Welcome to Students Incorporated, a podcast exploring the topics of business, education,
technology and design.
I'm your host, Mr. Jason.
Join me weekly as my team and I produce content that's informative, positive, fun and uplifting.
Episodes include student conversations, interviews with thought leaders and inspirational stories
with an international flavor.
This podcast is created and produced with the help of students from the International
Community School of Bangkok.
Hello and welcome back to the show.
I'm your host, Mr. Jason.
Today's episode marks the end of season two and I couldn't be more proud of my season
two team.
In this episode and for segment one, I will conduct a reflection time with our season
two team and find out directly from them how they think the season went.
Then for segment two, we will conclude our story, The Secrets of El Dorado with part
10 titled The Showdown and Reveal.
You won't want to miss and find out what happens to our heroes and villains.
But before we jump in, let's hear our quote of the day and get some headline news.
Our quote of the day comes from Alan Alexander Mill.
He said, How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.
Alan Alexander Mill was an English humorist, the originator of the immensely popular stories
of Christopher Robin and his toy bear Winnie the Pooh.
This quote encapsulates the bittersweet emotions that arise when we must bid farewell to someone
or something that holds a special place in our hearts.
It speaks to the deep gratitude we feel for the love and connection we have experienced,
even in the face of the pain of separation.
The sentiment is both heartwarming and touching, reminding us of the preciousness of the moments
we have shared and the lasting impact they have had on us.
It serves as a reminder to cherish and hold onto the memories and relationships that bring
us joy, even as we navigate the difficult process of saying goodbye.
And that's our quote of the day.
Thank you, Rebecca, for the quote.
Now on to our headline news.
To start off, our first headline news focuses on the topic of business.
A very widely known fast food chain, McDonald's, is currently reporting lower than usual earnings
for the first quarter of 2024.
To quote the CEO, consumers continue to be more discriminating with every dollar that
they spend due to rapid inflation.
While McDonald's sales in the first quarter did increase by 5% from last year's quarter
one sales, it still fell short of expectations.
McDonald's has decided to focus on affordability in an effort to increase its sales and amidst
current events that are causing McDonald's to be boycotted.
Onto our second news that goes along with the topic of technology.
A mass layoff in April this year caused around 20,000 employees in the tech industry to lose
their jobs.
Major companies like Google, Apple, Intel, Amazon, and others have been highlighted for
reducing their workforce.
Some examples include Apple firing 600 employees, Google laying off staff in Python, Flutter,
and Dart teams, Intel firing over 50 employees at its headquarters, and Amazon cutting hundreds
of jobs in the Amazon web service team.
The reasons behind these layoffs are attributed to various factors such as automation, restructuring,
and economic challenges.
Now onto our final news that services the topic of design.
The 2024 Kyoto Global Design Awards is extending a call for submissions to designers worldwide.
To apply there is an application fee of 80 to 650 euro fee per project submitted.
The Kyoto Global Design Awards recognizes exceptional design achievements on a global
scale across diverse categories.
The seven available categories for project submissions are real estate, restaurant, hotel,
bars, fashion, visual, industry, and theory.
The eligibility criteria are inclusive, welcoming designers of all nationalities and experience
levels to participate.
The judging criteria for this award emphasizes innovation, creativity, functionality, and
aesthetic appeal.
Winners will gain recognition from the international wall of fame.
And that's our headline news for today.
Thank you for the quote in the headline news.
This episode marks the final episode of season two.
So my season two team has joined me in the studio today, all four of them.
We'll be discussing and reflecting on their experiences, not only as students in my marketing
class, but also what it's like to take on an actual role and work to help produce 32
episodes for the Students Incorporated podcast season two.
So without further ado, let's get to my first question for them.
Hey, welcome back, guys.
I'm glad you're all in the studio today.
I'd like for you to start off by sharing a favorite memory you had this year working
on the podcast.
Maybe Premi, you could start us off.
Honestly, I don't know.
I feel like there's so many like fun and fond memories that we've shared like this past
year.
I can't choose, but I think one that stands out for me is for sure.
When we had the chapel episode with Asa Watson, if you haven't listened to that, go back and
listen to that.
I think afterwards we had marketing class too, and I remember it was so, so fun.
We had like a whole vlog going on.
We went to Simple Cafe, Simple Coffee, and then we like celebrated.
It was really fun.
And I think also just like honestly, all the recording sessions have been super fun.
But also like when we're brainstorming in class and everything or like recording after
school and then like just all the laughs and the smiles we've shared in this class, I think
everything adds up.
And it's so sad to see Chanyeol and Haga.
I definitely agree with you, Premi.
So, so, so true.
I think my favorite memory is like pretty spread out.
I feel like I just really like the tiny moments and like jokes that we have in class and like
occasionally running down to Simple Coffee to get some snacks and I don't know, getting
lollipops sometimes for Mr. Jason.
That was pretty, that was pretty nice.
Yeah, the secret stash.
Yes, the secret stash.
We're the special students.
But like it's just so fun just being able to record and like being in a tiny studio
and just reading off our script and making stories up.
And yeah, I think recording for Chapel, the Asa Watson episode was definitely a highlight
too.
That was really fun.
It was challenging, but it was definitely like a new experience that we all had.
The most memorable memory for me will be the Chapel episode.
But since Premi already talked about it, I'll say my second favorite will be the one we
interviewed Mrs. Merrily and all the two young kids.
They were so talented and we can see they're gifted in writing and like writing the poetry
and we can see their growth.
And I hope we can interview them next year too and hopefully see their growth.
And also, I just simply like to spend time with my close friends in class since we have
a small size class and we just developed deeper relationship between each other.
We have a great bond which continues in our just daily life.
We just greet each other on the stairs and basically hugging and just talking were fun.
Yeah, that's my reflection.
My favorite memory this year would probably be the same as the first semester response.
It would be working on the Chapel live recording because that was when we actually got to meet
a huge figure, not a local celebrity or someone that's not from around here.
And it was also a blast to see all the people in the Chapel having fun interacting with
the podcast even if they weren't directly involved with it.
Thank you so much for sharing those memories.
Okay, moving on, what are some aspects of the production were you most excited about
and what aspects of the production were you least excited about and why?
You can be totally honest here.
Premi, go ahead and start us off.
That's a really good question because I feel like there's different aspects of production.
I know that we have different roles and each role is responsible for the different aspect
of production and then all together at the end of the day we come together and produce
the Steams Incorporated podcast.
So I think for me, honestly my most favorite or the parts of the production that I'm most
excited about would be interviewing the guests because I feel like when they come in, they're
able to get a feel in our studio and also able to get insights from them and share them
with the podcast.
And I feel like because we were able to invite guests from a variety of different fields,
I feel like I'm learning something new every day and then I'm learning something new in
another field that I never would have learned otherwise.
So I really love that experience and I also love writing the story, the Secrets of El
Rio and also brainstorming it every part along the way.
For aspects of the production that I was least excited about, I don't think it's necessarily
an aspect but I think it's how sometimes we were crunched for time because we don't have
that many people or how there's not many guests coming in at that moment or we have less ideas
for what our next episodes are going to be.
And I feel like when those aspects, the routine pattern or the routine characteristic of production,
you have to get this done by this day and that day.
And I feel like because we have less people, that leaves a lot less time for more creative
aspects like if we could host projects or marketing strategies so that we could expand
the podcast or viewership.
So I think the aspect that I am less excited about is the routinely characteristic of it
that just demands that every single episode needs to come out every single week and all
the effort that comes with it.
But I think altogether it's been very enjoyable and altogether it's been very exciting to
produce it.
Yeah.
And as for me, I would say some aspects of the production that I was most excited about
is probably just in general recording my story parts or just reading PSA news or quote-unquote
today.
I don't know.
I just really like speaking in front of this really cool, glowy microphone.
It seems so cool and professional.
I don't know.
And it's always fun just coming into the back studio.
It just seems like something so exquisite and special.
So I guess it's just that feeling of like, whoa, this is special and I'm like speaking
to people.
As for aspects of production that I was least excited about, I would say I definitely agree
with Premi on this one.
Probably just like the crunching, like the limited time we have having to release an
episode each week.
It does get a little bit stressful, but I feel like it's because of this that I grew
closer to my team and really bonded with each one of them.
And I think also because of that, communication was so important and giving out ideas to each
other and helping each other was really a meaningful process that came along.
For me, the most exciting part is just interviewing people because I can learn from different
experts in different aspects.
For example, I learned about how business can work, like how business work and how to
write poems and just interview some people over the world, like in New York and in Thailand.
Yeah, probably I hope we can interview some people in China as well next year.
