8/1/2023 Urim Song Zhu
Written by Urim Song Zhu
The UIUC Talkshow, a YouTube show hosted by engineering undergraduates Aaryaman Patel and Juan David Campolargo, is the first of its kind on the University of Illinois campus.
The show features conversations with some of the most interesting students and faculty at the university.
Patel, a senior in MechSE, said the show was born out of a desire to have more meaningful conversations within the campus community. He said he hears from students that they often perceive influential faculty, staff, alumni, and even some fellow students as being unapproachable. Patel and Campolargo are working to help overcome this social barrier by inviting a variety of community members onto the show.
“I’ve talked to many people who say that they want to have deeper conversations in their life. The Talkshow is a testament to the fact that you can,” Patel said.
Patel and Campolargo both spent their undergraduate years taking classes, doing homework, and studying for exams. They recall the challenge of meeting people outside of their immediate friend circles and feeling unable to step outside their comfort zone. However, there are so many people with different stories to tell that just striking up a conversation with someone new has the potential to introduce a new perspective or insight.
“You can find people from all walks of life on this campus,” Patel said. “We really wanted to highlight this aspect of our community.”
The co-hosts’ goal for each guest is to make the interview feel like a conversation. Patel and Campolargo are not acting as journalists, but rather “two curious students with an insatiable thirst for knowledge and the unknown,” said Patel. In conversing with guests, ranging from professors to CEOs to Nobel Prize winners to students, they said they want their audience to learn “something very personal and honest about each guest.”
Before the interview, the co-hosts make sure to study the guests and their work. This allows for the interview to flow like a conversation between acquaintances, making for a much richer and more fulfilling conversation for everyone involved. The show now has 35 episodes on its YouTube channel.
“We have honestly been quite fortunate to have talked to as many people as we have, and we plan to continue having more conversations in the future, bringing out the true beauty and stories hidden on this campus and, most importantly, in its people,” Patel said.
Check out the UIUC Talkshow on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. More of Patel's work can be found at aaryamanpatel.com.