Keys 2 Success is an organization that prides itself in providing quality music education to the most underserved areas of Newark, and in over 5 years K2S has grown exponentially. For a long time, the staff, volunteers, and students have worked so hard to help K2S grow, so it’s only fitting that they are honored for everything they do. Behind the success: The Keys 2 Success podcast, is an homage to the stories and hard work of all the people that made K2S the loving organization it has become. It is a place where students can make friends, teachers can inspire others, and volunteers can find their passions.
The idea for a podcast started in October 2021. After hearing volunteers narrate stories written by students at K2S during summer camp, Ms. Krska proposed the idea of a volunteer-led podcast. The idea planted a seed in the fundraising meeting, but there was still the issue of developing what the podcast would be about and how we would go about creating it. Eventually, the fundraising team settled on having the podcast be a behind-the-scenes look at all the people who have made K2S what it is, in an interview format. With the concept and method of creating a podcast developed, three volunteers stepped up to host different episodes of the podcast: Anusha Iyer, Alondra Martinez, and Emely Duraes.
Anusha Iyer is a sophomore at Union County Vocational Technical High School (UCVTS), enrolled in the Academy for Information and Technology, and has been volunteering at K2S since April 2020 through the pen pal program. Since volunteering, she has been an active member of the fundraising team and has written articles such as Letters and Roblox: High Schoolers Connect With Students at Keys 2 Success, and more. Anusha will be interviewing the staff and giving the audience an inside look at the team that runs K2S.
Alondra Martinez is a Junior at UCVTS, where she is enrolled in the Academy of Law and Justice. She helps to recruit her fellow students to volunteer for K2S through the Pen Pal Program. In addition, Alondra teaches K2S students online and in-person and has worked with the fundraising and leads our publicity team. Alondra will soon interview K2S students and do an inside scoop on the heart and soul of our program.
Emely Duraes is also a Junior at UCVTS, and is enrolled in the Teacher Education Academy. She is primarily involved with the fundraising team and has also written some articles and press releases for K2S. Her narration of the short story “Lizzy’s Crazy Vacation,” written by one of our students, was the event that sparked the idea of a podcast. Emely will be interviewing K2S volunteers who are the key ingredients to creating a positive environment in K2S.
The podcast is set to release this month and will have a 13 episode run. Get ready to smile and feel inspired as our team takes you Behind the Success!