And also, however, I don't actually have the least exciting part, but it might be just
working with friends because I can easily get distracted while working and well prefer
to spend time instead of working.
So next year, I need to work more on that.
Basically, some aspects of the production that I liked were recording because you got
to see the interactions happen live and not just some filtered versions.
And the least exciting parts that I had to do was I guess writing some of the headlines
because some of them were really, really hard to write because the topics weren't really
that interesting.
So I had to make it sound a bit a lot more impactful.
Yeah, I agree.
I think there are a lot of exciting parts about doing this type of a project with a
good team that kind of gels together.
But because we had a smaller team this year, yes, we were under the time schedule, right?
We all had to wear different hats, do different things, and add things to our plates that
we normally would not have if there would have been one or two more students involved.
And just for the listeners to know, we spend only about three and a half hours together
per week.
And so for a small team like this to produce 32 episodes in two semesters, if you break
that down to only then spending three and a half hours together per week, they have
to get a lot done in every hour and every minute that we're together.
So I'm super proud of them for working hard and gelling well together and always coming
to class and just getting their heads down and doing the work.
Okay, we got to move on to our next question here.
I get excited about all those things as well, so thanks for sharing your ups and some of
the things that weren't so fun.
But up next, let's share a challenge you personally faced within your role in the podcast and
maybe how you overcame it.
So Primi, go ahead and start us off.
I think challenges or I think one challenge that immediately stood out to me in my role
as the writer or editor is that I feel like with, like we've said before, the nature of
the time that we have here in the podcast, you have to be very on top of things or on
top of things when it comes to writing.
For instance, you might be recording the script or for this episode, but then you should already
be working on the script for the next episode.
And I think as I reflect, as the season has come almost to an end now, I'm reflecting
that I should make a schedule for that so that I can be or I can stay on top of things
more so that the script is already been worked on for the next episode.
So I think the first step in that challenge is acknowledging that and I definitely see
that.
So next year with me and Rebecca on the podcast for season three, we're hoping or I'm hoping
to definitely make a schedule for myself and as more team members come in also to share
that schedule with them and to also show and be involved in starting the new document and
starting the next script so that we're more prepared and more ready for each episode.
So for me, I would say the biggest challenge that I face as a graphic designer in this
team is just making the text that the text box and banner.
It is so frustrating sometimes because I have to constantly adjust the text so that it aligns
with the other text below, but then additionally having to sometimes delete the words because
they're too long or they fit the space really awkwardly.
And on top of that, having to find the right emojis and like graphics to also make the
graphic pop out and also trying to figure out the color scheme of the graphics because
we're only limited to about like white, blue and yellow.
So I think that and red kind of.
So that is pretty challenging and I think something else that was also kind of challenging
was probably just like coming up with ideas for what to post on Instagram stories.
We made it a thing that we would post the Instagram story each class and so sometimes
we run out of ideas and so we just post our whole group like working on something and
I think that was kind of challenging in times.
I think the biggest way that I overcame this was probably for both of these challenges,
just asking ideas and advice from my classmates and Mr. Jason.
I think Mr. Jason definitely helped me so much with the graphics and like tweaking the
words and I think just asking my classmates like, what should we do for today's Instagram
story?
Can't really think of one.
So I think just communicating with my podcast team.
And you know, I just thought of something when you were saying that sometimes there'll
be times that you have the graphic ready and made for the episode but something comes up
that we have.
Yeah, we changed the title.
Yeah, we changed the title or like we have to come up with a completely new idea and
then you have to like scratch that graphic and make a whole another one even though that
one fit.
So like yeah, that's one thing too.
I feel like one of the things that we have to do constantly is or like we have to have
is flexibility.
That's true.
Because in like we are a real or we're working or running an actual podcast with like actual
and real life changes, right?
So like we have to like be flexible and change things like we might have to we might have
written a script completely but we might have to change it.
So yeah, and that goes for graphic design too, which is the added challenge.
Yeah.
For me, the biggest problem that I met as a co-host is to be punctual and be on time
in the beginning of the school year.
I can still vividly recall I missed the second episode after school because simply I just
forgot and got tired.
So I went home directly because I didn't set reminder or fit it on my schedule.
So to overcome this kind of challenges, I started setting reminders on my phone for
the recording dates and time.
And also I bought a physical calendar for the first time and write down all the days
that I need to come for recording.
So it helped me, it shaped me to be a person who is like more punctual and be more like
just diligent on the things like small things.
As a co-editor, for me is to like know the content really well and to know what's going
on in the stories so I can write good recap.
So that's what I also need to work on is to be more familiar with the interview information
and the content of the story.
I had to cancel a lot of after school tutoring because of the podcast recordings.
So basically that was one of the challenges that I faced with the recording process, but
I guess I made do with it.
I just rescheduled all the, you know, all the, all the appointments.
So it wasn't that bad, but it just kind of messed up my schedule a bit.
Well, thank you so much for all those answers.
And yeah, I would agree.
There's a lot of challenges, especially as you're doing something new that you've never
done before.
Sometimes the small details will trip you up, right?
Like scheduling, flexibility, you're gonna have to change something right to last minute.
But you guys have learned and you've done it and this is proof of it since this is our
last episode for season two, right?
So anyways, good job.
It truly shows how the span of a year you all were able to take away so many valuable
lessons.
All right.
Our next question is a good one.
If you had a chance to start this season over, what would you have chosen to do differently?
Primi go ahead and start us off again.
Well, that is a good question and a hard one too.
Let me, if I had the chance to start this season over, honestly, yeah, what would I
do differently?
If anyone has an answer first, go ahead.
I need some time.
You need some time.
I agree.
This question is so deep.
I think I have one in mind.
If I were to do something differently as part of a graphic design role, I think I would
probably be more intentional and plan out the content that is shown on Instagram stories
and also reels.
I think something I would do differently is probably also schedule like which days to
post reels as well.
Cause I realized that whenever we post reels, it does reach a wider range of viewers.
And I think that definitely would do better in outreaching other people to view our podcasts.
So I think aside from just making graphics, making reels as well that are more interactive
probably, and stories that are also more interactive with the viewers, I think that's something
that I would focus on if the season were to start over again.
Oh, I love that answer.
Okay, that gave me inspiration.
Inspiration.
Yeah.
Okay, I love this question because Rebecca and I will get the chance to start over another
season.
We'll be with you, Tanya and Yan Hao.
If I were to start the season over, I think I would be more organized as I talked about
in the question before about how I would stay more on top of the scripts or the writing
things that have to be done and written and ready for the next episode.
I think I would definitely do that.
And I think I would ask for us to spend more time looking at analytics and insights and
also work on things earlier.
Or now that I'm thinking of it, maybe I would have asked for us to have done a semester
one or one semester long reflection.
And that way when we do change some things up, we could do it in the later half of the
season.
But yeah, look at that.
We're setting the path for reflection, guys.
I love reflecting things.
But yeah, that's what I would do differently.
And that's what I'll get a chance to do differently in the next season.
For me, the things that I want to do differently is stop committing to too much things because
it took so much amount of my time and responsibilities, which made me not be able to focus on several
things and also do good on these.
So I just ended up feeling overwhelmed in my first semester, especially the first quarter
of the first semester.
So I'm not being able to fully prioritize any of my things.
And I just changed a little bit of my life in the second semester.
So I'm able to commit to recording better.
And then I can prioritize my recording time over other small things.
That's what I need to learn next year too.
Just prioritize my time efficiently and stop saying yes to too many things.
I would likely have taken on more responsibilities because we had five people at the start and
we had an okay distribution of workload.
But once we got to four, the workload started to become a bit more, you know, it started
to get more heavier on some people.
And I still had the same things to deal with.
So I didn't think that was really fair.
So if I had this chance to restart it, I would have probably taken on more responsibilities
so the rest of my group didn't really have to do as much as they had to do and sacrifice
as much time as they did.
Those are great reflection pieces and also just things to think that what we can do with
the podcast moving forward, things that we can kind of be more intentional about.
Like we've talked about, it's a team effort, right?
So even though I'm, you know, the host that goes from season to season, it's still the
season two, season one, season three, whatever team we have coming in here has to support
and make it even better as we move on from year to year.
So those are great things to think about, especially as we go into season three next
year.
As a whole, looking at the big picture now, what do you think we can improve and make
progress on?
What do you think, Premi?
Okay, I think as we listen to our answers and honestly, I feel like every once in a
while when we do have class, a lot of the times we just sit and talk about what we can
do, what we can do differently or the focuses that we have.
We had, I think a long, or a while back, we had like this question of who our intended
audience should be, what should our intended topics for the podcast should be, which audiences
are we reaching out to, et cetera, et cetera.
Yeah, I think a lot of times this was one of our main, I would say pillars, right?
