With help from community organization JOSHWAY, students produce podcast and share skills
BETHLEHEM, PA – Northampton Community College (NCC) media production majors, Peter Shea, Malcolm “Max” Lindsay, Daniel Montenegro, and Jamison Hopkins met on their first day of class and quickly realized they all shared a passion for production and sports.
Hopkins, who has been recording for YouTube since he was 11 years old, had been dreaming of launching a solo channel related to sports. As soon as he connected with the group, “Before the Snap” was born. “Before the Snap” is a podcast devoted to all things football, though the group plans to extend the discussion beyond sports in the future.
One of the group’s biggest challenges was finding studio space to film in person. Hopkins’ mother, Kimberly, executive director of the Shanthi Project, a Lehigh Valley nonprofit that provides evidence-based mindfulness education services, connected the “Before the Snap” team with David Robertson, founder and executive director of JOSHWAY, another Lehigh Valley nonprofit that empowers youth through life skills, digital literacy, and self discovery.
“[JOSHWAY] has been amazing and connected us with so many incredible opportunities as well as our studio, which we have loved to work in so far,” says Hopkins. “David has been a huge contributor to our success. We meet with him every week, and he shares his ideas and things we should think about. We’re really excited to see what happens with JOSHWAY.”
One of those incredible opportunities is mentoring youth from the local Boys and Girls Club of Easton. Among JOSHWAY’s core pillars is digital literacy, more specifically what Robertson calls using “tech for good” rather than mindlessly scrolling. The “Before the Snap” team happened to overhear a discussion between JOSHWAY and Dean Young, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Easton, about bringing a group in to talk about healthy tech and offered to help.
“The NCC crew went from podcasting to service and said they would love to be involved to teach the kids what it’s like to run a podcast and really be a mentor to them,” explains Robertson. “I saw them tap into their giving mode, which shows the character of each student. When I tell you they’re in here hustling, they’re in here hustling. I constantly hear gratitude, responsibility, hustle, grit, grind, service, everything that makes an individual successful.”
The NCC team is eager to share their time and talent with the next generation.
“I think podcasting gives them a voice,” says Montenegro. “If you have a passion, podcasting gives you the room to explore and meet new people who have similar interests to you. You don’t have to feel like an outsider. You can express your passion and connect with people.”
For Robertson, the “Before the Snap” project is yet another connection to NCC in a growing partnership between the College and JOSHWAY. Impressed by NCC’s breadth of programs and student support resources, Robertson established the JOSHWAY Scholarship, which supports students who have participated in the JOSHWAY program, those who have overcome significant personal challenges, and those who are interested in pursuing any area of study in the arts.
Earlier this year, NCC also became part of the JOSHWAY Bridge program, designed to guide youth across five pillars of personal development toward leadership and purpose. NCC’s College Connections team led Future Ready workshops focused on preparing for life after high school as part of the program.
“Before the Snap” is available on YouTube and Spotify.
About Northampton Community College
With an enduring commitment to the regional communities it serves and a focus on student success, Northampton Community College is an educational institution of extraordinary distinction, earning accolades at the state and national levels for innovative programs, outstanding faculty, and impressive student achievements. It counts among its successful alumni a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner and an Academy Award winning director, as well as a host of CEOs, presidents, and leaders of business and industry. Today, Northampton Community College has locations in Bethlehem, Southside Bethlehem, and Monroe County, serving 30,000 students annually from 53 counties, 42 countries, and 25 states. For more information or to apply, please visit northampton.edu. Follow NCC on LinkedIn, Instagram @NorthamptonCommCollege, TikTok @NorthamptonCC, and Facebook.
