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.
Eating Well in the Pandemic with Carla Hightower ’85, ’87 MD, ’91 GME, ’02 MBA
Unexpected Career Disruption? Here’s How to Respond with Chareen Goodman ’00 MS
How to Talk to Kids with Empathy with Anthony Ward Jr. ’06
The Importance of LGBTQ+ Representation in Music with Spectrum Ensemble, Jaime Esposito ’14 and Stephen Hall ’13
Pivoting in a Pandemic with Caleigh Hernandez ’15
Perspectives on Human Connection during COVID-19 with Vlada Bortnik ‘01
Guided Breathing Exercises and Getting Calm with Coco Cabrel ’87, ’89 MD
The Hustle of Entrepreneurial Endeavors with Neal Taparia ’06
Northwestern Alumni Medal Story with the global operations executive, Bridgette Proctor Heller ’83, ’85 MBA
Northwestern Alumni Medal Story with the Fortune 100 investment management CEO, Yie-Hsin Hung ’84
Northwestern Alumni Medal Story with the US Navy Vice Admiral, Lisa M. Franchetti ’85
The Universality of Music with Bienen School of Music alumna, Amanda Majeski
The Rise of Digital Strategies in Healthcare with Gurpreet Singh ’93, ’94 MS, ’03 MBA
Intentional Diversity and Inclusion Practices Part 2 with Melissa Donaldson ’17 MS
Finding Purpose through the Highs and Lows with Jordan Gross ’16, ’17 MBA
Confidently Advocating for Yourself with Chelsea Hayes ’12 MS
The Best of: Our Favorite Advice from 2019
Tenacity in International Entrepreneurship with Roy Lu ’13
Education Equity for All with Sally Nuamah ’13 MA, ’16 Ph.D.
Journey to All 50 States with Ryan Bernsten ’14
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