Because we learned in marketing class, you need to know, you need to figure these things
out before you do it.
Yeah, so I think moving forward, I feel like if we can consider that and we can make clear
that though it is a hard decision to make or I don't know, I feel like it is something
that would, when we make sure or once we agree on it or once we figure out what's best for
us, I think it really dictates a lot of the season, a lot of the episodes and a lot of
the way production is crafted or will be crafted.
So I think that's definitely one thing we can all think about.
And also the other thing is I think as everyone has mentioned in here, time crunches, like
how we have little people and therefore at less time.
So I think with more people, team members coming in, I feel like we can definitely divide
up more roles and as you say, like wear one hat and not three different hats.
And so in that way we can focus more on doing the best individual roles.
And also I'm hoping that for next season, once we get the production out of the way
or we make it like a routine or like, or we're organized about it, we have the scheduling
so that everything runs smoothly and we're not having to work tight to tight schedules
or Mr. Jason doesn't have to edit Wednesday night.
So I think once we figure that out, we can focus on like larger picture things, larger
pictures, things like the marketing aspects of it.
How do we get more people to listen to it?
How do we get more interactions or how do we get more guests to come up on?
So I think once we figure that out, become more organized and intentional about scheduling
and how we get the routinely, the routinely production out of the way, I think that's
something that we can focus on too and I'm excited about that.
Yeah, I totally, totally, totally, totally agree with what you're saying.
Like I was going to definitely say like, I think we could definitely improve on like
more like the outreaching, like marketing aspect because we did start off with a pretty
small crew so we didn't really have enough time to focus on that.
I think definitely next year there will be more people so I think it would definitely
be nice to have even like a technology group too, like what primary says so that Mr. Jason
doesn't have to stay up late to like edit the podcast episodes and yeah, I think yeah,
just marketing and like maybe having reels or like having something interactive with
the viewers.
For me, I think we can improve on being more creative in the marketing part of the podcast
team.
For example, like we can improve on promoting in school first.
Probably we can do a podcast showcase in the ARC or in the PAC to like hook more people
and like make more people interested in podcasts because sometimes people are just focused
in their academic part of their life and they might like ignore podcasts or other fun things
in life.
So we can like maybe cooperate with the school to make chances for podcast team to be seen
in the public view.
For the podcast as a whole, I think that we could probably incorporate more of the student
body sometimes because when we're out of like a guest or ideas, it becomes internal and
I think for those, we might be able to drag in some other parts of the ICS community instead
of like just making it about like just having the podcast team do a topic.
I think it will be more insightful and I guess more broad and open if we were to like invite
people in ICS community that were more knowledgeable about this topic that we are doing.
Like it doesn't have to be staff.
It can be students who are like majoring in a specific field or have done events related
to that.
Thank you so much for those answers and all really good advice for next year and two of
you will be back so you can help me implement some of those, right?
Okay, so here's another one for you.
What are some lessons you took away from being a part of the podcast team this year and for
being a part of something so hands on?
I love this.
Okay, I think one of the biggest things I learned was I got a taste of what it's like
to be working in like the professional world or like in a more professional setting.
Like we're dealing with professionals from each industry, like experts from each industry.
They're coming in to interview and I'm learning like there are ways or ways that you can interact
with them, talk with them, or maybe like when we're emailing, communicating with the higher
ups in our school, like the principals or the heads of schools when we're trying to
communicate or get something done with a podcast.
I'm learning that there's ways that you should communicate or there's like there's ways for
you to act or speak and behave in the professional world and also learning to work with all of
us.
Like we're best friends and we're also coworkers at the same time, right?
And Mr. Jason is our teacher and our host.
And so I'm learning that there's like different roles that we play and different, yeah, just
like a working environment.
And I love that.
I love that we're able to experience this in a safe environment in our school versus
like later on in like the working world.
We're here if we're able to make mistakes, we can rebound from that.
We can learn from that.
And that's a such and it's like we have a safety net.
So I think that's what I love.
And that's honestly, I think what some of the biggest lessons I learned, the ways we
have to communicate, interact as a team, the way our team has to interact with our school,
the way our team has to interact with professionals and each expert and how everything just comes
in together and everything just comes in and play.
And honestly, I just love it because I've learned so much from being in a more professional
setting and I love that I was able to experience and learn that make mistakes and take away
lessons here rather than later on.
Yeah, totally.
I would definitely say that the biggest lesson I took away from being part of this podcast
team is teamwork is so important as well as being flexible and being able to improvise
because I don't know, like I would definitely say oftentimes we have to come after school
to record and stuff like that.
But we all also have our own schedules, so it's so important to have teamwork and communicate
well and speaking to each other like what events we have and also being flexible to
just like pop in and fill in for another person if they have something like urgent.
And I think something else I learned is the importance of improvising because oftentimes
I would say in interviews being sometimes a co-host, I definitely struggle to like transition
from what like our guests say and I think being able to improvise definitely does also
contribute to making the podcast much better.
And yeah, I think that's definitely the huge takeaway I have.
Since talking is always my favorite thing to do in life, podcast, being a podcast team
is a great way to fulfill my desire to talk.
So along the way I learned how to talk professionally instead of just talking on a casual base.
I learned how to interact with people around me and in a working environment because I
don't have the chance of working with a group like this outside of school.
So I learned how working life might look like and because before I'm interested in just
like being on stage and just talking with my audience and like podcast gave me a taste
of how that might look like in the future.
So I like after joining this, I know like whether I'll pursue this job in the future
or not and then I feel like I really enjoy time with people and just like learning from
others.
So it's a great way to try like to see what your future major might be.
So it's a great way to like yeah to learn podcast.
So having like an actual interaction with marketing like through a podcast and also
learning about the marketing theory, like the concepts in class alongside it, it kind
of like combined, you know, combine the two.
Like you learn about something and then in the podcast you learn how it looks like basically.
So that was really a good example of how marketing worked to me because for me, I like to be
like, I like hands on like learning like in physics, you know, you do those labs and those
really help you a lot for me.
So that's the that's kind of like the same thing I felt towards marketing.
Yeah, I love all those answers.
So thank you for that.
And you know, I've seen such growth in you guys as well, especially the first time when
you have to come into the studio and put a microphone in front of your face and try to
talk right.
It's a little intimidating.
You see the computer with this recording stuff happening in the background and you're like,
oh, what if I mess up?
Can we edit that?
What if I stumble or stutter?
But yeah, I mean, there's so much growth that happens by just going and doing it and practicing
it over and over and over.
And you become more confident, right?
You become more confident and you come in and instead of something that took 30 minutes
before now it takes five minutes or less.
And finally, our for our iconic last question for every episode, guys, it's our trademark
last question, right?
If you had to give some advice to season three's team, what would it be?
Permi, go ahead and start first.
So Jason, you're so right.
It is our trademark last question.
If I were to give some advice to season three, I would say to keep an open mind and to have
fun.
I think that's so important because I feel like when I remember when I first come in
here, there's so many new things you learn or you have to learn or you will want to learn
and there's so many different aspects of it.
So I think one thing that would definitely encourage is curiosity and to just have an
open mind as you open or you're exposed to new experiences and make the most of them,
like make the most like come in and come on in and listen to interviews and see how that
works or come in backstage, help out Yen Ha, Mr. Jason as they figure out the audio, how
does that work?
Or come out Chanyeol with the graphic design, right?
Rebecca with making or writing different segments.
If you're able to have an open mind as you come into this year or as soon you come into
the season, I feel like you're going to take away so, so many lessons, so many important
lessons and I think in having an open mind that just encourages you to make the most
out of that.
And also finally, very importantly for you to have fun because I think honestly, joining
the podcast is one of the best decisions I made all year and I just love that.
It's like a community, we're a family, like we come out, we come into the podcast as four
individuals and then we go out as a family.
I think having fun along the way through the struggles, through the challenges is definitely
very meaningful, very fun and so I just encourage you to take up all of that and yeah, just
have fun and be happy, have fun while it lasts because yes sir, be happy, have fun while
it lasts because it will be quicker than you know.
Just like Rebecca says in her quote of the day, what's your quote of the day?
How lucky am I to have something I forgot.
It's okay.
We get that.
Yeah we do.
But it's from Winnie the Pooh.
And honestly, I'll be surreal with you guys, the best part of the podcast is the behind
the scenes.
Yes.
The best conversations happen after we finish recording and then everything goes off and
then we have so much fun.
So you want that?
You want to see how that's like?
Come and join the podcast team.
Okay, let's go, let's go.
You ready?
Okay.
Fred, you ready?
Okay, Fred, vice, I would definitely say, I think I've said this many times, but communicate
with your team.
