Written By Sabina Gallier
“When I was a kid, I was really anxious”
I always had headphones on. My headphones were my safe space. I wasn’t solitary, but I did love to sit in my room, listening to music and making mix tapes. Sharing music was my love language and the primary way I communicated with people. Even if the song didn’t land in my top favourite genres, I would still want to listen to what other people found comfort in. Even if it didn’t resonate with me in the long run, it was still important for me to hear it.
Born to an Egyptian-Greek mother and Jamaican-British father, my music taste has always been diverse. My childhood was filled with blues, rock, pop, jazz, techno and classical Egyptian operatic singing. I like music I can dance to and songs that I find mildly-threatening and dramatic in the best way.
“I Really Just Liked to Listen”
My dad tried to teach me to play guitar, but I had a hard time focusing. I really just liked to listen. Music makes me feel a way that other things can’t. It’s my anchor – music is the first thing I go to as an anxious person and it’s my comfort. Every feeling I have, there is a song or artist for it.
As a child, I lived on the island of Bahrain in the Middle East for many years with limited radio options. Radio Bahrain was my go to. It played Top 40 from all over the world. So, while it was the only station I listened to early on, it had a wealth of different sounds.
Later, I moved to the U.S., specifically Ontario, CA, where I started High School. Moving to this country was a major culture shock. I felt very alone in my new environment. I was the loner headphone kid until Junior year when I bonded with a few peers over Breaking Benjamin and Evanescence.
“What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been“
After graduating High School, I went on to attempt a major in kinesiology at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA. I had an interest in physical wellness but it started to feel like it was something that I could explore once-in-a-while rather than a career choice. I was feeling a little lost when a friend decided to show me his neck of the woods in print journalism on campus. For the rest of my time in community college, I immersed myself in print as my focus.
I was very proud of my work. I met interesting individuals, I won regional and state awards. AlthoughI was good at sharing stories but I wasn’t happy. Re-enter the anxiety.
While I loved connecting with people, the weight of some of the stories I’d encountered, written or edited stayed with me. All of the stories were important to tell but there are still some that stick.
I became depressed about my future and worried about having to start over.
In the midst of a career crisis, I remembered that every time myself or my peers had won an award, our journalism department received invitation letters from a university I didn’t recognize in a city called Arcata, CA.
“A Literal Breath of Fresh Air”
The journalism department at Cal Poly Humboldt (at the time Humboldt State University) had been inviting students to tour their campus and consider a future in Northern California. I contacted two friends who had already made their move up there and asked if they’d show me around. A 14 hour drive and many tanks of gas later, I knew I’d found home in Humboldt County.
Coming off of the US Highway 101 to 14th street into the city of Arcata and being greeted by the glistening of the trees the morning after a night of rain was an experience I wasn’t prepared for. In comparison to the cement of the suburbs, a city surrounded by forest was a literal breath of fresh air.
When I was accepted to the university in the Fall of 2011, I explored the Broadcast Journalism department. I thought I’d be interested in a career in television news. But, I quickly realized that I didn’t like being on camera. I was interested in the production aspect of audio so I joined the Radio Production course. Through that class, I was encouraged to join the on-campus, student-run radio station KRFH. I ended up having my own radio show for the duration of my academic career. Each semester would have felt empty without it.
“Childhood Mixtapes”
It was terrifying in the beginning but over the years, I curated a show reminiscent of my childhood mixtapes. From as many genres as I could find to as many eras as I could explore, I had an hour each week to share with listeners both near and far. It was a full circle moment in my life that made me realize my calling had revealed itself.
During my last semester in Spring of 2014, the KRFH advisor recommended that I apply for a substitute DJ position at a local radio station called KSLG-FM in Ferndale, CA, a few cities over from the university. The current format of the station is indie-alternative new music with a throwback here and there. I sent in an aircheck, an example of my on-air presence and to this day, I refuse to revisit it. It was my most embarrassing aircheck to date and minutes after sending it in, I wished that I could have taken it back! I also use that experience as a lesson that we are often harder on ourselves than we need to be because that aircheck helped me land the job.
My start as a substitute host later became a daily afternoon host shift by late 2015.
In 2018, I became the Program Director, Music Director and host of Sabina’s Morning Show on KSLG-FM. KSLG is in a smaller market and that has given me an immense appreciation for the freedom I have as a programmer out here. I have had the flexibility to develop my skills as a personable DJ as well as curate a station that does things a little differently.
Stay tuned for part 2
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