In 2025, Dr. Kiesha Warren-Gordon lead students in a Virginia B. Ball Center project creating a podcast called Better Together. These podcasts covered topics such as human trafficking, youth mental health, and the juvenile criminal justice system. Students had a chance to work with social workers and police officers. They also had the opportunity to learn about and research the Whitely neighborhood Adopt-A-Cop program.

Throughout the year, Indiana Public Radio and The Facing Project worked with our students on creating those podcasts. The students learned how to take those topics and turn them into scripts, they were coached on storytelling and writing for radio/podcasts, and learned interview techniques. Eventually, the students were able to see their efforts come to life when they got behind the mic.

The first podcast, Behind Closed Doors with Alexandria Gulachek, aired on April 26, 2026 on Indiana Public Radio. Host Alexandria Gulachek sits down with Tracina Greenleaf of the YWCA of Central Indiana to discuss human trafficking and its effects on marginalized communities, and to gain perspective on the realities behind one of the fastest-growing criminal industries in the world. The two explore the vital role everyday citizens and nonprofits can play in helping survivors heal and rebuild, while breaking cycles of exploitation and creating pathways to recovery.

The other three podcasts live on the Ball State Public Media YouTube channel and are available in the Honors College YouTube playlist.

Other podcasts in the series:

Minds in Motion with Aaron Swango and Dillon Willett

Co-hosts Aaron Swango and Dillon Willett discuss juvenile mental health and the criminal justice system, and the staggering increase in the intersection of the two since the COVID-19 pandemic. They are joined by Dr. Janay Sander, a professor of Educational Psychology at Ball State University, whose research focuses on evidence-based interventions and the educational and mental health needs of
youth who fall into the juvenile justice system.

Credits: Scriptwriters – Madison Cox, Laighla Beck, Isaiah Decker
Direction – J.R. Jamison, Angie Grimes, Dr. Kiesha Warren-Gordon
Audio Engineering & Production – Andrew Montavon
Hosts – Aaron Swango and Dillon Willett.

Better Together with Derrianna Austin and Andrea Dixon

Co-hosts Derrianna Austin and Andrea Dixon visit the Whitely neighborhood in Muncie, Indiana, to explore the Adopt-A-Cop program and its community-building effects on both the police department and families. Later, they sit down with Arin Phillips of the Muncie Police Department, and Frank Scott of the Whitely Community Council, to discuss their experiences and long-term goals for the program.

Credits: Scriptwriters – Kayla Siggers, Cassidy Purvis, Shiana Schwartz
Direction – J.R. Jamison, Angie Grimes, Stephanie Wiechmann, Dr. Kiesha Warren-Gordon
AudioEngineering & Production – Andrew Montavon
Hosts – Derrianna Austin and Andrea Dixon.

Human Side of the Law with Abigail Richard and Grant Berry

Co-hosts Abigail Richard and Grant Berry take a close look at how police officers and social workers collaborate to better serve the Muncie community, and bring to light the difficulties and potential benefits of the collaboration between the two professions. Later, they are joined by Dr. Sally Archer-Jones and Ashley Snyder, two social workers with the Muncie Police Department, who shed light on how this collaboration leads to a more productive and humane response to community needs.

Credits: Scriptwriters – Gunnar Miller, Abigail Richard
Direction – J.R. Jamison, Angie Grimes, Stephanie Wiechmann, Dr. Kiesha Warren-Gordon
Audio Engineering & Production – Andrew Montavon
Hosts – Abigail Richard and Grant Berry.