Yes.
If you don't know something, if you're frustrated, stressed, don't carry the burden all to yourself.
Like tell your teammates, like they're there to listen to you.
They're there to help you.
Mr. Jason is there to help guide you as well.
And I would definitely say like, this is not a really easy task being part of the podcast
team.
So it's so important to always come to class with a happy mind and also just encourage
people.
Like I think being open minded, like Premi said, and just encouraging your teammates
and anything you do, I think that's definitely the most important thing.
Yes.
Yes, I love that.
You know guys, one day Tanya came in and then she had four post-its for all of us.
Yeah.
And then they were so cute.
They were cartoon, like they were like cartoon characters and like, you got this, like don't
give up.
It was so cute.
So see that real application of how she encourages all of us.
Okay.
Now I remember the quote from the Winnie the Pooh.
How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.
I love surrounded by people that I love and people that loves me.
To next year's members, my suggestion is just to embrace your authentic self as we value
your individuality and the distinct perspective you bring and be open to collaboration and
remember that we are a supportive team that operates like a family.
Yeah, all the way.
I agree.
We preach that.
Let's go.
We're good.
I would say for next season's team, you guys should probably pair up and like make sure
each other, each the other person is doing their work.
And if they aren't, you could remind them or if they can't do it for some other reason,
you could fill in.
So because next year's team, there are a lot more people than we had.
So I think that the workload should be a lot more distributed between these people.
And someone doesn't have to worry about one part because if that one person's gone, other
people have to fill in for them.
And it really kind of like work messes up the workload for everybody else.
Oh yeah, you guys should value each other more because this year, our small little group,
we definitely got a lot closer together because of like how much we work together and stuff.
So I think that with the podcast team being a lot bigger next year, it might be harder
to like become a lot closer to each other.
But like you guys should still focus on like believe that team chemistry if you want it
to be successful.
And that concludes our first segment.
Thank you so much podcast season two team.
It's been my honor and joy to have spent this year with you and you never know.
You may show up on some random episode in the future.
OK, we'll be right back with our second segment and part 10 of our story, The Secrets of El
Dorado, the finale, right after this short announcement.
Mr. Jason here.
This episode marks the final chapter or part in our ongoing saga titled The Secrets of
El Dorado.
We began part one in episode 55, which was released March 14th in case you want to go
back and listen to our adventure story starting at the beginning.
Each part of the story was published during the second segments of each of our past 10
episodes.
You may be asking, well, what's next?
While season three of the podcast will launch in August 2024, we'll be joined by a brand
new production team with all new content.
Also be checking out our website for additional content at studentsincorporated.com.
And finally, what will happen with our heroes and characters from our story?
And will the story continue?
Well, you need to continue listening as season three starts in just a few months.
OK, now let's get back to our heroes.
We are back for our second segment and we will continue with part 10, our final chapter
to our story, The Secrets of El Dorado.
Part 10 is titled The Showdown and Reveal.
But first, here's a quick recap from our last episode.
In the last episode, Lily, Sarah, Ethan, Ava, and the professor try to piece together all
the information and details, old and new, from chen sweater, gold bars, news articles,
to an important ledger in hopes of unraveling more of the mystery.
We end our last episode with many important phone calls.
The FBI, the Bee's editor, Professor Hawthorne's wife, and as the professor walks into a clinic
lights have his wounds checked, a shadow that lingers a distance away, watching, watching,
and watching.
Thank you, Premi.
And without further ado, let's get back into our story where we join Ava, Lily, Sarah,
Ethan, and the professor.
Sarah, Ava, Lily are patiently waiting in Ethan's small office in the back of the cafe
as Ethan helps his staff close up the kitchen, bar, and seating area.
The cafe, along with most of the businesses on Main Street, are closing early.
The annual Gold Rush Festival Parade brings a ton of people to the downtown area.
In fact, there are a lot of people already stinging out their turf by setting up their
lawn chair mats along the parade route to hopefully get a front row seat at the parade
and all its participants walk and drive past.
Sarah turns and looks at Ethan, says, I forgot the parade was tonight.
Oh man, there's going to be so many people down and around here tonight.
Ava responds, well, for now, we're just going to hang out until Agent Carson shows up.
But if for some reason we have to leave the cafe, we could blend in with the crowds pretty
easily if we had to.
Lily then asks, so what do we do when Agent Carson arrives?
Ava, I think you should do the talking first if Professor Hawthorne isn't back yet.
I mean, you have experience with this type of thing, right?
Ava laughs slightly and then responds, experience with the FBI?
No, experience with trying to piece together a story and communicate the facts.
Yeah, Lily, thanks for your confidence in me.
I've only been at this job for a little over a year now.
I do have to say though, I learned more in my first six months in this job than I did
in all four years at university.
Just follow my lead if Hawthorne isn't back by the time Agent Carson shows up.
Ethan pops his head into the office and says, I'm busy helping close the cafe, so I'll
be up front and in the kitchen if you need me for anything.
No sooner did Ethan leave the office area when all three of the girls heard three distinct
knocks on the back door.
Sierra particularly heard it the clearest as she was sitting closest to the entry of
the office, which is only several feet away from the back door of the cafe.
Sierra turns and says, that must be Professor Hawthorne, wow, that was fast.
Sierra gets up from her chair and goes to the back door and opens it and freezes.
Ava is still sitting in the office and observing Sierra as Ava has direct line of sight to
the back door.
Sierra is standing right in her view but notices that Sierra is just standing there staring
and not moving.
Ava gets up from her chair and says, Sierra, what's going on?
Is that Professor Hawthorne?
By this time, Lydia was now paying attention to and looking forward the back door where
Sierra was standing very still.
Sierra stood there with a very surprised and confused look on her face.
There stood a man who looked similar to Chen just standing there looking back at her.
In the split seconds it took for her to open the back door, the following thoughts went
through her head.
Is this Chen?
I mean, I only seen him in the cafe a few times, but this person looks similar to him.
But something's different, is it his eyes?
His nose?
Pardon speaks, your secret knock is not really a secret anymore.
But don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you.
I need to come in off the streets if possible and I have some information you're definitely
going to want to hear.
By this time, Ava was standing right behind Sierra and was looking over her shoulder directly
at the stranger who was looking back at both of them.
Ava then says, tell us who you are, what you know, and maybe, just maybe we'll let you
in.
I mean, I'm in as much trouble as you are, but we have some mutual enemies and I need
to not be seen in public right now and I've got nowhere to go and besides, it wasn't too
difficult for me to figure out where you were hiding out.
Paul continues, now let me in before we are all seen here in the alley.
Paul notices that the other girl is moving from their door blocking positions so he then
says okay to prove my point.
Let me guess, someone named Lily is also here with you and you're still looking for someone
named Chen.
Lily's ear perked up and in a split second she was over at the door with the other two
girls looking at this stranger who seems to know who she is and who Chen is.
Lily blurs out, you know Chen?
Paul responds, you must be Lily, and yes, I know Chen, he's actually my younger brother.
My name is Paul, by the way, and I live and work here in San Jose.
All three girls' faces looked shocked and confused.
None of them had known Chen had an older brother, but none of them had really known Chen well.
Anyway, the girls moved out of the doorway and let Paul in the back door and then closed
the door behind him.
At this point, Ethan had just found a corner from the kitchen and was standing in the small
hallway as well.
Ethan, surprised by finding a new stranger in the back of his cafe, says, uh, what's
going on here and who is this?
Ava responds first, Ethan, this is Chen's brother Paul.
He's from San Jose.
From the next 15 to 20 minutes, Ava and the others listen to Paul tell him about the situation
that Chen had gotten mixed up in.
Ava sits and takes notes as she and the others listen intently to Paul as he explains how
his family back in China has a century and a half old peace agreement with certain prominent
families in the United States.
The peace agreement between the wealthy and influential family in China and the two wealthy
and influential families in the United States was established after two families from Virginia
had come to California and had stolen a long kept secret Paul and Chen's ancestors had
been keeping.
Lily, who is a surprised look on her face, interrupts and says, so you're telling me
you are part of the Lei family clan in China?
Paul responds, yes, that's correct.
Wow, I'm from mainland China and everybody knows about your family.
Impressive, Lily says.
Please go on, Ava says.
Ava continues to take notes as she listens to what happened back in history, events that
occurred, the tragedies, the crimes and corruption that both Paul and Chen's family and the
American families have committed in order to keep their secrets secret.
When it comes down to it, two American families had stolen the gold making formula from the
two Chinese brothers during the height of the gold rush in 1850 and covered up all their
crimes by bribing and paying people off to look the other way.
These two American families and their ancestors have used the formula throughout history to
make gold and buy influence among some of the most prominent political and military
leaders in the United States.
