When he sent his story in to NPR's College Podcast Challenge, Michael Vargas Arango had no idea how his life was about to change.
In it, he talked about growing up in his native Colombia and then moving to the U.S. to study at Miami-Dade College, all while living with a rare mental health condition.
"I am not dangerous. I'm not crazy, and I'm not delusional," he says by way of introducing himself. "I'm just one more guy with a mental health condition living with it.
He called his podcast The Monsters We Create, and he used his own voice, interviews with other students and creative audio effects to convey what it's like living with schizoaffective disorder. That's a chronic mental health condition where a person experiences symptoms of schizophrenia, such as hallucinations or delusions, and mood disorders like depression. It's rare — Vargas Arango is among the 3 in 1,000 people who experience it.
Our judges found his story compelling, deeply emotional and highly moving, and they chose him last summer as our college champion and awarded him the $5,000 grand prize scholarship.
Recently, Vargas Arango sent us a new podcast, The Monsters We Saved, in which he talks about surprising responses he's received from listeners around the world. Many were from people with their own mental health conditions who talked about how his story made them feel understood, and seen.
Parents wrote to ask him how they could best support their children with schizoaffective disorder. Several listeners asked him to recreate his podcast in different languages, so his message could reach beyond English speakers.
In his new podcast, Vargas Arango tells the story of one listener in particular who came from his own home town: Stefano, a schizoaffective teenager who wrote to him from Medellin, Colombia.
"I felt like I was talking to myself in an earlier stage of my journey," Vargas Arango says in his podcast. "Having the opportunity to guide someone else on their own journey was just priceless. I felt so happy, so fulfilled and not scared anymore."
But it took a while before he could fully celebrate his accomplishment. Earlier this year, his grandmother passed away in Colombia. And, he tells us, he wasn't able to go home for a final visit with her, or attend her funeral.
"I felt lost since I came to this country wondering if sacrificing the time I could spend with my family in Colombia to pursue an uncertain dream in the U.S. was worth it," he says. "I ask myself every morning, is this what I am supposed to be doing?"
Vargas Arango says telling his story through The Monsters We Create answered that question. He's found deep satisfaction and a sense of purpose in being able to help and connect with so many people.
He's graduated now from Miami Dade College, and says he'll be studying journalism this fall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"I might have not seen my grandma again," he says. "But I will make her proud no matter what happens."
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