No One Judges You Harder Than You Judge Yourself Online

Summary

Podcast Summary: "No One Judges You Harder Than You Judge Yourself Online"

Podcast: Parenting in a Tech World (Bark Technologies)
Host: Adam Brooks
Guests: Mackenzie Roach, Melaina Mitchell
Date: August 4, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Bark's Adam Brooks interviews two recent high school graduates, Mackenzie Roach and Melaina Mitchell, about their experience growing up in the digital age and leading a student-driven digital citizenship initiative at their school, Lubbock Cooper High. The discussion centers on how social media shapes self-perception, school culture, and future opportunities. The guests reflect candidly on lessons learned through their "Chat" video project for DECA, sharing advice for students navigating the online world.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Senior Year Reflections and Growth

• Reintegration and Self-Discovery: Melaina discusses returning from out of state and quitting volleyball, allowing time for personal development and career contemplation.
  • "It was really a year of growth for me… I kind of got a chance to like, figure out, like, who I was as a person." (02:02)
• Trying New Things: Mackenzie describes stepping out of her comfort zone by joining new clubs and trying soccer for the first time, learning valuable lessons in perseverance and humility.
  • "I am a fan of doing hard things… it is humbling." (03:49)

2. The "Chat" Project: Making Digital Citizenship Relevant

• Origins: Both joined DECA and noticed student apathy toward the school's digital citizenship videos ("Chat"), which were seen as generic and disengaging.
  • "Whenever I would think about going into it, I would just be like, okay, well, 20 minutes to take a nap." (07:44)
• Student Involvement: They proposed that students produce and star in the videos to make them relatable and engaging.
  • "If something's gonna be shown in front of the whole school, there's gonna be people who are like, I want to be seen." (08:08)
• Gathering Feedback: Used school-wide surveys to choose topics and evaluate impact. Student-made videos received significantly more responses and positive feedback than previous versions.
  • "Whenever we got the feedback back for that video, it was like night and day." (10:19)

3. Significant Topics Explored in "Chat"

• Cyberbullying:

  • The first topics focused on online bullying, even though neither guest had personally experienced severe incidents. They discussed the difficulty and importance of addressing issues they don't relate to directly.
    • "It's hard to talk about a serious topic whenever it's not something you can fully put your heart into because you relate to." (10:55)
  • Adam makes a distinction: "…bullying can be separated into drama, bullying, and harassment. I think they're three different things." (11:35)

• Online Safety:

  • Produced a video on not knowing who you’re talking to online. A humorous yet effective sketch illustrated the risks.
    • "It was supposed to be a young girl and a young guy talking…I don't know, just making. It was funny." (12:24)

• Is Social Media Good or Bad?:

  • Interviewed peers about their social media usage and its impacts. Most responses skewed positive, with common negatives being distraction and strained in-person interactions.
    • "…sometimes I feel like my friends are on their phone too much…while we're eating dinner with friends, like people are just constantly on their phones." (14:34)
  • The group valued seeing honest input from classmates rather than distant adults.

4. Impact and Takeaways from the Project

• Building Confidence and Communication Skills:
  • Presenting to the whole school forced both Mackenzie and Melaina out of their comfort zones, boosting their public speaking abilities and self-assurance.
    • "…gave me more confidence in areas that I didn't know that I didn't have confidence in." (17:39)
  • The fear was greater presenting at school than posting online, highlighting the difference between digital and real-world feedback loops.
    • "When I post something on Instagram, I have control…with chat, there's 430 kids…you have to go to class with them." (19:26)
• Power of Being Yourself Online and Offline:
  • Both stressed the importance of authenticity and consistency across digital and in-person interactions.
    • "No one is judging you harder than you're judging yourself." (25:54, Melaina)
    • "Just be yourself. Night, day, phone, not phone, whatever." (27:40, Mackenzie)
• Enduring Value of In-Person Relationships and Memories:
  • Shared the idea that meaningful friendship and lasting memories are built offline, and that social media cannot replace face-to-face connection.
    • "You can post your memory. But those memories happened in person, so why let a phone or social media come in between that?" (29:28, Mackenzie)

5. Wisdom for the Next Generation

• Advice for Freshmen:

  • "Be yourself" and don't let insecurity or fear of others' opinions hold you back.
    • "Really, just be yourself…and don't care what other people think so much." (25:45, Melaina)
  • Mackenzie urges initiating friendships in real life rather than relying solely on online personas.
    • "I got some of my best friends…because I was uniquely me…and I introduced myself and I said hi. And they liked me for who I was, not for what I posted." (26:15)

• Healthy Social Media Practices:

  • Use social media as a tool for growth, networking, and learning—referenced by Melaina finding her career inspiration via TikTok.
    • "I would watch TikTok videos of like them…that's kind of how I like decided like, okay, I'm going to do pharmacy." (22:19)
  • Mackenzie highlights using platforms to build confidence and a positive brand: "I love sharing what I know…I think social media can be like a really positive thing if you use it correctly." (23:09)