He also explained that his family and his ancestors back in China have done the same.
Sierra then asks, so you are saying that both your family and the two American families
have kept this secret for more than a century, but they have also used this formula to make
gold, enrich themselves and buy off people in order to keep this secret a secret?
Yep, that's the gist of it, Paul answers and then adds.
However, my family and my ancestors have kept this secret for over a thousand years.
You see, one of two brothers, my ancestors, came to America looking for work back during
the gold rush.
Well, yes, they were looking for work, but they were also looking for that one element
in the formula they needed in order for it to work.
That element was quite rare in China, so they were sent here to find it.
And when the word came that there was some gold found here in this place back in 1849,
they came here in search of the rocky element that usually is found in the same places as
gold.
I can't explain why, but all I know is that the two brothers found that element on Rob's
Peak, tried the formula with a clump of lead and the formula worked for them.
The two American families found out that the two brothers had discovered, stole the formula
and then exterminated the workers' camps and everyone that knew about it.
And I suppose you found the evidence by the looks of stuff sitting on that desk.
So taking notes and without hesitation, Eva looks up and says, please go on, this sounds
so crazy that it may just be true.
It's true.
Shen and I are not like the rest of my family.
We are different and we don't want to keep trying to cover up this secret.
Well, this formula either needs to be destroyed so no one has it or it should be shared with
the world, power responds and continues.
We do not want anyone to get hurt because of this thing anymore.
Too many people already have and it's time it stops.
Intrigued by the entire conversation and especially the technology and science behind such a formula,
Eva then says, if this formula was released to the public, gold markets would crash and
gold would become virtually worthless.
Its value would tank and potentially be worthless in copper, power responds.
Theoretically, yes, that could happen if this formula was published and released to the
public.
Sierra then asks, so was the gold rush real?
Did people actually find gold or did they just make it using this formula?
Paul answers and says, did people come here looking for gold and did they find gold?
Yes.
But was that gold actually from the earth?
Was it natural gold?
Was it here before they arrived?
No, at least the vast majority of it.
Paul continues, some of the small amounts that were discovered in the early 1849 were
real, but the majority of the other gold found here was actually by-product of the formula
being used.
You see, the formula needs extreme heat to convert larger amounts of another base metal
to a larger amount of gold.
If you lack that extreme heat, then the formula will only produce small flecks and specks
of gold.
So my guess is that those small flecks and specks of gold washed up in the river and
other places where they were trying to use that formula.
Lady asks, so a pottery kiln could potentially provide the extreme heat needed for the formula
to work?
Probably, Paul answers.
Sierra then adds, so my pottery friends could potentially become gold dealers and break
the stereotype of starving artists?
Sierra pauses for a minute and then says, that's pretty cool.
At the moment, there were three more knocks on the back cafe door.
Ava jumped up from her seat and walked to the back door and said, I bet that's Professor
Hawthorne.
Man, is he going to be surprised when he gets in here?
Professor Hawthorne moves out of the way as the back door swings open into the alley and
sees Ava standing there with a grin on her face.
He asks, why so happy?
Did something happen when I was gone?
Professor Hawthorne says this as he watches his wife drive off down the street.
He instructed her to go to her friend's house for the evening as precaution.
Ava responds, well, you'll find out for yourself when you get in here.
Ava walks back into Ethan's office, which is pretty much a standing room only right
now since there are so many of them hiding out here.
She watches as the professor enters the office and then sees Paul, the stranger they knew
nothing about just 30 minutes ago, standing there conversing with the others like they
were best friends.
Hawthorne stops for a moment as he enters the small office and says, wait, wait, wait
a minute.
You've got to be related to Chen or something.
You look just like him, but maybe a little older.
Paul replies, you're correct, but I'm his older brother by almost five years.
Paul then hesitates for a moment and looks around the room at everyone and says, I overheard
a couple of you talking about your incident at the reservoir a moment ago.
Well, I was one of the persons in that meeting and just to be clear, even though I was in
that meeting doesn't mean I agree with the people who were there.
I was just representing myself and my brother's best interest.
That's all.
I don't think he nor I have anything to do with what the other people in that meeting
may or may not do.
I had no idea that they had kidnapped Lily earlier that day.
Paul continues, have you ever heard that saying, keep your friends close and your enemies even
closer?
Well, that was what I was doing.
Chen and I want nothing to do with what those people are doing or planning.
However, and unfortunately, Chen tipped our hand by playing around with that formula last
week in the lab when Professor Sharp-Town was there.
That then started a domino effect of events to what brings us here now.
Sierra then adds, oh, that makes sense now.
We were wondering who that fifth person was in the room.
It was kind of dark and blurry and we couldn't see who you were clearly.
Lily then asks, if Chen is hiding and hasn't been taken, then why did I find Chen's sweatshirt
in one of the rooms in the tunnel where I was being held?
Paul replies, I took him there to hide for a day and then moved him to a safer place
once.
I knew we could move without being detected.
Several of those in that meeting, the other night I assumed one of the other members had
kidnapped Chen, but in reality, none of them knew the truth.
Professor Hawthorne adds, well, that is good to know.
We are no longer dealing with a missing person then.
This should make it easier for the FBI to move quickly and decisively when they get
here.
We hadn't really thought about what he had just said in front of Paul but then suddenly
realized it when he saw Paul's expression.
Oh, Paul, looks like no one has told you yet, but the FBI will be here any minute.
So this is good timing that you have found us.
I assume you won't run before they get here.
The professor says as he looks directly at Paul and the back door of the cafe which is
closed and locked.
No, I'm not going to run.
I've already thought through my options and I want to strike a deal, if possible.
What kind of deal?
The professor asks Paul, point blank as if to demand an immediate answer.
You do realize you may be implicated in crimes if the others involved give their statements
to the FBI?
At that moment, Ava's phone rings.
She looks down and notices that the caller ID says, unknown caller.
She pauses a minute before answering.
Hello, this is Ava Turner with the Sacramento Bee.
Oh, hello Agent Carson.
Yep, we're all here together and are waiting at Ethan's Cafe on Main Street.
No, Professor Hawthorne is with us as well.
No, I think he was having problems with his phone.
Yeah, I don't plan on publishing anything yet.
However, my editor and another reporter will be here tomorrow morning and I guess you're
not going to want to sit on the story for more than a day.
Okay.
We can let you in the front door when you arrive.
Ava says this last part as she looks at Ethan and nods her head as if to say to Ethan, right
Ethan, we can let them in the front door.
Ava then hangs up the call and says to the others in the room, Agent Carson and Special
Agent Williamson are parking right now and will be coming in to the front door.
Hope that's okay, Ethan.
As Ava says this, she catches eyes with Cira and they both look at the gold bar still sitting
on the shelf in the office.
They both know what each other's thinking.
Ethan responds, yeah, no problem.
I'll go up front and wait for them to arrive.
The shop is closed now anyways, well, except for the people outside on the street sitting
and waiting for the parade to start.
It couldn't have been five minutes as Professor Hawthorne watches from the back hallway by
Ethan's office as Ethan opens the front cafe door and greets the three FBI agents.
The agents identify themselves, show their badges, and then enter the cafe.
Hawthorne watches as Ethan then locks the front door and walks the agents back toward
where he is standing.
Professor Hawthorne extends his hand and says, hello, my name is James Hawthorne.
Agent Carson spoke with me earlier today.
Agent Carson shakes Hawthorne's hand and then introduces his superior special agent
in charge, Derek Williamson and their forensic officer, Ruby Neal, and then says, so is everyone
in here?
Yes, they are right back here in the office.
Hawthorne responds as he walks them back to the office and then introduces the agents
to the others who were standing and sitting in the small cramped office.
Agent Carson then says, all the evidence you said you have is sitting in here by the looks
of it.
Agent Carson continues, special agent Williamson has asked me to take the lead on this investigation.
So if you don't mind, I like for all of us to go in front of the seating area of the
cafe so Ruby can start analyzing and logging the evidence in this room.
She's also going to have to fingerprint all of you since it appears you have touched and
handled most of these pieces.
We need to do this so we can rule you out of the suspects.
Then if she finds any other fingerprints on the pieces that don't belong to any of you,
well that will give us cause to follow up with that person or persons.
That is if we have the fingerprints in our system already.
The professor leads the way as they all, one by one, first Professor Hawthorne, then Ciara,
then Lily, then Paul, and then Ava make their way to the front of the cafe area and sit
down at some of the empty tables and chairs.
Ethan hangs back for a bit to make sure Ruby, the forensics officer, has what she needs
and as she begins looking over the documents and other materials in the office.
