At Tulane University, Juliana learned that expressing the “wrong” opinion could cost her friendships, leadership positions, and reputation. The 2026 Luce Center intern opens up about campus censorship, being sidelined in hockey, the fight to protect women’s sports, and how faith helped her rediscover the beliefs she had buried to fit in. Her advice to incoming freshmen is simple: Know who you are before college tells you who to be.

0:00 Introduction

1:25 “Academic Freedom Doesn’t Exist”

4:22 Why Conservative Students Stay Quiet

5:51 Fighting for a Place in Hockey

8:47 Women’s Sports and Lost Opportunities

11:10 How Social Media Pulled Her Left—and Faith Brought Her Back

16:51 Finding a Conservative Community

19:11 The “Victory Files” and Fear of Being Exposed

23:44 A Professor’s Shocking Accusation

26:23 Advice for Incoming College Freshmen

GenZ Unplugged is the official podcast for the Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women. Rotating hosts are Lauren Husmann, Catherine Hendershott, Rachel Hurley, and Hannah Faulkner. Producer is Sandra Scarlatoiu.

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SFX Credits:

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Amira Hawat, a summer 2026 Luce Center intern, grew up in Venezuela surrounded by propaganda, corruption, blackouts, water shortages, and fear — but she didn’t fully realize how abnormal it was until she came to America.

In this episode of Gen Z Unplugged, Amira shares what it was like to leave Venezuela at 14, experience freedom for the first time, and watch young Americans romanticize the same ideology that destroyed her country. From writing essays by candlelight to seeing free speech treated like a crime, her story is a powerful reminder that freedom is fragile — and socialism is not the answer.

00:50 Meet Amira: Escaping Socialism

01:59 Growing Up Surrounded by Propaganda

03:14 Venezuela’s Breaking Point

04:31 Writing Essays by Candlelight

05:53 Seeing Corruption Up Close

08:00 The Venezuela Americans Don’t Imagine

12:05 Two Realities: Luxury Online, Suffering at Home

14:54 How Her Family Escaped to America

17:31 What Happens When You Speak Out

31:09 Why Socialism Is a Lie

Amira is a 2026 Luce Center intern.

GenZ Unplugged is the official podcast for the Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women. Rotating hosts are Lauren Husmann, Catherine Hendershott, Rachel Hurley, and Hannah Faulkner. Producer is Sandra Scarlatoiu.

Listen, rate, and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!

ACAST - Apple Podcasts - Spotify - Google Podcasts - YouTube - Rumble

Send us your thoughts on this episode @realgenzunplugged!

X - Instagram - Facebook - Truth Social

SFX Credits:

neon sign buzz hum stereo close lowcut to taste6.flac by kyles -- https://freesound.org/s/453493/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

swipes and whooshes plastic umbrella fast and short swings stereo ORTF 8040.wav by Soundholder -- https://freesound.org/s/425853/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

Power Cord Unplug 1_2 by Joao_Janz -- https://freesound.org/s/477641/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Abstract Glitch Effects_015 by jalastram -- https://freesound.org/s/412303/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gen Z was promised endless connection—Snapchat, Instagram, Zoom, dating apps, group chats, and constant access to everyone we know. So why does this generation feel more isolated than ever?

In this episode of Gen Z Unplugged, we unpack the loneliness epidemic: how screens replaced real friendship, why COVID made isolation feel normal, how self-checkout and QR codes made us avoid basic human interaction, and why Gen Z may have to relearn the lost art of simply talking to people.

00:52 — Why Gen Z Loneliness Is Getting Worse

02:47 — The Technology That “Connected” Us Started Tearing Us Apart

04:56 — The Shocking Loneliness Statistics Among Gen Z

07:42 — How COVID Trained a Generation to Live Online

09:34 — Why In-Person Connection Changes Your Biology

13:08 — Are We Forgetting That We’re Embodied People?

15:10 — When Phones Become a “Pseudo Sibling”

18:51 — Why We’re Scared to Talk to Real People in Public

22:52 — The College Cafeteria Test: Everyone Is Looking Down

27:12 — The Anxious Generation and the Childhood We Lost

31:17 — How Gen Z Can Start Rebuilding Real Community

GenZ Unplugged is the official podcast for the Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women. Rotating hosts are Lauren Husmann, Catherine Hendershott, Rachel Hurley, and Hannah Faulkner. Producer is Sandra Scarlatoiu.

Listen, rate, and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform!

ACAST - Apple Podcasts - Spotify - Google Podcasts - YouTube - Rumble

Send us your thoughts on this episode @realgenzunplugged!

X - Instagram - Facebook - Truth Social

SFX Credits:

neon sign buzz hum stereo close lowcut to taste6.flac by kyles -- https://freesound.org/s/453493/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

swipes and whooshes plastic umbrella fast and short swings stereo ORTF 8040.wav by Soundholder -- https://freesound.org/s/425853/ -- License: Attribution 3.0

Power Cord Unplug 1_2 by Joao_Janz -- https://freesound.org/s/477641/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

Abstract Glitch Effects_015 by jalastram -- https://freesound.org/s/412303/ -- License: Attribution 4.0

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.