College Bound Mentor Podcast

Episode: Passion Projects with Dr. Liz Kreider
Date: June 5, 2025
Guests: Lisa Bleich, Abby Power, Stefanie Forman (Co-hosts), Dr. Liz Kreider (Catalyst founder, coach, and author)

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the evolving concept of “passion projects” for high school students, with expert insights from Dr. Liz Kreider. The conversation dives into what truly defines a passion project, demystifying misconceptions, and why focusing on the process and self-discovery is key—not just building a résumé for college applications. Dr. Kreider offers actionable strategies for parents, students, and counselors, sharing real student case studies and advice on everything from ideation to research outreach.

Key Topics & Insights

1. What Is a Passion Project—And Why All the Buzz?

[02:27–04:40]

• Definition:

  • Not a “vacation” or a checkbox; it’s “something worth sacrificing for.”
  • The project must be open-ended, with genuine uncertainty, so that “the student or the adult doing this can demonstrate their character because you never know what’s going to happen” — Dr. Liz Kreider [02:27].
  • The journey matters more than the destination: “Students need a story that reveals who they are…a story that’s truly their own.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [03:58]

• Critique of Buzz:

  • Hosts note recent pressure on teens, with everyone feeling they must “have a passion project.”
  • “It’s got to be driven by the kid, not by the parent.” — Lisa [04:40]

2. Addressing Pressure: Starting the Conversation

[04:40–08:54]

• Parent-Driven Pressure:

  • Many calls come from parents of ninth graders who feel their child needs a passion project, even before the student has found an authentic interest.
  • Dr. Kreider meets parents first, away from students, to discuss realistic strategies and concerns about adding unnecessary pressure.
  • “If the student’s listening to me interact with the parent…little by little, the student just feels defective because all they can hear is, ‘well, I don’t have that.’” — Dr. Liz Kreider [05:39]

• Student Readiness:

  • Ninth graders rarely have a fully-formed passion—expect a blank slate unless the student is already committed to a defined pathway (e.g., medicine).
  • Start with “where the student is right now.”
  • “You don’t have to have a passion figured out, especially for a ninth grader.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [06:47]

3. How to Help Students Identify a Project

[09:38–14:11]

• Dr. Kreider’s Approach:

  • Process has evolved from several weeks to a targeted 30-minute discovery session, sometimes using a custom AI/GPT brainstorming tool guided by her.
  • Key questions:
    • “What do you spend your time on?”
    • “If you had a magic wand and could make a change in the next 90 days—what would it be?”
    • Separate the issue from the population affected.
    • Research what’s already being done; adapt best practices to student’s local context (“your zip code”).

• Example Case:

  • Student interested in “teen mental health” used her public speaking background to mentor middle school girls, eventually giving a TED talk on procrastination’s ties to mental health.

4. Myth-Busting: The Scale and Impact of Projects

[14:11–18:06]

• “There’s this misconception that you have to make this global impact or national impact.” — Lisa [14:11]
• Dr. Kreider counters: Aim for local, measurable change first.
  • Quantify and iterate impact (“How many people heard your message?”).
  • Scaling can come later, often with partners and luck, but is not a prerequisite for college or personal growth.
  • “Let’s affect the people in your zip code first and see what that feels like.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [15:07]
  • “Most students fall in love with their project and want to do it more than school.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [17:17]

5. Real Case Studies & Memorable Projects

[19:09–21:21]

• Samantha’s Dog Rescue:

  • Applied for a selective fellowship, was initially rejected, but after volunteering 100+ hours at a shelter, became an animal handler, and gave a TED-style talk to her school.
  • “She spoke to 700 students at her school—a 20 minute TED style talk about her journey.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [20:38]

• Global Dance Competition:

  • A 10th-grader scaled an international college dance contest, discovered “by accident” through perseverance and networking, not by targeting research.

• Local Over Global:

  • Projects rooted “in your zip code” create higher authenticity, accountability, and growth compared to “anonymous” service abroad.

6. Navigating Motivation & Gender Patterns

[22:55–25:31]

• Parents vs. Students:

  • Most inquires are parent-initiated, often hoping to redirect time away from gaming or unstructured activities.

• Gender Observations:

  • “Girls want to save the animals and boys want nunchuck skills.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [24:16]
  • Girls gravitate to impact; boys to skill-building and tangible “awesomeness.”