She had brought two black medium sized suitcases in the cafe with her, assuming this is how
she would collect, pack, and then carry out the evidence.
Ethan feels a little put out and frustrated when Ruby tells him he's not allowed back
into his office until she says so.
He watches as she puts up yellow tape across the doorway.
She does this not to block anyone from actually going back into the office, but rather it's
more of a subliminal message to everyone that says, stay out.
From outside the office door, Ethan watches as Ruby starts rummaging through everything,
even some of his personal items on and in his desk, moving and displacing things.
He takes a deep breath, rolls his eyes, and then says, oh well, that figures.
Ethan turns around and walks up front and sits down with the others in the cafe.
Agent Carson, along with Special Agent Williamson, listen and take notes as they record voluntary
testimony from everyone there.
A guy named Paul goes last and offers to turn state evidence in exchange for witness protection
for both him and his brother, who he says is hiding out of fear for his life.
After getting everyone's testimony, Agent Carson says to Paul, you'll be taken into
custody for your own safety and if what you tell us checks out and you offer your unwavering
help along the way in this investigation, then yes, there is a possibility to get a
deal like this.
Agent Carson gets up from his chair and then says, I need to check in with Ruby and then
make a phone call.
Hang tight for about 10 minutes.
Agent Carson then walks back to the office to talk to Ruby as Special Agent Williamson
stays with everyone else.
As they wait for Agent Carson, Sierra and Lily peer through the front window of the
cafe out toward the street and all the people who have now lined up on both sidewalks were
waiting for the parade to come marching, dancing and riding down Main Street in front of the
cafe.
They all can hear the faint sounds of what sounds like one or two marching bands from
a few blocks away.
Sierra then looks at the others and says, the parade has started.
Can you hear that?
She watches as the other look toward the front door and windows from inside the cafe.
They all sit there in awkward silence for a few minutes, not really knowing what to
say.
A few minutes later, Agent Carson emerges from the back of the cafe having already made
his phone call and having talked with Ruby, he then says to the group, alright, I have
good news.
The judge has authorized a search warrant based on this evidence and your testimony.
And with this back of the DA, we have issued two arrest warrants at this time.
It's still early so don't be frustrated.
We will probably be issuing more arrest warrants in the coming days.
If this all turns out to be true.
Ava's been unusually quiet for some time but finally speaks and asks, Agent Carson,
we're happy to work with you and the FBI, but I know that the beat is not going to sit
in on this story for too long.
This is way too big and the public is going to want to know about this.
Well, at least most of it.
Ava says this because right before the feds showed up, the six of them who were in the
office together, Professor Hawthorne, Ava, Lily, Sarah, Eson, and Paul had all made an
agreement or pact that they would not voluntarily offer up the formula in its current form.
In fact, if the FBI asked them about it, they would say that the formula that Lily had tried
in the lab was not correct and it didn't work anyway.
It's all true.
The formula didn't work for Lily in the lab.
This is one of the secrets of El Dorado County that can't and shouldn't be released to the
public.
History has proven it offers more harm than good.
Agent Carson continues, Special Agent Williamson and I are prepared to make two arrests this
evening.
We have two more FBI agents en route and they will be here in about 10 to 15 minutes.
I'm going to need you all to put your phones on this table in front of Special Agent Williamson
while you wait.
We do this as a precaution.
Then Agent Carson looks at Professor Hawthorne and says, Professor, I'm going to need your
help this evening.
The professor listens as Agent Carson proposes a plan to lure Bill Sharpton out in the open
in order for Carson and Williamson to make the arrest without incident.
Hawthorne is quiet as he contemplates the plan as strategy Carson has described.
After a minute or so Hawthorne says, Okay, just to be clear and to make sure I heard
you right.
You'd like for me to call Bill and ask him to meet me somewhere, somewhere that would
not cause suspicion.
You want me to tell him that I found out some things about him that I don't think are true
and as a friend and long time work colleague that we'll need to work it out amongst ourselves
so that both parties can benefit from the agreement.
Then when he shows up to meet me, you'll arrest him there on the spot.
No questions asked.
Agent Carson responds, Yep, that's correct.
We'll need you to go there and wait until he shows up.
Of course, we'll be there as soon as he shows himself.
After talking over several different meeting locations with Agent Carson, Professor Hawthorne
calls Bill Sharpton from his phone which was still acting weird because of the water damage
from earlier.
Hawthorne listens to it ring several times and then hears Sharpton answer.
Hawthorne says, Bill, this is James.
We need to talk but not over the phone.
There are some things we need to iron out so that all parties can come out of this with
a win.
If you know what I mean.
Well, I know.
But what happened earlier today sure didn't seem like just a small misunderstanding.
Scratches on my face and stitches in my side would seem to tell a different story.
Yes, I want that too.
I think we can come to an agreement then.
Meet me at 8pm near where they shoot off the end of the evening fireworks.
You know, the South Lawn at the college.
No, it's just me.
No one else needs to get involved in this.
No, no.
That reporter from the Bee doesn't have enough for a real story.
Yeah.
Yes.
I'll be there.
8pm sharp.
You have a chance to make this right for me if you get what I mean.
Professor Hawthorne then hangs up, looks at Agent Carson and says, it's on.
8pm on the South Lawn at the college.
By this time the parade was in full swing and the noise and excitement was happening
right outside the sidewalks and street in front of the cafe.
Ava noticed Sierra and Lily, looking quite bored, sitting close to one of the front windows,
peering through the blinds and trying to get a look at the festivities and excitement that
was happening outside.
Ava looks at Sierra and says, this time last year that was us out there having fun enjoying
life with the hair in the world.
Sierra replies, I'm glad you came home again this summer for the festival.
I mean, we're going to remember this for a very long time.
Just as Sierra finished saying this, they all heard a hard knock on the front glass
window door.
Ethan gets up and notices that Special Agent Williamson is right behind him.
Ethan peers through the glass door at what looks to be two more agents standing outside
staring back at him.
He hears Williamson instruct him to open the door and let him in.
Ethan complies and then goes and sits back down.
Ethan then hears Special Agent Williamson say something to the effect that the agents
needed to use Ethan's shop as their base of operations for the evening.
After hearing this, Ethan looks over at Sierra and Ava says, well, nothing like the fest
to take over my shop.
Ethan pauses for a moment and then responds to Special Agent Williamson and says, I guess
I'm okay with that.
My morning staff arrives at 630am tomorrow morning so you'll need to be out by then.
Williamson then sighs, looks back at Ava and Sierra and says, looks like I'll be spending
the night here tonight.
Sierra replies, Ethan, I work a full shift tomorrow, don't worry.
I can help clean up and get this place ready again before tomorrow.
I can stay as late as needed.
Ava watches as now four agents, along with their laptops and a printer, are all spread
out in the cafe talking and working.
She's always wondered how the bureau operates and they seem to be quite efficient.
She notices that one of the agents is taking Paul's testimony and then sees Paul making
a written statement.
Ava assumes this is related to his involvement and also wanting immunity and witness protection
for both himself and his brother, Tent.
After some time, Professor Hawthorne noticed that it was now past 7pm and was wondering
how long Agent Carson and the other agent would need to set up the sting operation for
Bill Sharpton.
Hawthorne approaches Agent Carson who is typing on his laptop and says, we may want to leave
soon since it'll take us about 10 minutes to drive over to the college and I'm not sure
how long you guys need to get set up.
Agent Carson looks up and responds, yep, give us two more minutes.
We are coordinating a few other things at the moment and we'll be ready to go.
Two minutes turned into five minutes, but eventually the three of them, Hawthorne, Agent
Carson, and one of the other new agents, who hadn't introduced himself yet, departed out
the back cafe door into the alley and then made their way to their vehicles.
Professor Hawthorne was instructed to drive his own car to the meetup and the agents would
follow some distance behind and then look for a different parking space once they were
close to the south lawn of the college.
A few minutes after Hawthorne, Agent Carson and the other agent left for their sting operation,
Ava, Sierra, Lily, Ethan, and Paul were sitting in the cafe.
Paul, however, was not sitting close to the others and was being watched by Special Agent
Williamson.
Ava had noticed that Williamson had been on and off the phone for the latter part of the
evening.
She assumed he was trying to work out a deal for Paul and Chen in exchange for Paul's testimony
against the others from the secret group.
All of a sudden, Ava, who's sitting close to Sierra and Lily, and by the front glass
door hears loud banging from the outside of the front door.
By this time, the parade outside was starting to come to a close.
The El Dorado drumline members, who were usually at the star-ending finale show of the parade,
were just setting up on the main street to give the spectators a show.
The college's drumline consisted of around 24 members with snares, tenors, basses, and
cymbals.
