Alana launches Alanasexperience on Insta!
In this interview, Alana discusses the creation of her new Instagram channel, "Alana's Experience," which repurposes about seven years of her family’s YouTube dialogue content into short reels. She explains the selection criteria—mixing cute childhood clips with thoughtful, present‑day relevant moments—and outlines the current production workflow: pulling clips from her parents' phones, screen‑recording, adding subtitles, and posting with text primarily written by her dad. Alana’s goals are to populate the page, attract viewers, and ultimately drive students to the TSE (The Science Experience) and TSC (The Science Club) programs. She also clarifies Instagram’s sharing feature (the paper‑airplane icon) for others to reshare posts. Reflecting on watching her older videos, Alana notes both the charm of her younger self and a critical awareness of her growth. The conversation shifts to her academic pursuits: she reports progress on Harvard’s CS50 course, tackling increasingly complex projects and seeking peer help. Finally, Alana shares her current reading of Homer’s Iliad—discussing the human emotions of gods, relatability of characters, and the intensity of the original text versus adaptations—and briefly mentions her ongoing reading of Jane Eyre. The interview blends informal mentorship, technical details, personal development, and literary analysis.
Chapters
Oh, so, um, I understand you are launching your own Instagram channel based on these dialogues. You want to tell me about that?
Yeah, yeah, um, it's a side project that, um, my dad suggested a little while ago, and I thought it was a great idea, um, because I guess we've got like 7— no, yeah, maybe like 7 years of content that We're just— that's just sitting on YouTube. So I thought that maybe, um, something else to popularize it would be awesome and a really cool project.
Very cool. And so are you— how do you pick what to share?
Well, I mean, we have to go through it. Um, my dad and I try to share thoughtful things, um, things that that has to do with today, but I mean, not really. When we post things of me when I was really little, sometimes that's just because it's cute and because it's really making me work. And sometimes when we post when I'm a little older, it's really thoughtful and meaningful and has a lot to do with the present day, or, you know, just meaningful topics that people will enjoy listening to. I I feel like that's the main area.
Got it. And, and you want to give the, um, uh, the, how, how people can find it? How do people find it?
So it's on Instagram and the handle is Alana's Experience.
Alana's Experience. Excellent. Um, and about how many have you posted so far?
Uh, about 4 reels, maybe something like that.
Do you edit or does he edit or what's the workflow and what's the work arrangement between the two of you?
So usually we just pull up a clip on my mom and my dad's phone, and then we just screen record it, um, and we just put subtitles on. That workflow needs to get better, but that's what we have right now. Um, and then, um, for now, the videos that we've made have just been that and then some text on Instagram. But I want to get to the point where I can edit it on Canva and make it— make, I don't know, maybe make it a little more special.
Mm-hmm. And do you and your dad ever disagree about what part of a, a dialogue is worth showing or not yet?
Honestly, not yet.
I would think so. Does your mom play a role or she's just mostly watching at this point?
Um, she helps us pick, um, clips to share. Um, she loves watching 4-year-old, 5-year-old Sekio and me. So I think she just loves to take part in it.
Of course. And then who writes the text that is associated with the videos?
Mostly my dad.
Mm-hmm. Got it. And what would your ideal outcome of this be?
My ideal outcome would be to populate my page to the extent possible and get students to come to TSE. Wonderful. A little while later when I have more viewers and more content out, I want to make a promo for TSC and hopefully get some students in.
Fantastic. Now I want to ask what might be a stupid question. I am an amateur user on Instagram. So, you know, on Facebook I know how to share a post, on LinkedIn I know how to share a post, and Twitter I know how to retweet. I have not been able to figure out how to share. So I've liked every one of your posts at Alana's Experience, but I can't figure out how to share them. How do I share something at Instagram?
I, I mean, do you mean post on the story or just send it to someone?
Well, I, I can send it privately, but is it not possible on Instagram just to reshare something?
I think it is possible to share. Do you mean like on your story?
Yeah, on my, on my timeline or whatever.
Yeah, I think so. Again, my mom is better at this than I am because she runs my account, but I believe if you go to a post and then you click the little paper airplane thing, it's what I like to call it. And I believe there's a button that says share to, I don't know, a story or messages or something like that. I'm not very adept on it either, but I think that's what that—
Okay, I know the paper airplane thing, so I will try that. I didn't realize that sharing to a story would share it to other people, but I'll try that and see. Because of course I want to share and promote it, and I just wanted to know how. Um, well, that's an exciting project. Good for you. Is it weird for you to see some of your old stuff, or not so much?
Very. Um, very. Yeah, it's enjoyable to watch me when I'm young because that was a really long time ago, and most of the time it's just really cute. Um, but I feel like especially watching me recently Sometimes I cringe and sometimes I think that I could have done so much better, but it's good to reflect, I guess. But it's kind of hard sometimes.
