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.
Saying Goodbye to our Host, Helen Kim ’16
Skill, Trust, and a Little Luck with Kangmin Justin Kim ’11
Creating Community In and Outside of Your Circle with Lio Mehiel ’15
How to Make Change at Work and in Your Community with Donna Wang Su ’14 MA
Dismantling Racism in Your Industry with Co-founders of Pop’N Creative, Lori Hall ’02 and Jessica Lane ’08, ’14 MBA
Taking Bold Career Risks with former CNN Political Commentator, presidential campaign advisor, Patti Solis Doyle ’90
Bringing Ideas to Life with the Co-founder of Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza, Elise Wetzel ’87, ’92 MBA
Believing in Your Business and Yourself with Nick Shah ’08 MS
Celebrating and Remembering the History of Black America with Deborah Douglas ’89
How to Develop a Thriving Mentoring Relationship with Courtney Harris ’13 and Djenaldbeth Louis ’20 MS
Exploring the Affinity Leaders and Learners Mentoring Program with the ALL Alumni Liaisons
Implementing Your Network During Major Transitions with Mike Raab ’12
Storytelling through Broadcasting, Google, and YouTube with Imran Khan ’05
A Human-centered Leadership Approach During Uncertain Times with Amit Walia ’01 MEM, MBA
Campus during the Coronavirus with Shreya Sriram ’22 and Florencia Son ’23 PhD
Courageously Rolling with the Punches with Tiffany Wells ’09, ’19 MS
Creativity, Flexibility, and Self-Care in Teaching with Tim Dohrer ’95 MA
Heading Back to Campus with Resiliency with Melissa Foster ’96, ’01 MMus
Small Businesses and Community Support during the Pandemic with Austin Harvey ’04
The ABCD’s of Virtual Interviewing with Corinne Vargas ’14 MS
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Insightful Leader
Breakthroughs
One Book, One Northwestern: The Podcast
NorthwesternU