Ilana Peña always wanted to write her own coming of age show featuring a tween/teenage Latina protagonist that audiences of all ages could enjoy. However, many of the shows she loved as a child celebrated boyhood, and the shows that did feature female leads were geared exclusively to young audiences. Peña is the creator, showrunner, executive producer, and director of the critically acclaimed Diary of a Future President, which tells the story of a young Latina girl whose experiences as a tween are foundational to becoming the leader of the country. On this episode of Northwestern Intersections, Peña shares her experiences being a writer on the supportive, women-led set of the renowned, musical comedy-drama Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and how she fostered that same uplifting, women-led space on her own show for cast and crew to thrive. She also underscores the importance of telling positive and joyous stories that show Latinx and LGBTQ folks as multifaceted, cultivating your community, and being loud about what you want.
Northwestern Intersections will be featuring all-female guests during the month of March in recognition of Women’s History Month, so we may uplift and celebrate the alumna who are shaping their respective fields.
Episode 156: Rock and Roll Royalty, with Paul Korzilius ’76, Roland Mesa ’82, and Walt Versen ’77
Navigating the College Admissions World, with Julie Kelsheimer ’11, ’13 MMus
Recovering the Philosophy of the Self, with Adina Bezerita '17
’Cats in Sports Media, with Lisa Byington ’98, ’99 MS and Cassidy Hubbarth ’07
Telling Unheard Stories of Women’s Suffrage, with Ronny Frishman ’72
A Northwestern Life, with MaryAnn Ihejirika Marsh ’85
Love and Northwestern
Memoir, Family, and Truth, with Leta McCollough Seletzky ’98
How to Reinvent Yourself in Media, with Joey Skladany ’09
Lunch Tray Management, with Kathryn Hahn ’95 and Ethan Sandler ’95
Sports and Society, with Julie Kliegman ’13
Writing Your Reality (TV), with Toni Gallagher ’87
Chicago through Poetry, with Angela Jackson ’77
Episode 143: Navigating the News, with Bill Lord ’73
Telling History's Most Neglected Stories, with Marie Arana ’71
Making Marketing Authentic, with Kristian Alomá ’02
A Fireside Chat with University Trustee Ginni Rometty ’79, ’15 H and Northwestern President Michael Schill
Writing your own path, with Ayun Halliday ’87
Becoming a Poet, with Mary Jo Bang ’71, ’75 MA
APIDA Heritage Month Special Episode with Phil Yu '00
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