In the seventh episode of “The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series,” we pick back up where we left off last week: the conclusion of the “meta” field trip and into the roundtable discussion about it. At the zenith of the Institute’s pedagogical and emotional significance, this roundtable discussion was remarkably reflective, insightful, and cathartic for several reasons. First, the roundtable discussion format established a fluid and open dialogue between the K12 teachers and the UCF VLP Team that the Institute had not seen previously. Second, the K12 teachers’ perspicacious remarks on how indispensable the meta-field trip was for them and could be for their students demonstrated the success and mastery of UCF VLP’s time-tested pedagogical model in teaching Veterans’ history. Lastly, the emotions released during this 45-minute discussion showcased the profound investment made by these educators to memorialize Veterans in and out of the classroom. As with the previous episode, this is a poignant reminder that academia is as much heart as it is mind.

This episode was directed, produced, written, and edited by Sebastian Garcia, hosted by Dr. Amelia Lyons, and featured the UCF VLP Team and the 2023 UCF VLP Institute K12 Teachers Cohort.

Executive producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.

Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)

Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia

The 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series is brought to you by UCF’s Department of History and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.