• Critical Thinking and the Power of the Pause:

  • Their tech teacher, Mr. Henderson, challenged them to think deeper about messaging, scriptwriting, and problem-solving.
    • "It makes you really, like, sit down and think, like, how do we want to word it and how we want to say it?" (31:14, Melaina)
  • Adam recommends always pausing and reflecting before posting or responding, noting how this is a crucial life and digital skill.
    • "The power of the pause is such an important idea. Stopping and thinking before I respond…" (33:07)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On self-judgment:
  • "No one is judging you harder than you're judging yourself." (25:54, Melaina)
• On using digital tools wisely:
  • "A hammer can build things and a hammer can tear things down…it's just how you use the tool." (24:02, Adam)
• On memories:
  • "Those memories happened in person, so why let a phone or social media come in between that whenever…natural relationships can be really awesome." (29:28, Mackenzie)
• On learning from teachers:
  • "He really made us think differently…he's definitely not a person that's just going to give you the answer or the easy way out." (32:23, Mackenzie, about Mr. Henderson)
• On authenticity:
  • "Just be yourself. Night, day, phone, not phone, whatever." (27:40, Mackenzie)

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Important Timestamps

• 02:02 – Melaina on returning to school, quitting sports, self-discovery
• 07:44 – Student apathy toward digital citizenship videos
• 09:17 – Making the videos student-produced and gathering feedback
• 10:55 – Reflections on discussing cyberbullying
• 12:22 – Humorous take on online stranger danger
• 13:13 – Interviewing students about social media's role
• 14:34 – Surprising insights from a student on the effects of social media
• 17:11 – Guests describe increased confidence from public speaking
• 19:26 – Mackenzie contrasts posting online vs. presenting in person
• 22:19 – Melaina describes finding her pharmacy career via TikTok
• 25:45 – Melaina’s advice for incoming freshmen
• 27:40 – Authenticity across digital and real life from Mackenzie
• 31:14 – Lessons in critical thinking and communication from chat project
• 33:07 – Adam on the importance of "the pause"

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Tone & Language

The dialogue is informal, humorous, and candid, offering genuine teen and young adult perspectives. The guests often poke fun at themselves and their learning experiences, while Adam provides both gentle guidance and relatable stories from his own life.

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Conclusion

This episode offers a nuanced view into how digital life shapes teens' real-world confidence, relationships, and choices. Through hands-on digital citizenship efforts, Mackenzie and Melaina found their voices and learned the value of authenticity, deliberate communication, and in-person connection. Their advice—to be yourself, think before you post, and cherish real-life moments—is grounded in genuine experience and is timeless for students navigating any era of technology.

Transcript

[A]

Adam.

[B]

I'm Adam Brooks, program facilitator for Bark's Connected Communities, and I'm your host today. Joining me are two graduating seniors with some really refreshing perspectives on a topic that affects every young person growing up right now. Mackenzie Roach is headed to Baylor University in the fall, and Melaina Mitchell is stepping into a career as a pharmacy technician. But before they close the chapter on high school, they're here today to talk to us about a project that clearly meant something to them. A podcast on social media that they created for deca. Today we're hearing their stories. What it was actually like to grow up in the age of screens, what they've watched it do to them and the people around them, and what they learned about themselves when it comes to technology and diving deep enough to make a whole project out of it. Thank you guys for joining me today.

[C]

How are you having us? Good. How are you?

[B]

Good, good. I'm excited to be in Lubbock. I know you guys are like, oh, really? Like, we're from here. I. I believe that everyone who grows up in an area is, like, it's okay.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

But when you're a visitor, you find all the cool stuff.

[C]

Yeah. Lubbock has a lot to see.

[B]

There is a lot to see, especially

[C]

if you're not from here. It's a cool, homey town.

[B]

It is a great town. You guys have a great downtown. You guys have a lot of cool stuff. I mean. Yeah, you guys are growing. It's pretty big.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

So tell me a little bit about, like, what school? So, Melaina, what school did you go to in high school?

[A]

Lubbock Cooper.

[B]

Okay, so it was Lubbock Cooper High School. And tell me about your senior year. Like, what were the highs? What were the lows? What'd you enjoy? What are you feeling like you're, like, good about? Because my senior year, I was, like, out. I was done. I barely, like, did my assignments. It was not great. Like, a shout out and apology to all my former teachers. Like, I was like, get me out of here. I'm ready. But, like, what was it like for you?

[A]

I feel like going into my senior year, I was really nervous because I had just moved back from Illinois and being gone for a while. Yeah. But it was really a year of growth for me. I had just quit volleyball, so it was kind of like all I knew was playing volleyball. And so I kind of got a chance to like, figure out, like, who I was as a person and really get to figure out, like, what I want to do. As a career, Do I want to stay here? Do I want to move, go to college? So it was really, like, a developmental year for me.

[B]

I love that. Yeah. That's awesome. Mackenzie, how about you?

