about. We found out about the survivors of the Holocaust in Sosua. In the mix of all this, we came across the NPR competition and decided this would be the best way to highlight these stories.”
Designed as both a narrative and an educational tool, the podcast translates complex topics such as climate change, food systems and global trade into an accessible story for a broad audience. The recognition highlights the role of undergraduate research in addressing global challenges and amplifying underrepresented perspectives through storytelling.
Their stories changed something in all of us. We pulled countless all-nighters to make sure our script included their voices, meaningful moments were captured and most importantly, we were proud of what we put out there.
“Connecting with survivors was a surreal experience and never on my initial bucket list,” said Goris. “Their stories changed something in all of us. We pulled countless all-nighters to make sure our script included their voices, meaningful moments were captured and most importantly, we were proud of what we put out there. Overall, this project was so much more than a podcast. It was an opportunity for development, connection, culture and more.”
The research used to create their podcast is part of a Student Research and Creative Activity (SRCA) project titled “This Hospitable Soil: Monoculture, Diversity, and the Dominican Republic.” The interdisciplinary project explores connections among agricultural science, global trade policy and culture, and will be on display during the annual SRCA Showcase on April 22, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.