Pallavi Gunalan (Venerable House ’11, Bioengineering and English) left a PhD program to pursue stand-up comedy and writing. In this raw and funny conversation, Claire and Mason talk with her about mental health, leadership during crisis, and what it means to find your voice—on stage and beyond Caltech.
Content note: some discussion of suicide and mental health.

Yang Yang (Ricketts and Page Houses ’09, Biology) took time after graduation to recover from burnout and figure out what came next. Claire and Mason talk with him about choosing medicine, finding his specialty in cardiac electrophysiology, and learning that success doesn’t always mean following the straightest path.

At one point, Nick Goeden (Page House ’09, Biology) couldn’t see a positive future after Caltech. Claire and Mason talk with him about how he worked through that low point, built resilience, and eventually co-founded biotherapeutics companies leading cutting-edge research.

In the very first episode of Life After Caltech, hosts Claire and Mason introduce the origin and goals of the pod, with help from producer Riley Kwong. Then, listen as Claire and Mason get to know each other better and describe their journeys to and through Caltech. A warm and comforting episode for all current students who want to feel connected to their community beyond graduation.