They always put on a spectacular performance, especially during the annual Go Rush Festival
parade.
They were about to begin.
Upon hearing a loud banging sound on the front door of the cafe, Ethan immediately rushed
to the front door and peered through the glass to see a large man staring back at him with
a smile and holding up his Sierra's badge.
That's odd, Ethan thinks to himself as the man was not in uniform.
Ethan without hesitation opens the door and is immediately pushed aside by the large man
who takes a few steps into the cafe.
The man then informs Ethan that someone in the community called the Sierra's office
as they had noticed people had entered the cafe after it was closed and that since he
was already close to his location, he came to check it out.
At the moment, the drumline outside on Main Street begins.
There's almost simultaneous things happening at the same time.
The large man pushing his way into the cafe, the noise of the drumline outside the front
door on the street startling everyone in the cafe.
Even Special Agent Williamson and the other agent who were sitting on their laptops were
visibly startled.
Ava watches as both agents jump up to their feet and look in the direction of the large
man who is now standing there looking right back at them.
She can tell the large man recognizes these two guys were feds by the way they were dressed.
It even bursts out, that's him, that's him, that's the guy from the tunnel who was guarding
me after I was taken.
Sierra grabs Lily's arm and pulls her back toward the corner of the cafe sitting area
and then looks towards the FBI agents who are now moving towards the large man.
Sierra notices that one of the agents had grabbed a paper from the printer and was holding
it up and studying it, as if to check if the photo on the printed document matched the
man who is now standing in the cafe looking back at them.
Ava, who's close to the door, watches as both Special Agent Williamson and the other
agent start moving toward the man who is now figured out he's about to be arrested.
The large man looks down at Ava and then back at the agents coming close to him and turns
around and runs out of the cafe into the sidewalk with both agents following him.
Ava steps out onto the sidewalk as she watches both agents running after the suspect.
The large man stands out in the crowd and is also pushing and shoving spectators as
he passes them.
The sound of the drumline cancels out most of the other noises around Ava, including
the agents' calls for the suspect to stop.
Ava, still watching the foot chase, starts walking in the same direction, following the
agents who are now over a block away.
She can still see the large man's head and shoulders bopping up and down from a distance
as he is still running through the crowds on the sidewalk.
All of a sudden, she sees him disappear out of sight.
It looks like he went down, maybe falling.
Still walking, she continues in that direction as the crowd around where the large man fell
disperses.
As she approaches, she sees both agents on top of the man, one holding him down and the
other handcuffing him.
It's both men to keep him pinned down and then handcuff him.
Ava then hears a familiar voice come from her right side.
Ava, is that you?
Grandma Turner says with some excitement in her voice.
Ava is stunned to see her grandma standing there.
She's standing next to Frank and his wife.
Gran, Ava responds, are you okay?
What happened?
Well, we were just sitting here, Frank, Ethel and I, enjoying the parade and the drums when
we noticed this large guy here coming right towards us on the sidewalk, pushing and shoving
people.
Then I saw these guys chasing him and thought, they're the feds, and I bet they're chasing
a bad guy.
So we got up from our lawn chairs to get out of the way and I waited till that big guy
there?
Grandma Turner points to the large man who is now sitting there in handcuffs with both
agents standing over him and then continues.
I kicked out the chair I was sitting on right as he ran in front of me and, well, he tripped
on it and fell down.
I wasn't really thinking, I just kind of did it.
Ava shakes her head and mumbles, wow, Gran, good job.
I don't really know what to say except for thanks for being in the right place at the
right time and for deciding to come down to the parade.
I've got to go and I'll call you in a bit.
Please stay with Frank and Ethel for now.
Ava says this and then turns around and walks back in the direction of the cafe while the
agents were escorting the large man in cuffs.
Professor Hawthorne parks his Bronco in a public area close to the south lawn of the
college and notices that the fireworks teams have roped off a section of the lawn to keep
the spectators who have already started to come for the fireworks show away from where
the fireworks would be lit and shot from.
The time is close to 8 p.m. and Hawthorne knows Sharpton will not be late.
He never is.
So, the professor quickly finds Agent Carson and the other agent who have set up out of
sight of the main lawn area and asks for any last minute instructions.
Mr. Hawthorne, please put this wire under your shirt and clip it close to your chin
on your chest.
Agent Carson hands Professor Hawthorne a small microphone and wire and then shows him how
to attach it so it is hidden.
You're going to be wired so we can hear and record your conversation with Bill Sharpton.
We'll move in as soon as we get what we need.
Don't worry, you won't have to carry on much of a conversation.
As the other evidence Ruby has logged in and collected should be more than enough for our
case against him.
Agent Carson's phone rings.
He nods his head a few times and says, that's great news.
One more to go.
He hangs up and then tells Hawthorne that the other suspect is in custody and is currently
being transferred out of the county.
Alright Professor, one more to go.
Just do what we talked about and you'll be fine.
Hawthorne goes over and stands by the large sculpture that sits almost directly in the
middle of the south lawn and waits.
He looks down at his watch, almost 8pm, and then looks over in the direction of an old
maintenance building some 20 meters away where Agent Carson and his partner are stationed
and waiting.
Hawthorne hears a familiar voice behind him.
Bill Sharpton walks up from behind Hawthorne and says, good evening Jim.
Sharpton calls Professor Hawthorne by his informal name most of the time, especially
when they are not at the college or in a formal setting.
Sharpton continues as he sees Hawthorne turn around and look him squarely in the eyes and
then says, okay, let's figure this out tonight, right here and right now.
And just to be clear Jim, I'm doing you a big favor, probably because we have history
together.
And let's face it, I like you.
So with that said, name your price.
Retirement is not far off and well, I can help with that in a big way.
So how much do you want to keep quiet and to stay quiet?
Hawthorne hesitates a moment and then responds back, I also need some guarantees from you
and whoever else is involved, that the girls will be left alone, that no harm will come
to them so long as they keep silent as well.
Sharpton responds, okay, fair enough.
I can make that happen so long as they are quiet and then just move on with their lives.
So what else?
By this time in the evening, there were many people in and around the South Lawn area who
are now waiting for the fireworks display, which begins around dusk.
Hawthorne notices that the fireworks will be starting soon so he then asks, I don't
know Bill, how much is my silence worth to you?
And for me to look the other way.
Sharpton knows that Hawthorne just started the negotiations with that statement.
So Sharpton throws out a very low number to see if Hawthorne bites.
So he says, how does 250 grand sound?
Hawthorne looks at Sharpton in the face and then says, really Bill, I always knew you
to be a cheap guy.
At that moment, Professor Hawthorne sees both Agent Carson and his partner grab Sharpton
from behind, hold him and then cuff him.
As they were standing in the middle of the lawn near the large sculpture, there were
many people who noticed the commotion.
Some even started recording it with their phones.
As Bill Sharpton is being manhandled by the two FBI agents who have now started to move
him in the direction of their parked car, he looks back at Hawthorne and says, what?
Really?
Come on, Jim.
So this is how it's going to be?
And those are the last words Bill Sharpton ever spoke to James Hawthorne.
A few days later, we find Ava sitting on her own couch back in Sacramento.
It's early in the evening and she's got her feet up and just trying to relax with some
mindless TV.
She glances over toward the corner of the room and smiles at what's stacked up against
the wall and covered with her favorite blanket.
The previous few days had been so busy, from documenting and writing a series of articles
for the Bee and interviews with the FBI and other news outlets, to reflecting and wrapping
up the adventure with Cira, Lily, Ethan, and the professor.
She's had countless meetings with the Bee's editor-in-chief and Ted about the series of
articles the Bee has already started to release, of course, with the FBI's approval.
The Bee has been careful not to publish any evidence or facts that may harm the ongoing
investigation that the FBI is still working on.
Ava has also spent a good part of an hour explaining everything to Grandma Turner, who
took everything better than she thought.
Grandma Turner seemed to be quite excited about the entire situation, well now after
the effect.
Grandma Turner felt a small sense of pride for having helped the two FBI agents apprehend
one of their first suspects.
Needless to say, Ava's beyond tired and leans against a pillow eating her favorite ice cream
flavor.
Ava grabs her remote and clicks the TV on and notices that one of her favorite shows
had just ended.
She looks at the clock and notices that it's 9pm, so she switches channels to one of the
local news network stations to watch the news.
She watches as one of the local news stations blasts a graphic across the screen which reads,
Breaking news!
City and state officials arrested for bribery, corruption, and other crimes that span several
decades.
She knew more arrests were going to be made soon, but she and the editor didn't know when
that was going to happen.
She thanks herself as she settles back onto the couch.
Okay, I guess the cat's out of the bag now.