Well, that sort of makes sense. It's great on the one hand that you enjoy how cute you were when you were little. But I can also see more recently, I would expect that you are developing intellectually at a pretty good clip. And so I can imagine certainly a year or two ago, you know, you're not as developed as you are now. Does that seem fair?
Yeah, it's just sometimes it's hard not to criticize.
Well, again, it's normal. I mean, the— look at it the other way. Suppose that you did not see any difference between yourself now and 2 years ago. That probably would not be good, correct?
Yes.
So you should celebrate the fact that, hey, I'm perhaps more advanced than I was a year or 2 ago.
That's a good way to look at it.
In what ways would you say that you're different than you were, say, a year ago?
I could say that I've learned a lot more about the subjects that we talk about. Obviously, I've had more practice, although I've had a lot in general, but more practice speaking. Maybe just the way I speak, the way I think might have evolved and changed over the past couple years. I mean, especially from when I was really, really young to where I am now.
Mm-hmm. Yeah, I mean, I'm very interested in this because of course I've seen hundreds and hundreds of kids change over the course of years. And I think it's interesting to try to explain it because, you know, I like to use the word articulate, but I would like to develop better vocabulary and better descriptions. So if you can help me explain how people change, by means of many hours of dialogue. I'd love it. So when you see, actually, this is a way to flip it around. Instead of cringing when you see yourself a year or two ago, I'd love for you to articulate exactly how you're different. You might say something like, you know, then I seem to have been looking at the world through this lens. Now, a year later, I'm seeing the world through this lens, and therefore I'm more accurate. Something like that. Does that make sense?
Yes.
I think that would be really interesting because then you're showing how Alana at age 12 with greater awareness views Alana at age 11 with less awareness. And then we can begin to discuss what does it mean to be more aware? To what extent is it how you— a change in how you speak versus a change in how you think versus a change in knowledge? Do you think in some sense it's all of those?
Yeah, absolutely.
Okay. Yeah, I think it'd be super exciting if you can identify different things. And the other great thing about you doing it as opposed to somebody else is you are inside you. Um, can you kind of remember what it was like to be Alana a year ago from the inside?
Yes, I mean, I think so.
Yeah, in which case it might be— because maybe you can even reconstruct your thought patterns and kind of why you saw the world in that way, and then what has changed within you such that you're seeing the world differently. I think that would be really cool. Does that make sense?
Yes.
So go for it. Anything else on that, or can we jump to other things?
No, I don't have anything else.
Quick check-in on Harvard CS50. How's that going?
Good. I'm almost done with the project that I was working on. I'm having a little trouble because again, I was mixing up syntax with Python and C because I normally do Python and C is a little confusing. But I'm starting to watch the next lecture, so I'm excited about that.
And so this is the project for Lesson 0?
1.
Lesson 1. Okay. And did you do that project for Lesson 1 last spring, or is that kind of where you stopped last spring?
Uh, I believe I did the less complicated project, so I wanted to try the more complicated project to see where I was. Um, and obviously it is more complicated, um, so I'm enjoying that challenge.
Good for you. I'm very glad to hear that you're taking on the more complicated project. Are there typically— or were there just two variations, less and more, or were there three variations?
There's two variations, less and more, but there's, I believe, three projects. In total.
Okay. And of the 3, which one are you on?
The last one.
Oh, wow. So you're doing the more complicated version of the last project of Lesson 1.
Yes.
Great. And does Welaki need to help you very much, or you can mostly figure it out on your own?
Mostly I've been able to figure it out on my own, but I think I'm at a point where I'm gonna really crack down and go join the meeting. I've been trying, but the Things just keep happening, but I believe I'm able to join. I believe he changed the time, so I'm able to join.
Excellent. And then you were reading Homer's Iliad. How's that going?
Awesome. I'm at a really exciting point. It's actually— Say that again.
What's going on?
So right now, I've passed the part where they're describing the allies of the Achaeans and the Trojans. That was kind of lengthy, but it was interesting to read. I'm at the part where— no, I just finished the part where they made the truce and Menelaus— I don't really know how to pronounce his name— but him and Paris have to fight in a duel for Helen and the treasures and things like that. I've read that— I've read the Iliad multiple times, but not like this, like the graphic novels and the children's version, so it was— I know a little bit how it goes, but it was interesting to read it like this because it's a lot more in-depth then, and I get to see a lot of the true sides of the characters, if that makes sense. I feel like sometimes they change it overly so for different versions. But the part that I'm on right now is Aphrodite has saved Paris from dying and taken him back to the realm And there's some dialogue between Aphrodite and Helen, which I didn't really understand, but I'm trying to, because it's interesting.
What do you make of the gods interacting with the human beings the way they do? Do you think the gods are more like people or more like gods? What do you make of the gods in the Iliad?
Well, they're gods, but I feel like they have human emotions. For example, when Aphrodite pulled Paris out of the duel, My immediate reaction was I didn't think she should have done that because she's interfering with oaths and, um, you know, the way things were in my opinion, or I kind of wished happened like that. Um, not because I wanted the story to end, just because that made sense where it was going. Um, but I feel like because she was impulsed by maybe human emotions, because she was a god, she could do those things.
