0. "Prologue" | The 2024 UCF VLP Podcast Series

The 2024 UCF VLP Podcast Series explores the UCF Veterans Legacy Program (VLP) and its mission to honor and memorialize Veterans buried in Florida’s national cemeteries in innovative and engaging ways, primarily through the experiences of the participating K12 educators. For the past two years, UCF VLP has been specifically designed to instruct K12 educators how to teach Veterans' history to K12 students by learning how to create grade-level appropriate classroom projects that focus on Veterans’ service within itself and within the context of local (Florida), national (American), and international (global) histories. The K12 educators who applied and were accepted to the program work with UCF history professors and students year-round on three specific deliverables (Veteran biography, national cemetery mini-tour, and lesson plan) that result in the grade-level appropriate classroom projects and that reflect the overall objective of highlighting Veterans, their service, and their sacrifice in K12 instruction and to a K12 audience.

Unlike the prologue episode from last year’s award-winning 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series, this episode focuses on a conversation with Dr. Amelia Lyons—Associate Professor of History and the Director and Principal Investigator (PI) of UCF VLP. As Sebastian repeatedly asserts, Dr. Lyons is the “most qualified person” to provide a larger year-long portrait of UCF VLP. Indeed, the conversation appropriately and effectively synthesizes and previews the major themes throughout all six episodes of this year’s podcast series. Before the conversation (13:27), Sebastian briefly explains essential concepts and features that define The 2024 UCF VLP Podcast Series.

Click here for a direct link to last year's award-winning 2023 UCF VLP Institute Podcast Series.

Click here for a direct link to the UCF VLP website, where numerous Veteran biographies, mini-tours, and lesson plans covering various topics and conflicts are available.

This episode was directed, produced, written, edited, and hosted by Sebastian Garcia and featured Dr. Amelia Lyons.

Executive Producers: Sebastian Garcia and Dr. Amelia Lyons.

Music: “Honor and Glory” and “Real Heroes” by SergePavkinMusic (Pixabay)

Podcast Cover Artwork: Sebastian Garcia

The 2024 UCF VLP Podcast Series is brought to you by the UCF History Department and UCF’s Veterans Legacy Program—a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration.