Podcasts
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Updated: August 17, 2023
The Psychology of Test-Taking: How to Crush Anxiety and Succeed in Life
Dr. Dimitrios Vonofakos joins us to talk about the psychological aspects of test-taking to bring us a fresh perspective on test anxiety, facing your fears, and applying problem-solving frameworks to real-world challenges (not just test-taking).
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Updated: July 21, 2023
Life’s Pop Quiz: The Unexpected Lessons of Grad School Exams
Anish Merchant often recounts “The Hero’s Journey” — the story of a hero who goes on a grand adventure to find where he or she belongs. Stories like this inspired Anish to leave the U.S. in pursuit of his own grand adventure — one that helped him find where he belonged: in Buenas Aires, Argentina.
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Updated: June 02, 2023
Unlocking the Universe: From Forbes 30 Under 30 to New Frontiers in Science
Maryam Esmat, a Forbes Middle East 30 Under 30 honoree, returns for the second part of her interview. In this episode, Maryam shares the work she’s done for NASA by AURA on the James Webb Space Telescope, her current research on the topic of dark matter, and the rarity of Arabs in the physics realm.
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Updated: May 12, 2023
Prologue to Greatness: Author, Astrophysicist, and Mentor
Maryam Esmat’s 24 years of life have played out like a greatest hits album. She’s graced the pages of Forbes Middle East 30 Under 30 for her work in astrophysics and donned the title of the youngest published author in the Middle East — yet, if you ask her where we are in her life’s story, she’d tell you we’ve only read the prologue. Maryam is currently pursuing her PhD at Johns Hopkins University, and if that’s any indication, her story is shaping up to be one for the history books.
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Updated: March 07, 2023
Elevating the Student Voices of Tomorrow
Danny Nguyen returns for the second half of his two-part interview. In this episode, Danny shares his optimistic outlook for the future of international students and the importance of elevating student voices.
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Updated: February 14, 2023
Escaping 1977 Vietnam: Finding a Place to Belong
Danny Nguyen and his family escaped from Vietnam to America in 1975 during the Vietnam War because his parents wanted a better life for their four children. Now, Danny is the VP of Administrative Services at Mission College. This is part 1 of his conversation.
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Updated: January 18, 2023
Rewriting the Code: Black Women in STEM
Jessie Gentles is a Jamaican-born woman and software engineering student at Miami University. In this podcast interview, she talks about being part of the minuscule 3% of women of color in the IT space.
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Updated: November 22, 2022
The Future of EdTech: Hope, Empathy, and Connection
Paige Steffy returns for Part 2 of a two-part interview.
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Updated: November 01, 2022
Chasing the Hogwarts Fantasy: Transporting to the U.K.
In this podcast episode, meet Paige Steffy. She received her undergraduate degree from University of California, Davis and her graduate degree at Royal Holloway, University of London. Enjoy part 1 of her journey in this episode.
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Updated: October 14, 2022
Engineering a Legacy: Overcoming Expectations, Gender Roles, and Cancer
Juliana Pereira returns for Part 2 of a two-part interview. In this episode, Juliana talks about her career as a Geotechnical Engineer who’s carrying the weight of purpose for women in STEM — and that’s not even her greatest challenge.
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Updated: October 13, 2022
Breaking Societal Norms: Women Do Belong in STEM
Juliana Pereira from Brazil is paving the way for women in engineering at Purdue University. Join us for part one of our two-part interview!
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Updated: October 13, 2022
Court's in Session: Restarting a Law Career in a New Country
Rezarta Mataj had already achieved a great deal in her career at a young age — a federal judge by the age of 24, a lovely family soon after, and the accolades to be an adjunct professor at public and private law schools all across Albania. However, there was one caveat: she couldn’t rid herself of the thought that she’d be able to build a better life for herself and her family in the U.S.
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Updated: October 13, 2022
Reporting to You Live: From Germany to U.S. Television
Luisa Wiewgorra joins us for Part 2 of her two-part interview. In this podcast episode, Luisa reflects on her most memorable experiences studying journalism, and the doors that were opened during her time at Madonna University.
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Updated: October 13, 2022
Set, Spike, Scholarship: A Student-Athlete's Journey
Born and raised in Potsdam, Germany, Luisa Wiewgorra worked hard to become an accomplished volleyball player which led her to receiving an athletic scholarship from Madonna University. In Part 1 of our 2-part podcast interview, Luisa opens up about her life in Germany, and the demands of a scholarship athlete in the U.S.
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Updated: October 13, 2022
Songs of Life, Death, Depression, and Hope
Bwejua Fachano returns for Part 2 of his two-part interview. In this podcast episode, Bwejua joins us as we do a retrospective of his last three songs; Fade, Father Father, and Waylon Smithers. These songs touch on heavy themes including life, death, and depression. In those defining moments, Bwejua could have sunk under the weight of expectation. That’s not who Bwejua is, however, and it’s why he’s found renewed hope for tomorrow.
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Updated: October 13, 2022
Songs of Friendship, Family, Spirituality, and Love
As we learn in this podcast interview, Bwejua Fachano is a lot of things; he’s a talented musician, a cancer survivor, and an international student — but more than that, he’s a dreamer. Through his journey from Abuja, Nigeria to being months away from graduating from Los Angeles City College, Bwejua’s experiences reflect that of a man who dares to dream.
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Updated: October 13, 2022
Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone, Part 2
Valeria Rivera personifies the growth you can experience by stepping out of your comfort zone. In this podcast, hear how her origins brought her from San Salvador, El Salvador, to now being one semester away from graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Commercial Design from Lycoming College.
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Updated: October 13, 2022
Moving Out of Your Comfort Zone, Part 1
Valeria Rivera personifies the growth you can experience by stepping out of your comfort zone. In this podcast interview, hear how her origins brought her from San Salvador, El Salvador, to now being one semester away from graduating with her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Commercial Design from Lycoming College.
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Updated: October 13, 2022
Finding Your Ideal Path in Higher Ed
Duc Pham returns for Part 2 of a two-part interview. In this podcast episode, Duc talks about his experience going from community college student to college professor.
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Updated: October 13, 2022
A Journey to Pay it Forward
Podcast episode 5 with Duc Pham (Part 1): Duc Pham is building upon a legacy inspired by generosity. His story began in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and continued through his studies at Santa Rosa Junior College.