Golden State Today

Daniella Lake, who is graduating with a degree in media studies this May, is interviewing the friends she met in college — through Black Lives at Cal, during a study abroad in Rome, and at Cal in the Capital — for a new season of her podcast.

"I was born in Los Angeles. I’m the first person in my family who was born in the U.S. My family’s originally from Sierra Leone, on the west coast of Africa," Lake shared. Her parents moved frequently during the 1990s due to the civil war in Sierra Leone and her father's work with the United Nations. Consequently, her brother and sister spent time growing up in various African countries such as Eritrea, Ghana, and Gambia.

Lake's early experiences with public speaking began at around age 9 or 10 while attending Catholic school and participating in her Methodist church. "At both, I would read scripture, or during Black History Month, I would give a speech or read poetry by Black poets," she recalled. This sparked her love for spoken word.

At 15, Lake ventured into podcasting due to her passion for storytelling. Her podcast, Life Told By A Stranger, has three seasons but took a hiatus when she started at UC Berkeley. One of her favorite questions to ask guests is: “If you were to write an autobiography, what is one story you’d have to include?” She explained that it reveals how individuals define themselves.

Currently recording a new season set for release this summer, Lake is focusing on conversations with friends she met during college. "We’re older now, and I think we all have a lot of valuable things to say," she noted.

The upcoming season will feature episodes on diverse topics including her semester abroad in Rome and discussions with friends from Black Lives at Cal about Black female friendship and community formation as minorities. Additionally, episodes will include conversations with a housemate from Washington D.C., where she participated in Cal in the Capital, and a mentor from the Cal Alumni Mentors program.

Reflecting on her media studies education at Berkeley, Lake emphasized the importance of narrative framing: "I can see how the history we learn about certain groups of people — the stories we’re told — isn’t the full story." She highlighted that African history often starts with slavery or colonization rather than exploring pre-colonial cultures and achievements.

Lake plans to attend a one-year master’s program in journalism at USC starting this summer and expressed excitement about taking food journalism classes. Inspired by a class called Territory, Food and Anthropology taken in Italy, she developed an appreciation for food quality.

Post-graduation from USC, Lake aims to establish a food media company using food stories tied to culture and history as educational tools about the African diaspora. "Food is an easy access point to other cultures and a positive way to bring people together," she said. "I know the changes I want to see in the world, and I think food is one way to bring about that change."