Undergraduate students Clifford Underwood (left) and Kaleia Maxey are co-hosts for the Minority Engineering Program's "Next Gen" podcast.

Kaleia Maxey, an industrial engineering student, wanted to start a podcast. But she had one major obstacle: What would she talk about?  

More importantly, what could she talk about that no one else had already covered?  

After chatting with senior recruitment and retention analyst Jessica Perkins about Brandon Harrison Smith’s “B-Xcellent” podcast, the answer became clear. The Minority Engineering Program (MEP), in which she served as a tutor, student staff administrator and TA for its ENG 00180 seminar, could have its own podcast.   

And Maxey would be the one to create it.   

“At first, it was just throwing ideas around,” Maxey said. “Over the summer, I kept marinating until eventually I emailed Dr. Perkins and said, ‘Can we actually do this?’”  

Running a podcast proved doable, even for the busy senior. Knowing that no podcast was complete without a co-host, Maxey recruited agricultural engineering student Clifford Underwood to join. Underwood was a natural fit with his leadership experience in the National Society of Black Engineers as corporate relations chair coupled with internship and co-op experience. His unique balance of professional insights and vibrant storytelling made him and Maxey a perfect match on the mics.   

“When Kaleia approached me about co-hosting, I immediately saw the potential,” Underwood said. “We’re creating a space where students can share what they’ve learned — not just about engineering, but about life. Whether it's navigating the workforce or mastering that balance between school and self-care, we wanted to make sure no one feels isolated in their journey." 

Underwood (left) and Maxey have been a perfect match on the mic.

The two seniors presented their robust pitch for “Next Gen” to MEP director Virginia Booth Womack and associate director Tamara Markey in August.   

By September, the first episode was ready for release.    

The pilot episode, “Celebrating 50 years of MEP” featuring Womack, released on Sept. 9 to much excitement. Soon after, volunteers approached the busy students about being involved with the podcast’s upcoming episodes.  

The seniors are grateful for the enthusiastic response to “Next Gen” and the growth of its team for its eight-episode season this academic year.  

“Ultimately (‘Next Gen’) is for everyone in MEP,” Maxey said. “Everyone is allowed to come on the podcast, everyone’s allowed to be involved and everyone's allowed to talk about these topics.”  

Underwood added: “We’re recruiting some MEP students to, (No.) 1, take over the reins when we graduate, but (No.) 2, just get involved. Whether it be editing, videography, photos, audio, whatever the case may be. ... Being behind the scenes is just as important as being in front of the camera.”  

These sentiments reflect the foundational goals of the podcast: to make the MEP community easy to find for all students and for new, prospective and current students to know that they are not alone at Purdue.  

Underwood and Maxey shared a lonely first-year experience, which became a catalyst for the creation of “Next Gen.” Between adjusting to their rigorous classes and a new phase of life, both ached for a community they hadn’t known was just down the hall.   

“I didn't know what MEP was till sophomore year when I became a tutor,” Maxey said. “It wasn't until MEP that I met minority students and realized, ‘OK, I'm not alone.’ My college experience has gotten better because of that.”   

The fall episodes are meant to connect with younger students, late high schoolers through college sophomores. The episodes dive into common student struggles, such as imposter syndrome, school-work-life balance, the transition to college and how to connect with others. The spring episodes shift toward older students, with a focus on self advocacy for graduate school programs, internships and the Co-op Program.  

“Diversity is important, too,” Maxey noted about the podcast’s roster of guests. “Making sure we're bringing on not only diverse races and cultures, but also diverse extracurriculars and majors and classes.”  

With “Next Gen,” Maxey and Underwood seek to inspire students, current and future, to find their community in MEP and innovate within it. Through upcoming guests and topics, they seek to showcase the richly diverse experiences of MEP students, staff and supporters. Being behind a mic on such a large platform was something neither co-host had expected, but one that they now embrace wholeheartedly.    

“I thought I’d be the passive student,” Underwood said, “do my four years, get in, get out.” 

Maxey laughed at his shock at his extensive community involvement and podcast hosting, a perfect representation of their dynamic on mic. They film with guests and student volunteers every chance they get — when not working on homework, giving tours and tutoring in the Academic Success Center.   

While the road to a smooth podcast still is unfolding for the co-hosts, they are excited to see how their creation positively impacts students, current and future. As they prepare to graduate, they eagerly anticipate the team in whose hands they will leave “Next Gen.”  

“You create the resources that you need,” said Underwood. “That's ultimately why I chose Purdue: because it forced me out of my comfort zone. You can create your own path and succeed together at the end of the day.”  

“Next Gen” episodes are published monthly on the MEP YouTube channel.    

Virginia Booth Womack, the MEP director, was the guest on the podcast's first episode in September.