CLU Students Broadcast Latinx Champions Series

California Lutheran University students shared oral histories through an annual radio program this fall.

Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Hispanic

CLU Students Broadcast Latinx Champions Series

Live Poll

Should your local community actively archive the oral histories of its residents?

Students at California Lutheran University recently concluded the second annual Latinx Champions Series on iCLU Radio. The program featured oral history interviews highlighting community members and local professionals.

Why it matters

The project offers students hands-on radio production experience while documenting the personal stories and professional contributions of local leaders and family members. It serves as a bridge for connecting the academic community with the surrounding region.

The Latinx Champions Series features 30-minute oral history interviews recorded by students. The project has completed its second year of production at the university.

The players

California Lutheran University

This private liberal arts university is located in Thousand Oaks and serves as the academic home for the broadcast project.

iCLU Radio

This is the student-run radio station that serves as the platform for the university's broadcasting and media arts curriculum.

The details

Students prepared questions, conducted recordings, and edited the audio to produce the series for Hispanic Heritage Month. Participants signed agreements that allow the university to retain the audio for a future oral history library collection.

The series ran during Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15, 2026, through Oct. 15, 2026.
Initial radio broadcasts occurred on Sept. 21, 2026, Sept. 28, 2026, Oct. 5, 2026, and Oct. 12, 2026.

Culture Shift

This project reflects a broader trend of integrating oral history into university curricula to preserve community narratives. It demonstrates a shift toward utilizing modern digital media to document and honor local legacy figures.

Residents in the Thousand Oaks area can engage with these oral histories as they become part of the university library's permanent archive. These recordings provide a unique look at the personal journeys of local leaders and family members in the community.

The takeaway

Preserving oral history allows students to gain technical production skills while bridging the gap between local residents and academia. Documenting these stories creates a lasting cultural record that future generations can access through university archives.