For avid podcast listeners, the set-up is instantly recognizable: Soft easy-listening music plays. After a few seconds, a voice is heard: 

“Greetings and welcome to my podcast, ‘Why So Political?’ I’m your host, Neha Yadavalli, a high schooler in the United States. Regardless of your views, I hope you enjoy this episode of ‘Why So Political.’ 

Another musical interlude follows. Then, the discussion of the episode begins. The formula is tried-and-true, and might not ring out as remarkable at first. However, the podcast host, producer, scriptwriter, and publicist—Neha Yadavalli—is a freshman at Revere High School. 

Freshman Yadavalli came to Revere in sixth grade from Strongsville. She is active in Speech and Debate, Restorative Social Justice club and Students Demand Action. Additionally, she volunteers at a senior center on Fridays.

“On Fridays, I volunteer my time at the Renaissance, which is an old-age facility very close to the school. I started volunteering there around September and every week I go there,” Yadavalli said.

Yadavalli serves food and assists with dinner hours and enjoys volunteering and working with the residents.

“Consistency is key. I’ve made friends with a lot of the residents there, and it’s a fun place to volunteer,” Yadavalli said.

In her free time, Yadavalli writes and produces her podcast, “Why So Political,” where she discusses current events and social issues.

“A lot of the topics that I cover are pretty controversial so I try to find a middle ground, but oftentimes I will share my own personal views,” Yadavalli said.

Yadavalli began work on her podcast at the beginning of her freshman year and continues to post new episodes weekly.

“I wanted my seasons to fall into the range from the beginning of the school year to the end of the school year so it was fitting,” Yadavalli said.

Yadavalli uses her platform not just to inform, but also to share her personal viewpoint on the issues and questions she presents. 

“There’s a lot happening in the world, and I feel like having it as an outlet to share my opinions has been very beneficial and it’s given me a place where I’m able to share my views and feelings on certain issues, but I’m also able to find the middle ground and look at other points of view,” Yadavalli said.

As with most podcasts, “Why So Political?” follows a formula that becomes familiar to repeat listeners. Each episode begins similarly, with Yadavalli greeting her audience. From there, depending on the topic, Yadavalli may warn listeners of the content.

“If the topic is on the heavier side, I will have a viewer discretion advisory. After that, I will delve into the topic, and depending on what it is, I will give historical context,” Yadavalli said.

Yadavalli’s topics range from Daylight Savings Time to abortion and everything in between.

“My favorite episode that I ever made was called “Feminism: Do we Really Need it?” I really poured my heart out into that episode. It’s definitely the one I feel the most special connection towards,” Yadavalli said.

Yadavalli has almost completed the first season, with nine episodes available for listeners so far. Each episode is around ten minutes in length. In correlation with her podcast, Yadavalli plans to enter the political science field.

“I am leaning towards a career in political science, preferably one in the background. For example, a political advisor. I think that this is a really good way to ease myself into that field,” Yadavalli said.

Yadavalli produces her podcast through Spotify and uploads episodes directly to the platform, as well as other podcast-hosting platforms.

“They can find my podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Anchor. Anchor is owned by Spotify. It took around two weeks to get it onto Apple Podcasts. It was automatically on Spotify and Anchor because it’s the website I use to create my podcast. It’s an easy setup,” Yadavalli said. 

Though “Why So Political?” covers serious, controversial topics, Yadavalli does not want that to be the only focus.

“At the beginning of each season, I will write a list of topics I want to cover, and I will prioritize them in order: topics I feel really need to be addressed, and going down the list to topics that are more lighthearted. I’ll try to alternate my episodes because I don’t want a series of episodes to be extremely heavy and depressing,” Yadavalli said. 

Yadavalli writes the script for each episode herself, after researching the topic at least a week prior to recording the episode.

“I want the information to be as relevant and new as possible,” Yadavalli said.

Yadavalli considers “Why So Political?” an outlet to express her feelings on different political issues, and encourages her peers to do the same if they have an interest.

“Having a podcast and being this into politics might not seem very interesting, and might seem intimidating, but there are so many resources out there. If that’s what anyone else wants to do, I definitely would not hold back or be afraid of doing that,” Yadavalli said. 

Nikki Bratt, Yadavalli’s 8th grade Honors English teacher, recognized her passion for political issues.

“She was always really passionate about human rights and things being fair. I know that last year, during the pandemic when everyone was quarantined, she made a ton of masks for people and donated them,” Bratt said.

Bratt, after having listened to “Why So Political?” is impressed with the quality of the production.

“I went and listened to some of them–they’re really well done for how old she is. She has background music, everything sounds really good, it sounds professional, and you can tell that everything is well thought out. I enjoyed it,” Bratt said. 

Bratt does not find Yadavalli’s decision to speak on political issues surprising. 

“Looking back on it, it makes sense just because she is so passionate about political issues and social justice and making sure everyone has equal rights. It’s not surprising to me,” Bratt said.

Bratt noticed Yadavalli’s political spirit from her participation in class and her commitment to speaking out about her beliefs.

“She’s always had a brain for helping people and for social justice and that came out in all of her work. She was outspoken about certain things [in class]. She always did her work, she always had everything done. You could always tell when something sparked her interest. She wasn’t always talking about everything, but there were certain issues she was passionate about,” Bratt said.

While Bratt may not have predicted the creation of Yadavalli’s podcast, she praises Yadavalli for her determination. 

“I think it’s really cool what she’s doing, and I’m proud of her and I think as Revere, we should all be proud of her will and her thoughtfulness,” Bratt said.

Sophomore Anthea Phan, club president of Restorative Social Justice club, met Yadavalli for the first time this year when Yadavalli joined RSJ.

“I’ve only known her this year with Restorative Social Justice. She’s really passionate about the things she decides to go into and on top of that she keeps herself informed. If something is going on, she knows about it. She isn’t afraid to express her opinion. When she defends her opinion, she provides background and reasons. She’s very committed. When she wants to do something, she seems like the person to get it done,” Phan said.

After listening to an episode of “Why So Political?” Phan praises the podcast for its engagement and quality production.

“It’s really good. The thing with podcasts that I never liked is that they were just so monotone, but [Yadavalli] has a lot of enthusiasm and passion. The way she enunciates and talks, she seems well-prepared,” Phan said.

The music, having played softly in the background for the duration of the episode, plays alone again. After a pause, Yadavalli speaks:

“That concludes this episode of ‘Why So Political?’ Thank you from the bottom of my heart for listening to my take. I truly appreciate your time. If you like what you heard, I highly encourage you to come back next week. A new episode drops every Monday at eight. Have a good one!”