[C]

Mine is a little different because I've been here my whole life, but it was nice because Melina came back this year, and we've been friends since we were, like, in middle school. We were best friends, and then she up and left me.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, wow. Drama.

[C]

But going into my senior year, I was just, like. I was kind of nervous because I didn't have the easiest time my junior year. It was a lot of cause. I had also played volleyball, and it was my last year. My junior year was. And I was just trying to figure out what I wanted to do. And so my junior year, I think, was a lot of growth, and I went into my senior year with a really open mind, Put myself in every club you could think of, joined soccer.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And you hadn't played soccer before?

[C]

No, since I was about 4 years old.

[B]

How did it go?

[C]

I got in really good shape. Didn't play much, but I got in good shape.

[B]

That bench was warm. Oh, it was great.

[C]

I had a designated spot every single time. And I honestly wouldn't. I loved my senior year after soccer, though, I got that senior out, checked out because we didn't do anything. We didn't do anything at all. But it was so fun, and I made a lot of new friends that I had gone to school with all these years. And, I mean, when you graduate, I feel like everyone comes together. It was really nice.

[B]

Yeah. That's awesome. And I applaud you for trying out for soccer your senior year, because I'm, like, a fan of doing hard things, because I always get. I do the same things that I'm good at, and then I never remember how hard it is to do hard things. So my goal once a year is to do one hard thing that I don't know and try to learn it, and it is humbling.

[C]

It's just hard to go from, like, playing a sport and then just doing nothing and then just, like, not having a reason to, like, work out or anything. It's so easy when someone makes you work out.

[B]

Why do you think us old people get fat? You know what I mean? Like, we were all in shape when we were your age because we were running around and playing sports. And then you get to your four, and you're like, I'll just watch TV and eat potato chips.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

It definitely wasn't easy. It wasn't easy. I was really bad in the beginning, but, you know, that bench got me in shape, and I love it. Taught me some patience, and it worked out.

[B]

I think that's amazing. I love that. I hope you carry that with you, because, like, I think it's so smart to try things that are. That are difficult. I had took voice lessons last year.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

And I am known as, like, the worst singer in our family. And I just took them so I could see, like, could I ever, like, do good at karaoke? And it was so hard. And she was going to practice all the time, and I was like, yeah, I'm good, but it was fun.

[C]

Yeah. I'm not even better.

[B]

Yeah. All right, so you had this. You both joined deca, and tell us about how you got started in this project. Like, is it. Is. Can anyone choose any kind of a project? Is it. Like, tell me more about that.

[C]

So we had a class together, and then we decided, because I was joining all the clubs, and I was like, okay, well, our teacher a part of the deca.

[A]

Like, she was, like, an advisor. Yeah.

[C]

And we were like, well, maybe we should just join and we could be partners and figure something out. So then we joined, and we had no idea what we're gonna do. And then we, like, sat in a meeting, and, like, things were just kind of getting thrown out there. And we had a thing called chat. And it was like, whenever Melina didn't know anything about chat, but, like, whenever I heard about it, I was like, hey, chat. Like, so lame. And then I was like, wait, Molina, Chat. Like, let's do that. Because people were throwing out, like, how it could be more engaging. And then that's kind of how I got started.

[B]

So what is chat?

[C]

I couldn't tell you. It's like an acronym. Stands for something. We tried to, like, change it.

[A]

That.

[C]

Our principal is like, no, it already means something. Like, okay, sure, Chill. That's chill.

[B]

But it's like. Well, first of all, I think we need to go back just a second, because I. I'm forgetting because I'm elderly now, what DECA is. What is deca?

[A]

It's kind of a club for young entrepreneurs, but also people that just want to kind of be in a leadership kind of position.

[B]

Sure.

[C]

I would say it's more like a business club. Yeah.

[B]

Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[C]

It's coming back to me. Yeah.

[B]

They used to, like, run our school store and stuff when I was in high school.

[C]

We have that. Yeah, yeah, it's our. Our school. The DECA people Take it very seriously.

[B]

Sure. Yeah, sure. I think sometimes when we aren't sure of the whys, it can be difficult. Right. I think that's normal. And I think especially when we're young, the whys are confusing.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

We don't really understand the. The next thing. I think that's legit. So people are throwing out ideas for this idea for chat and so what was your idea?

[C]

Do you want me to say what you say? You say, well, so our idea basically was like, chat got brought up and I was like, okay, well, maybe what would it be like if, like, students took it over? Because at the first of every month we have a chat video and it goes over digital citizenship, how to be aware, online, like, everything. But, like, whenever I would think about going into it, I would just be like, okay, well, 20 minutes to take a nap. So I don't.

[A]

And it was like, pre made videos with.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

People from random places that we didn't even know.

[C]

Like, okay, well, what if we took me and Melena and took people from our school and then really, like, got people involved? Because, like, I mean, if something's gonna be shown in front of the whole school, there's gonna be people who are like, I want to be seen.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And so we just kind of took that and ran with it.