She looks down at her almost empty cup of ice cream when all of a sudden, she hears
one of the local news anchors says, Ava Turner from her very own Sacramento Bee, along with
several Coloma residents helped crack the corruption and expose the crimes and lies.
Upon hearing her name and seeing her photo on the TV, she drops both her ice cream and
remote.
Out of shock, she says out loud, No way!
I guess the editor was given the green light to publish the first article.
She gets online and pulls up the Bee's website.
Her first article had just been posted.
She watches as the news anchor talks about and quotes part of her first article.
The anchor turns it over to a reporter.
The news reporter continues to discuss the details of the arrests as the TV station shows
footage of the FBI making arrests in the past hour.
The mayor of Coloma, a city council member, and the last and most prominent state representative,
Stuart Brown.
At the moment, her phone rings.
It's Ted.
Any answers?
Hello?
Um, yeah.
Yes, sure.
I'll be okay.
I guess I didn't know when the articles were going to be released.
Makes sense.
Okay, so my articles will be published over the next few days, one after the other?
Okay, sounds good.
Oh, hey, before you hang up, thanks for your help, Ava says, before hanging up the phone.
Even though Ava was there from the start and knew of their involvement before anyone else
did, it was that much more real when seeing it on the news.
Letting the sound of the TV fade into the background, Ava closes her eyes and shares
she thinks back to the events that have occurred in the past few days.
Some of the craziest days in her life and short career.
If you couldn't imagine how different her month and summer would have been if she had
not returned to El Dorado County.
Just then, her phone rings again.
Ava is startled, but not surprised.
I mean, her face and name was just plastered all over the news for the last 10 minutes.
She picks up her phone to see an unknown number.
She taps accept and introduces herself.
She sits up straight again on the couch as she listens to the other person on the line
say, Ava, this is Ben Michelson from Reuters.
She holds her excitement back as she listens and responds, nice to meet you, Ben.
No, you're the first call.
Okay, I'll discuss that with my editor.
Okay, yes, email me the details.
Thanks.
She continues to chat with the reporter from Reuters before hanging up.
She finally slouches back down on the couch, looks down at her empty ice cream cup, smiles
and says to herself.
Well, I guess my little life is about to change in some really big ways.
It's mid-August and Professor Hawthorne has yet to prepare for the upcoming fall semester,
which starts just after the US Labor Day holiday.
He's tried to keep a low profile for the last two months, mainly keeping to himself
at home, taking some time off with his wife and writing.
He's only done a few news interviews about his part in helping uncover the truth about
the gold rush and the rampant network of corruption that existed among some of the more prominent
members.
Many of his interviews were also structured so he could provide historical context so
the viewers or listeners would understand how large and long the corruption secrets
and crimes went on.
Professor is at home, relaxed, sitting at his desk, looking out the back window, just
sitting there and thinking.
His laptop is open and the cursor is blinking in the middle of the blank page.
Hawthorne hears someone enter the room behind him so he turns his head and says,
Hey there, his wife had just entered the room.
She was smiling and walking toward him.
The professor asks, How was lunch with your friends at Ethan's?
It was great.
It's always nice to catch up with them when I can.
Ethan was there and sends his greetings.
Mrs. Hawthorne is now standing next to the professor and looking down at the blank screen
on his laptop with the bouncing cursor and then says,
Oh, two packages were just delivered as I was pulling into the driveway.
They're rather heavy for their size.
I set them on the floor behind you.
They're addressed to you.
She then says, Did you come up with a title yet?
Professor Hawthorne was inspired by the recent events to write yet another book and he had
just finished the first draft in record time.
Several publishers had sent in high bids wanting to help distribute and publish it for him.
The draft read like a story out of a fiction novel, but it wasn't fiction.
It was all true.
All of it.
Hawthorne's intention was not only to tell the story of what happened to the five of
them, himself, Ava, Sierra, Lily, and Ethan, but also he wanted to make sure the old manuscript
was referenced and the history and events that preceded everything were revealed while
all but one of them.
He was still committed to keeping one secret, a secret.
That was the formula.
Hawthorne looks up at his wife and says, I got it.
He smiles and then looks back down at his laptop and the blinking cursor on the blank
white page and types, the secrets of El Dorado.
There it is.
That's the title, he says.
Mrs. Hawthorne watches as James types out the title and then adds, Yep, I like it.
I think the others are going to like it too.
The professor swivels in his chair, gets up, walks over and then bends down to inspect
the two boxes that were delivered.
He slices open the tape and then opens one of the boxes.
Inside the box, surrounded by packing popcorn and tightly wrapped in brown butcher paper,
was a polished and bright solid gold bar with no markings.
Without a word, the professor looks up at his wife with a half smile and then pulls
a small card out from inside the box and it reads out loud.
Thanks for the adventure.
What's next?
And A and S.
The Secrets of El Dorado Epilogue, One Year Later
As for Ava Turner, after publishing her series of articles and making numerous appearances
on talk shows and other news networks, she was promoted to be one of the executive editors
for The Bee.
She is more passionate about seeking the truth and uplifting marginalized voices more than
ever and she volunteers at an organization that teaches journalism to low income students
every week.
She also has dinner with Grandma Turner every now and then and of course visits Ethan's
Cafe.
Ava and Ciara's little side venture after the first initial arrests were made, over
a year ago, Ciara paid off her college debt and bought a house just outside of Coloma.
She's dedicated to pursuing her passion of art, design, and education as she recently
landed a high profile teaching position at a local private school.
She no longer works full time at Ethan's but does help out on the weekends from time
to time when Ethan calls and asks.
She's not ready to give up her employee discount just yet.
Besides, she loves seeing and talking with her old customers.
Lily Hahn is on her way to earning her undergraduate degree at the college, debt and worry free
with the gifts she too received in the mail.
Between classes, Lily loves to pop into Professor Hawthorne's office and talk about their adventures
and the new things he has been working on.
Because of her help with the investigation, she was awarded a permanent green card with
permission to live and work in the US for as long as she wanted.
She still loves to study at Ethan's cafe and, sometimes, she gets lucky and runs into
both Ciara and Ava there.
Ethan Brooks is still loving his cafe as it remains a local favorite.
He's added several new sandwich options but the famous pastrami stack is still the
favorite.
Ethan sold his tracking device and technology and software to the FBI and then bought the
30 plus acres of old man Sutter's property, hoping to build a small cabin for himself.
He continues to tour around with tech and loves the hobby even though he still receives
numerous job offers from firms in Silicon Valley.
Some of his newest inventions and prototypes are for the food and beverage industry and
involve the integration of menus, tables and AI.
He's already had two investors from the Valley show interest.
And finally, Professor James Hawthorne went on to publish his book, instantly becoming
a big hit.
More and more readers became intrigued by the history of El Dorado County and the Gold
Rush and the events that took down one of the longest crime and corruption sprees in
US history.
There were also several online chat groups about Hawthorne with one even being called
Hawthorne's history, which typically consists of discussions of his past work, some of his
latest findings and past lectures from the college.
He became somewhat of a celebrity in academia with no plans to retire.
Not yet.
And that concludes our 10 part story titled The Secrets of El Dorado.
All parts are now available starting with part 1 which was originally released with
episode 55.
A special thanks to all those who contributed their voices to help make this adventure come
alive.
Our 5 main story characters were voiced by the Season 2 Students Incorporated Podcast
team.
They were…
Ava Turner was voiced by Premi.
Ciara Reese was voiced by Chania.
Billy Hahn was voiced by Rebecca.
Ethan Brooks was voiced by Yen How.
And Professor Hawthorne was voiced by myself, Mr. Jason.
And our special guest voices were…
Professor Sharpton was voiced by Kush.
Grandma Turner was voiced by Mrs. Amber.
Paul, Chen's older brother, was voiced by Pun.
Agent Carson was voiced by Enosh.
And Mrs. Hawthorne was voiced by Mrs. Donnie.
Thanks again for listening.
Let us know what you think by direct messaging us through Instagram or emailing us at studentsincpodcastatgmail.com.
As we end this episode and Season 2, I'd like to thank you for sticking with us through
another season.
Don't worry, we aren't going anywhere.
We are only taking a short break.
Students Incorporated will be back with brand new content and a new team for Season 3 coming
late August 2024.
Until then, get caught up on all our previous episodes available on all popular podcast
streaming platforms.
And feel free to recommend our show to a friend or a colleague.
Okay, until next time, we'll see you next season.
And as always, this podcast would not be possible without the hard work and support of our international
student production team.
All music and sound effects are courtesy of Pixabay.com, a vibrant community of creatives
sharing copyright free images, videos, and music.
And we are signing off until next time.
We are Students Incorporated.
Because your voice matters.