Mm-hmm.
Um, which kind of separates her from humans, but I think they're close.
Do you think that, um, the gods are sort of like humans with superpowers? That is, the same kind of emotional weaknesses that humans have, but with, uh, you know, the ability to appear out of nowhere and that kind of thing?
Yes, I think that's one way to describe them.
So Does that seem strange for gods to be like that, or I guess that's just the way the Greek gods were?
It's kind of strange because when you think of, you know, gods, it's like, oh, they're probably super, super mature, powerful, intellectual beings. And then when you read stories like these and others, you find that that interpretation is kind of wrong. There's a lot of sets of gods like these. And then there's like Christian God and other religions that it kind of, where it kind of varies, but it's interesting learning about this one.
And what do you make of the human beings being able to hear the gods and see the gods?
Well, it's different from now because I'm not able to do that, so again, other world, it's interesting to read. I think that that also changes the motion and the flow of the story as well. If they weren't able to do that, I feel like it would be a little different.
And I guess I'm wondering, you know, in science fiction you can have— or fantasy, you have imaginary things going on. Would you say reading Homer is like science fiction or fantasy, or is there something different about reading an old text where perhaps people really experienced life this way?
Kind of is, but I think it is different because it's— you can kind of relate to it, I think. I usually, when I read science fiction, um, it's a little bit hard to relate to some of the characters because, you know, it's science fiction. Um, but in this case, there's a lot of— there's a lot that I can relate to.
Could you imagine experiencing the world the way they experience the world?
Not really, honestly, because I mean, I've never been in a war, I've never believed in such gods, and I'm just— switching to that would be really, really big.
So somehow it's more relatable even though it's so different from your experience. Why do you think it's more relatable?
Well, I mean, all of the characters in my opinion are human. Like, they've got human emotions, things that I can relate to, things that I've done, maybe I don't know. Um, are things just things that I see because some, um, even though our worlds are totally different, um, the way people act and the way people act in the Iliad, um, can be somewhat similar.
So obviously the difference between war— it's unimaginable for me to be in a war like that, really, really unimaginable. Um, but what I'm hearing you saying is— and then there's the gods and seeing the gods and hearing the gods. But what I'm hearing from you is that the emotions, which are that which is kind of the same, would you say that the emotions of the characters in the Iliad are completely 100% relatable?
I mean, maybe not completely 100% relatable. I mean, if there was one person who had all the feelings of all the characters, maybe, but I'm not that person. I've never had, uh, my wife abducted or my my friends killed in war. But I think, at least for me, some of the more lesser emotions, like maybe relief when the truce was— when the truce was announced, I felt relief because I was like, how long is the fighting gonna go on? I know that, but having a point like that in the story was interesting.
So maybe the Greek— and again, since this is so far away and it's an intense Yeah, everything about it is intense. So that's why they wrote stories about it. People usually don't write stories about boring things. So what I'm hearing is maybe the range of emotions and the intensity of emotions is beyond your personal experience, but the kind of nature of the emotions aside from the range and intensity is relatable. Is that accurate?
Yes.
Got it. Um, well, good. I am so glad you're reading the Iliad. Um, would you say that reading this version gives you more of the emotional intensity than reading the, say, comic book, for versions did?
Yes, definitely.
I think that's one of the reasons to read the originals is they're often much more intense, um, because again, they soften it up for kids when they do the comic versions. Are you at all— uh, is it too much for you? Do you ever feel as if it's too violent or too horrifying?
No, I haven't felt it yet.
Okay, well, I guess as a 12-year-old you're ready for that. I think we talked at one point about maybe some kids, younger kids, shouldn't be exposed to certain kinds of things. Do you think that, uh, it would be okay, say, to expose your younger brother to everything that's in The Iliad, or is it too much for him at his age?
Well, I think that my brother would be fine, um, because he is emotionally and intellectually mature enough to handle, I think. Yeah, I mean, especially since it's not a movie or a TV show, you're not seeing it, you're just reading it. Yeah, it's much different. If they made a movie about this, maybe not.
Got it. Um, especially—
yeah, yeah. And it seems, um, so maybe a movie, a TV show, that's entirely different. But a book, if my brother was able to, you know, read it as in-depth as I am— maybe he isn't right now, but later for sure, um, he'd be able to handle it.
Got it. Um, well, we've kind of gone long already, but, um, I would like to touch base on Jane Eyre. How's Jane Eyre going?
Good. I didn't make as much progress on that as the Iliad because I love the Iliad right now. But that's interesting as well. I'm enjoying reading that.
No problem. That works out because then we can spend more time talking about Jane Eyre some other weekend, OK? OK. All right, congrats on the launch of your channel. I will let people know about that in the notes. And congrats on Harvard CS50. And congrats on, yeah, the Iliad. Very cool. We'll touch base on other things later. Have a wonderful day, Alana.
Thank you. You too. Bye.