[B]

And you want to make it your own.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

I love that.

[C]

It was really fun. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. And so what was the first script? Like, what was the first, like, thing you. The question you wanted to answer? What was that kind of, like, idea?

[C]

What was our first one? Bullying. Over bullying. I. I feel like I don't remember.

[A]

I don't remember what our first topic was, but I remember, like, that was our first time, like, really sitting in front having, like, a microphone and having to read from a script and just figuring out all the lighting and stuff. And I remember we had so much fun and we just sat there and laughed, like, the whole time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And our technology director that was helping us, he was like, okay, you guys need to kind of lock in. And we just, like, it was so funny.

[C]

We had to take a lot of breaks. And he just, like, kept rolling. Yeah. We were like, oh, my God.

[A]

So we just had this long video of, like, us just laughing.

[B]

Yeah. A lot of outtakes.

[A]

A lot of.

[C]

But the memories are good.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So you would go. The idea is that you would go and interview other students about a certain topic or an issue or whatever.

[C]

So it would start with us. Hi, it's Mackenzie, It's Melina. And welcome to Chat. And like in the beginning we really didn't know where we wanted it to go because like we sent out a, like a Google form to the entire school. The whole school had to fill it out and, and it was like they wanted. We wanted feedback on chat that already existed. And so then we got feedback on what people wanted to hear about. So that's how we got our first topic. I wish I could remember what it was. I think it was like online bullying or cyberbullying, something like that.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

And so we obviously didn't interview kids, our first one, because we want to see how it would go.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

But it went really well. Like, just like, I think our faces being on it and like talking about the situation and there was like clips of like people walking in the hallways. Like it looked like a video that came from YouTube, like already pre made, but like we made it so it was like really cool. And whenever we got the feedback back for that video, it was like night and day.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

We had like, go, yeah, do this more.

[C]

We had like five or how many responses? Like 200.

[A]

I think on the first initial one that we sent out about the pre made chat videos, we got like a thousand responses.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And we did.

[C]

We did.

[A]

Yeah. And then on the one that we got back after our chat video, I think it was like 600. And so really like using that feedback, we were like, this is something that we could really do.

[B]

Yeah. So do you remember anything that you learned from the cyberbullying topic? Because I find that topic a little interesting.

[C]

Yeah, I think it was kind of hard for us because, I mean, us personally, I don't think we ever went through anything that serious. And it's hard to talk about a serious topic whenever it's not something you can fully put your heart into because you relate to. But I think also, like whenever we put ourselves on that level to try and connect with those other kids that like were going through those things in our school, it made it a lot easier for us.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Well, I, I just find I grew up in an era where bullying was not the issue.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And so we've kind of thrown that topic out there. And I think in my opinion, bullying can be separated into drama. Bullying and harassment.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I think they're three different things.

[C]

Right.

[B]

And so sometimes we lump them all together and that's not as effective. So I always find it interesting to hear like, what students think and like, how does that go? And like, what do you see? So. Yeah. Yeah. Well, the video that got sent to me which got me here in Lubbock to interview you guys was a video about social media. Like, how often are you on it? Oh, yeah, how do you like.

[C]

No, our last one was the one.

[B]

Do you think it was good? Which video?

[C]

We did this one video, and it was about, like, you never really know who you're talking to online. And it was like. It was the funniest video clip, like, ever. It wasn't funny, but it was really funny. Like, I don't know. It was funny to us. You just have to see it.

[B]

I'm probably gonna have to go watch that one.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah, we enjoyed it.

[A]

It was.

[C]

I don't know, just making. It was funny.

[B]

What did they say about. Do you know who you're talking to online?

[A]

It was, like, supposed to be a young girl and a young guy talking to each other over social media, and then they end up meeting in person, but it's two old men.

[B]

So.

[A]

Yeah, it's a very serious topic, but just the way that.

[C]

Because it can happen, for sure.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Of course.

[A]

Just the way that the video was just made us laugh or something. I don't know.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Not the topic, just the video.

[C]

Yeah, no, that's scra. That it wasn't funny.

[B]

Well, it's a very serious thing, you're right. But also, like, I think to try to talk to about it with students is difficult. Right. Because it's hard for them to take things seriously when they aren't thinking that way.

[C]

Right.

[B]

Because we think, like, it can't happen to us. Like, it's fine. And then until it does, and then you're like, oh, man, that's a bummer.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

No, the video that I got sent, that I watched of yours was the one where it's like, is social media good? Is it bad? How much time do you spend on it? You know, do you think it's positive or negative in your life? Which I found really interesting. You're talking to all these people and they had different answers. Right.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

That was the first time we had interviewed students. Yeah. So that was a challenge. It was good.

[B]

Why was it. Why was it a challenge?

[C]

We did interview a freshman that said that he would like to be interviewed, and he didn't have many words to say.

[B]

Yeah, you know what? I. As somebody who does this.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Sometimes you're like, oh, do I need to prepare? Do I need to, like, give people things to say? But I don't want to put anything. My words in their mouth. Like, it can be difficult when they're like, yes.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And you're like, oh, oh, is that all? Okay.

[C]

And it doesn't help that me and Melena laugh a lot and so I'm getting that sense. So it was, it was something, but it, it ended up being one of our best videos, I think. Yeah. Because people saw their friends and were like, well, like, I guess this is a little bit more serious because my friends are talking about it.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. So what did you find? What, what was the, what do you think overall the feeling was about social media in your school? Like, is it. Do you think it was overwhelmingly positive? Were you surprised that any of the answers that you were like, oh, I didn't thought about that or what do you think?

[A]

I would say mainly positive. I think one thing was like, sometimes I feel like my friends are on their phone too much or like while we're like eating dinner with friends, like people are just constantly on their phones. I think that was only negative, but I would say it was mainly positive.

[C]

Kind of what we heard, which is hard to ask high schoolers how they

[B]

feel about their phones, about stuff they already use every day for 10 hours a day.

[C]

Yeah. But honestly, there was one kid that had a really good answer and he gave in depth detail and he had no practice and I mean he had really good things to say and he was very level headed about it.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And I think like it made us think even a little bit more about it and what we should say whenever we closed out the video.

[B]

So what was that? Do you remember what he said?

[C]

He basically was just saying how like it can be a real positive but like in his life some of his relationships had been affected because that was one of our questions and it was really hard for him to go through that. And I think, I mean a lot of people do go through that because how else do you talk to people if it's not in person or online? And I mean nowadays you're not going to hear those mean things in person. You're just going to hear them over the phone. And him sharing that with us, like it was very brave of him, especially being shown in front of the whole school.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So yeah, I think it definitely made people think a little bit more about it.

[B]

Did you guys get any? Like, all right, the camera's done, Rolling, it's done. And you're walking around campus. Did you get any? Everybody else who was like, oh, like told you, like on the psych. Oh, I would have said this or I think this was great.

[C]

Or no, no, no, they always tell us like, you did so good in chat. Yeah, but that's, that's really all. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. There's no, like tea afterwards.

[C]

No, not really. I don't, I don't think, I'm just

[B]

trying to use cool words.

[C]

I think, I think we did help engage a lot of people with chat, but also.

[B]

Sure.

[C]

I mean, it's a 10 minute video that you are forced to watch, so. Yeah, people don't really care that much. Mm.

[B]

Well, I think we don't always know the impacts.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Like I'll tell you from my age, like, there's things I remember that I didn't think I would remember that had an impact and I may have not shared it or thought about it at the time. So we don't really know who we're going to affect. And so I think that even just the intention is super exciting and super important.

[C]

Yeah, right.

[B]

Definitely did doing the chat this whole. For the whole year of semester.

[C]

So we did it for the whole year at the beginning of every month.

[B]

Oh, wow. Yeah. That's a pretty big commitment.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you. What did you walk. How did you walk away different from that whole process?

[A]

I feel like I kind of walked away from it a little bit more confident, especially being like shown in front

[C]

of the whole school.

[A]

Yeah, you kind of like, I just found more confidence in myself, I feel like. And more like public speaking. And I was taking speech at the time too, so it kind of, I was like, well, let me just pretend I'm doing a chat video and do my speech. So it kind of gave me more confidence in areas that I didn't know that I didn't have confidence in. Yeah, I'd say more confidence myself.

[C]

Yeah. I think I agree because I forgot what I was going to say. I was going to go off something you said. It's okay. Can you ask a question more time?

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

What we took away from it.

[B]

Yeah. What'd you take away from the whole process?

[C]

I would say I agree because like when you. A video of you get shown to the whole school, especially some of those younger kids you don't know, it can be really scary because like, I remember the first chat video we asked if we could skip class so we didn't have to watch ourselves because we were really nervous.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

But yeah, like, it just helped with our confidence a lot and like it's. I think it helps with your confidence whenever you talk about something that like, I mean, your friends wouldn't be like, oh, well, why is McKinsey talking about digital citizenship in front of the whole school? But like, sometimes Things like that matter, even if it's not like what you're so passionate about. Like, even if it's. It's someone that's more known talking about stuff like that. Like, it can make care a little bit, make people care a little bit more.

[B]

Well, and I think this is a topic that we all should care about.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Right. Like, it's not like only certain people should care about it.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Like we should be talking more about this.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Like, I agree.

[B]

When we start seeing like, the impact of all this stuff that's happening around us and like, what's going on with collecting data and like luring kids out of their home and like all the crazy stuff that can happen, like, we should all be talking about this stuff. Right. So I think it's really great. You don't have to be passionate about it to talk about it. Yeah, I think it helps. But I also think, like, we should all be having these conversations.

[C]

I agree.

[B]

Do you, mackenzie, you said something that triggered a thought for me, which was you talked about how nervous you were that the whole school is going to see this video. Do you have social media?

[C]

I do.

[B]

And do you have friends on social media?

