by Joyce Pang DCI has given me so many opportunities and pushed me out of my comfort zone countless times. And to say the least, I’ve had a few embarrassing moments— none of them are as iconic or as tragic, however, as the Mirai Mishap. Earlier this year, the Podcast team had the change to interview Mirai Nagau, a record breaking Olympic figure skater from Arcadia, for our Keepin’ It Arcadia podcast. Here’s how I made one of the most embarrassing mistakes in my life and what I learned… A few weeks prior to this, we had been working on a podcast entry for the NPR student Podcast challenge. We had gotten an interview with my former teacher, Mr. Young, who knew her very well, and we talked about her story growing up in Arcadia, going to AUSD schools, and simultaneously balancing her career as an Olympic figure skater. When we got the opportunity to talk to her nearby in Pasadena at a convention, I was beyond thrilled and extremely nervous. In middle school, I remembered getting sucked into watching skating videos after school with my friend, who was a figure skater at the same rink Mirai used to skate at, and I remembered watching countless videos of her performances on Youtube.
Upon meeting her (the first celebrity I’d ever talked to), I felt so at ease because of how willing she was to answer our questions and how comfortable she made us feel by talking to us so casually. I enjoyed the rest of the convention thoroughly and heaved a sigh of nervous relief. After getting home, however, I reviewed the interview tapes and was struck with horror—the microphone wasn’t plugged in all the way, resulting in 10+ minutes of pure static. It was probably the most important task I’d ever done, and I was almost certain I would be kicked out of DCI. Thankfully, DCI gave me another chance and I’ve been trying to redeem myself since (and also endure the side effect of occasional teasing about this incident). After all, DCI may seem intimidating (it definitely was for me), but it’s a learning experience at the end of the day. Even though I curse myself every time I think about this incident, I’ve learned an important lesson—to always have a backup plan. Because I might not be let off the hook so mercifully next time.
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Blog Posts Written by DCI Interns and Alumni Archives
January 2024
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