7. Research Projects & Outreach Guidance

[25:31–32:57]

• Overcoming Reluctance:

  • Students much prefer email to “cold calling.” Persistence with faculty is necessary, but don’t annoy—“The line between persistence and annoyance is seven days.” — Lisa & Dr. Liz Kreider [30:01]

• Effective Professor Outreach Email:

  • Show evidence of interest (read their work, ask relevant questions), attach a short resume, make a specific, reasonable ask (15-minute Zoom or group meeting), and indicate skill level and time commitment.

• If You Don’t Find a Lab:

  • Pursue “manual labor” by engaging with local practitioners or online communities/associations in your field of curiosity.

8. Project Workshopping: Interdisciplinary Ideas

[32:57–37:25]

• Comparative Religion Case:
  • Marry academic research on religion/policy with qualitative interviews with local faith leaders.
  • Cumulative learning—research fluency bolstered by real conversations—creates a unique, impactful data set.

9. Advanced Math Students: Projects and Limits

[37:25–43:12]

• Options for Advanced Students:

  • Seek “math circles” or academic enrichment communities (Art of Problem Solving, competitions, university outreach).
  • Even advanced students benefit from local connection—tutoring, collaboration, or “apprenticing” in adjacent practical domains (e.g. robotics meets auto mechanics).

• Community Redefined:

  • “Community doesn’t need to be this large, overwhelming thing. The body shop is a strong community. A job is community.” — Stephanie [43:51]

10. The True Value of Projects—Beyond College

[44:30–47:55]

• “The real power in the project is the skills development and the identity development and the opportunity for satisfying that curiosity and showing evidence: hey, I like this. And then I acted on it.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [44:44]
• Projects teach comfort with uncertainty, foster experimentation, and build resilience.
• “The project is that best teacher that can help them develop purpose.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [46:17]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It is not a vacation…It’s really something worth sacrificing for.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [02:27]
• “Students need a story that reveals who they are…a story that’s truly their own.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [03:58]
• “If you want them to know more about you, you kind of have to do this.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [08:06]
• “The fastest way to scale is through partner organizations and finding other people.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [16:21]
• “For young men, they’ve got to feel like a sense of ‘I’m awesome.’ And so it’s very skills oriented...For girls, it’s about impact.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [24:16]
• “The line between persistence and annoyance is seven days.” — Lisa & Dr. Liz Kreider [30:01]
• “It’s all about the journey, not necessarily the destination.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [44:30]
• “Colleges want to see resilience. They want to see character and curiosity. But the development of purpose is done through experimentation.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [46:39]
• “The project is that best teacher...” — Dr. Liz Kreider [46:17]

Practical Strategies & Takeaways

• Start Where the Student Is: Don’t manufacture passion—begin with interests and curiosity.
• Parents: Facilitate, Don’t Force: Have conversations away from your student to reduce pressure and self-doubt.
• Think Local for Impact: Focus on realistic, measurable change in your own community (“zip code projects”).
• Break Down Issues: Identify the problem, population, what’s already being done, and where gaps remain.
• Collaborate and Iterate: Expect projects to adapt—failure and iteration are part of the journey.
• Document the Process: Encourage students to record highs, lows, surprises—this is the material for future essays, interviews, and growth.
• Persistence in Outreach: When contacting researchers or mentors, show preparedness, customize your request, and follow up after seven days, not sooner.
• Embrace Uncertainty: Projects should be open-ended, challenging, and may not “work” the first time.

Myths & Truths (Final Takeaways)

[52:14–56:47]

Myths:

• You need a clear “passion” before you start.
• Impact must be global or newsworthy.
• Projects are only about college admissions or elite school acceptance.

Truths:

• Most students (especially 9th–10th graders) won’t know their passion—projects are for exploring and “trying on” interests.
• Projects are about skills, resilience, and self-discovery.
• Persistence, humility, and willingness to iterate ("manual labor") matter more than scale of result.
• Colleges value learning from failure as much as success.

“Future you will be grateful to current you, but also honor that not suggesting they become adults overnight.” — Dr. Liz Kreider [44:54]

Conclusion & Final Words

[57:26–END]

• Dr. Liz: Encourage “personal iteration,” like upgrading yourself the way technology constantly does.
• Students should approach projects as experiments, comfortable with not having it all figured out.
• Humility, reflection, willingness to start small, and personal documentation of growth are the core values to carry from every passion—or simply project.

For resources, guidance, and more episodes, visit collegeboundmentor.com