[C]

Yeah, I do.

[B]

And do they all see what you post on there?

[C]

I. Yeah.

[B]

And so why is that different? Why is that not scary? Why is that not nervous? Because you could have done that same video on your ig. Right. And all of a sudden, like, they all see it, but for some reason you're like, that's fine.

[C]

Yeah. I think it's because actually, I know it's because. Because when I post something on Instagram, I have control over what is getting posted and who is seeing it and who I can see who likes it. I can see who comments on it. And for chat, there's 430 kids in our school.

[B]

Sure.

[C]

Freshman, sophomore, junior, senior.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Getting shown to the whole school. Admin. Getting shown further than just that. And it's something a guy in Phoenix, I guess, right?

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[C]

It's something that we just started learning about this year and taking a little bit more serious. And so you talk about something that's a little out of your comfort zone and then you have to go to class with them.

[B]

Yep.

[C]

And you know, people are going to tell you, good job. But also they could be lying to your face.

[A]

Sure.

[C]

But you know what, social media is kind of the same, so. Yeah.

[B]

Right.

[C]

But it's just different because you can see their reactions in, in person, like. Yeah, but I mean, on social media, you hide behind a Screen.

[B]

Totally.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So the idea of in person is still really scary.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And I totally agree. Like the fact that interviews or anything like in person is like intimidating.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And there is this feeling that the screen takes that away.

[C]

Yeah, right.

[B]

I totally get that.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

That's part. I think that is a little deceptive and that's why people can get a little crazier online. Right. I didn't mean to point to you. I don't, I don't know if you do or not, but I do think like in general that can happen. Right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Did it affect how you used your social media after talking about all this stuff with people?

[A]

Not really. I still, I feel like I still posted the same. I didn't really like change anything. Yeah, I don't really think.

[C]

I feel like we were like good influences when it came to it. Cuz none of us really had that.

[B]

Like we weren't already using it for crazy things.

[C]

No, not really. We just have it because everybody else has it.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Do you think that like there is a space for the digital world or social media when it comes to like work to business? Because you were using this in a DECA class, right. So it was kind of this business idea and entrepreneur idea. Do you think, you know, where do you see that role maybe playing at all if, if at all

[C]

like social media when it comes to your career? Yeah, yeah. I think because there's a lot of

[B]

talk with like that that's going to. Can hurt your career. Right. And you can't get a job or you get fired. But can you use it the other way? Like, you know what I mean?

[A]

I would say like during COVID when I first heard about like pharmacy technicians and pharmacists and stuff.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I would watch TikTok videos of like them like counting pills and that's like how I like really like figured out that's what I want to do.

[B]

Girl, I am. I watch the rug guy cleaning rugs for hours. So like I'm with you there. Like some kind of like mundane thing or the guy that mows lawns.

[C]

Like I'm like, yes.

[B]

Dialed in. Like, let's watch this.

[A]

So like seeing someone else do like that career that I hadn't really thought about in that way, I was like, that seems like really fun and something that I want to do and that's kind of how I like decided like, okay, I'm going to do pharmacy.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I think it can really help influence like kids that don't know what they want to do. Sure. And really put like your business out there too.

[C]

Yeah, I agree fully because I feel like when I was younger and like figuring out social media still, I just saw like everyone just being uniquely themselves and I feel like I've always kind of been one of those people. And so, I mean I did my tick tock dances and shared my videos and I think it like helped me a lot with like who I became because it did give me a lot of confidence. And I like going into college, like wanting to do communications. It's because I love sharing what I know. I like learning new things and talking about it and educating people on other things. And also I like to just talk.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Talk to people, share cool things. And I think social media can be like a really positive thing if you use it correctly.

[B]

And I think that's the caveat. Right. I always compare it to a hammer. A hammer can build things and a hammer can tear things down.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And it's just how you use the tool.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Right.

[C]

And it's kind of like now in 2026, the smallest things can really hurt you. And so it's like, well, you post something that you could have posted three years ago, but like now it's serious. And it's just weird how like it really does evolve every single day because something that could get you in trouble tomorrow would be fine today.

[B]

And that's what we don't know. And that's why we have to be careful. Right. Because people are looking back and people like 10 years ago and saying, you posted this then, like that's problem now. And so we really have to kind of little more strategic in my opinion. Which is why I use all my social media. I, I created a, a motto, a self motto which is I want to make people laugh, reflect and grow. So I try not to post anything that doesn't make people laugh, reflect and grow.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And so I once a week will look back at what I posted this week and if it doesn't make people laugh, reflect and grow, it gets deleted. Because I want to create a brand that makes sense, but I also like don't want. I also know that social media is not that serious.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So I want the cat videos, I want the funny posts, I want, you know what I mean? I want to share love and light, you know, I want those things. So. But I don't know that that's how we approach it when we're growing up.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So let's say there's a freshman coming into your old high school. Right. And you get to Give that freshman advice about social media. What would you tell them? That maybe either you wish you would have known or that you think would just be good. Maybe you were good with it, but you saw other kids have this issue, and you want to tell them, like, hey, be careful or do this or whatever, or don't do this. What would that advice be?

[A]

I'd say, really, just be yourself. Like, there's nobody else like you. Like, just be yourself and don't care what other people think so much. I feel like going into high school, you're like, well, they're seniors and, like, people older than me, they're gonna, like, look at me and judge me. But really, like, no one is judging you harder than you're judging yourself. So really just like, be yourself. Put yourself out there, make friends, do all the fun things, but really just be yourself.

[C]

Yeah, I agree. And also, I think, like, when I was a freshman, I've always been someone that was friends with older people, and I really did make those connections. Not through a phone. I made them going and hanging out with people that were different that I, in person, out. Out of my comfort zone, like, going places. I wasn't sure that I would be wanted. But then I got some of my best friends out of it, and I did it all because I was uniquely me. And it wasn't because my Snapchat was like. My Snapchat wasn't on their quick ad. Like, it was because I went up to them and I introduced myself and I said hi. And they liked me for who I was, not for what I posted or what I had to say or I guess what I had to say. But in person.

[B]

But in person. Yeah. Yeah. I think there's a real big risk of trying to be someone different, definitely online versus in person. And I really. That's the message I try to talk to kids about is how do we really make sure that we are the same values, the same characteristics, the same goals, Whether I'm in person, online, or whatever.

[C]

Because I think you never want to meet someone and be like, well, you're a lot different than you are on text message, because you can be anybody on the phone, you can be anybody on the video, but whenever it comes to an actual conversation, just be yourself. Like, yeah, yourself. Night, day, phone, not phone, whatever.

[B]

Totally yourself.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, that's the great thing is even meeting, like, you know, celebrities or other people, like, you want to know, like, is the perception the same or different?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And so it's so nice when it's the same and it's like, consistent. And so it's just same as, like, high school kids, right? Yeah, Yeah. I totally can relate to that.

[C]

Especially whenever I feel like if you're texting someone, you don't get that emotion. Or like, I mean, yeah, emojis, but, like, crying face means laughing half the time. So, like, how do you actually know what they're.

[B]

Am I crying laughing, or am I crying crying?

[C]

And then you, like, talk to them in person and they're just like, I thought you were more funny or I thought you were nicer. And it's all just, I guess, how you perceive it, but totally.

[B]

Totally.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. I. I think we get really. There's. We call them keyboard jockeys growing up. I don't know what they call them now. Thumb jockeys, I guess. But, like, there's people who can get really good at communicating. Because they're self editing.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

All the time. And you get to edit that, right?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So I'm like, no, it doesn't sound right. And now, unfortunately, with AI, I can, like, run it through that and say, make me funnier, make me nicer, or make me not nice. But it's always nice to have someone who can look you in the eye and have those conversations. And I think that's something that I want kids to focus on more. I want people to focus on more. So if that's the advice with what you've talked about for those freshmen, I think that's right on. Right.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Because having that confident person. And again, we get confident by trying things. Right. Trying soccer. You're like, I'm not confident in soccer, but I'm confident in this, and I'm confident that I did it. And so it's trying those things and looking at eyes and shaking hands and having those conversations.

[C]

I think also, like, I love that you like how we were talking about how we would just laugh for, like, 20 minutes. I don't think you can make those memories over a phone.

[B]

No.

[C]

You can post your memory.

[A]

Sure.

[C]

But those memories happened in person, so why let a phone or social media come in between that whenever. Like, natural relationships can be really awesome. And very good at making memories.

[B]

No, I. I joke all the time with students, and I'm like, listen, you will. Ten years from now, you're not gonna go, oh, I'm so glad I got to this level in this game. Oh, my gosh, I can't believe, like, I posted that thing. That was fire. It's like, no one's gonna care. Right. Ten years from now, we're gonna care about is these memories, the laughing half

[C]

the time when you post embarrassing things, like you're embarrassed of yourself 10 years ago. But like, me and Melina Lori saw videos from when we would hang out in sixth grade, and we're dying laughing at them because we remember that.

[B]

I know I had the bleach blonde hair and the earrings and the puka necklace and all that 90s stuff. And I look at old photos and I'm like, no. So I totally get it. I think we all have that. But I just, I love that you are. Are so passionate about that in person stuff because I definitely think that that lasts forever. Definitely the memories you're making now are going to last forever.

[C]

I agree.

[B]

And into college, which is super exciting for you guys, and into your career and college and whatever else you decide to do and down at, down at Waco. So that's exciting too. I know you guys worked with some teachers, especially your, I think, tech teacher, right. Who asked you some really hard questions and made you think a lot about this process and what you were doing and how you were approaching it.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

What are some things that like, you took away from those things, those questions, those teachers that really changed habits or changed some things of how you approach different areas of your life that you're going to take with you when you go on to your careers and your colleges and things like that in life?

[A]

I think we did have a lot of, like, hard conversations, not even just about the topics that we're talking about, but like, how do you want to word this script? And it makes you really, like, sit down and think, like, how do we want to word it and how we want to say it? And so I think taking that into my own life, like, stopping and like, thinking before I speak, it really just like that kind of helped me, like, think before I speak and even like in my speech class, like, thinking before I'm speaking and how I want to word stuff. So it really, like, helped me without even thinking about it.

[B]

Yeah, Yeah.

[C]

I think mine, it was more like he really helped us stay on top of things because, oh my gosh, we struggled sometimes, but he was always knocking on that door, pulling out of class, like, okay, gotta walk in, gotta go work on chat. And you just sit there and laugh and he get his.

[A]

Really, without him, like, we probably would not have gotten it done.

[C]

No, definitely not. Like, all the editing, all the. He really helped us out, but I think he also really challenged us because he didn't do it for us.

[A]

Right.

[C]

And so he really made us think Differently because the whole thing was like, what are we going to do this time? How are you going to make it different than last time? How are we going to say different things? So I think, like, thinking outside the box is what he helped with. Like, mostly because he's definitely not a person that's just going to give you the answer or the, like, the easy way out. And I think it helped very much.

[B]

What a great teacher. What was his name?

[C]

Name's Caleb Henderson.

[B]

Mr. Henderson, thank you so much. Because like, that, like teaching kids how to critically think, teaching them how to find the answers in themselves, that is what a teacher supposed to do. I love that.

[C]

I don't think had a lot of patience with us. Yes, fair, fair.

[B]

Listen, I've worked with teenage girls before and it can be. I'm not one, so I don't always understand. So it's helpful when I, you know, can, like, get some good feedback there. I love that. I think the power of the pause is such an important idea. Stopping and thinking before I respond, before I react, before I post, before I send, before I talk, before I roll my eyes, before, you know, whatever it is. I find that to be such a miss, a missing component in our society sometimes. You know what I mean? We all want to react. We want to say the first thing. We want to be this. We want to do this. It's all about how fast can you do it? But pausing and thinking through, oh, I love that. And as like an ADHD kid from the 80s, like, I love that too, because I don't always do that. And I've had to learn. You learned it at this age? I'm so jealous. I learned it at this age, like, you know, five years ago. How important the pause is and a journal and to write out what I want to say before I respond to a hard text or a conflict or an issue that I have. Right. Or then to have it in person, you know, so much healthier. Anyway, so the power of the pause is huge. I love that. That's awesome.

[C]

I hope the people next year that run chat have the same impact because I think that we did a lot for our school and it was really hard to get started, but now that it is, I hope they keep doing it because it had such a positive impact on our school.

[B]

You heard it, Lubbock Cooper. So let's make sure we keep this going.

[C]

Mr. Henderson. Make sure.

[B]

Mr. Henderson. Yeah, chat. Chat keeps going. And I think when students do it, there's always going to be more power.

[C]

Definitely.

[B]

I think that can really add a lot, which I think is great. And I'm sure Mr. Anderson was inspired by you guys. So I'm sure he's going to keep it going.

[C]

I hope so. I think. I hope we didn't wear him out.

[B]

Yeah, I know. You know what? I will tell you a secret. When you guys go off in this next year, can I give you some advice?

[C]

Sure.

[B]

I would love for you at some point to think back to this moment, to this last year. And then I want you to sit down and I want you to write an old fashioned letter and I want you to write to Mr. Henderson about what things you took from this experience and what things you are implementing or using or you appreciate about that whole experience. And I want you to send it to him. And you know what that is for a teacher? I have like letters and cards from my former students that I go back and read and I'm just bawling like a baby because it's just the affirmations are so great. And this right now, teaching is hard. Education is hard. And so we talked to some Texas Tech professors who'd work with teachers yesterday and they said just having people reach out and say thank you has been so helpful for teachers. So anything you can do is always helpful. But give it some time and space because he's. It's summer. He needs some rest.

[C]

That's definitely great advice. Yeah. And we definitely wouldn't be here without him, so he was a big help. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. And I'm sure other teachers too, right? There's always some good ones. Maybe not. You guys looked at each other like, I don't know. It's okay. You give it some time and distance and you're always. You'll look back differently. It's interesting how that happens. Well, thank you, Melena and MacKenzie for joining me today on our podcast. I'm so thankful for you guys and like the fact that you dove in and didn't even really know what you were diving into. Right. And then you did it anyway, which is great. Doing it anyway is huge. And I think that speaks to your character and that speaks to your zest for life that you're going to bring next chapter, which is so exciting to watch and so exciting to see how that goes. So we are all looking for great things, but like also in confidence. Right. Being confident being you and whatever that looks like is next. And so that's exciting. So thank you for sharing your journey with us. Thank you for your, your work with Chat and your school last year. And I'm sure it was a huge impact to students, and it'll continue. And so, yeah, I just. I want to say thank you.

[C]

Thank you for having us.