Stories from the Center of the Universe

Episode 22: The Merry Middlebury Pranksters

This is the story of the Middlebury Pranksters, an Ultimate frisbee team that left their home in Vermont's wintry north on a quest for the 2019 Division III National Title.  Giving us the rundown are the 2019 team captains: Alex Forde (The Eloquent), Asher Lantz (The Thinker), and Dylan Salzman (The Commander), who share the ins and outs of their journey, including injuries, rivalries, game-saving plays, mid-tournament food-poisoning, and above all, the hard work the team put in on and off the field. If you are new to the sport of ultimate, don't worry - the rules of the game are explained as we go. 

Pictured: 2019 Seniors, left to right: Asher Lantz, Alex Forde, Eli Wolfgang, Dylan Salzman

 

Episode 21: Their Game, My Truth

Our guest this week is LaToya Robinson, who came on to tell us about becoming a young mother, and how she rose to the occasion to provide the best life for her daughter. She also shares her experience as a black woman in corporate America and her insights on playing the "game" . On top of her job as a manager for a successful financial services company, Toya is also a top-ranked realtor in the city of Atlanta, so if you are looking for a home, you know who to call! Lots of wisdom and perspective to be gained from this conversation.  

Follow Toya on Instagram at @toya__the__realtor

Episode 20: Heady Stuff

This week we've got William Still on to talk on growing up in small town GA at the time of the Atlanta Child Murders, then later moving to DC and working various jobs on Capitol Hill (including as a researcher at NRSC and the press assistant to Phil Gramm's campaign). He also tells us about going to law school at night with 2 kids and a full time lobbying job, and his experience of being in DC for 9/11.

Episode 19: Twice Winter Ranger

First Lieutenant Jack Stockhausen is not one for taking the easy road. At 25 years old, he bears the distinction of being a West Point alumnus and U.S. Army Ranger, with a deployment under his belt. Jack comes on to talk about his time at the Academy, and how, upon failing Ranger School in the final week, he decided to do what few others do - go back and start the grueling course all over again. We are also joined by Jack's dad Mike, who came on back in our first episode.

Episode 18: May the Fourth Be With You

Alexandra Santiago Aguilar, a self-described "Salvado-Rican," grew up in Long Island, NY, and after decades of focusing on her career, found love in her 40s and decided to pursue motherhood. Alex shares her journey with IVF, and her plans to blog about her experience as a new mother for the sake of other women in her situation. We also hear from Alex on how her pursuit of an MBA played into her corporate success, and why she has a huge poster of Darth Vader in her office.   

Episode 17: Sarah Wall 2048

Sarah Wall has a more diverse career than most Millennials out there. From Democratic campaigns to Republican campaigns; from political think tanks to the food service industry; from nonprofits to a global financial company. We catch Sarah mid-journey, and she shares some wisdom from her breadth of experience, including her thoughts on the non profit world vs the corporate world, what she wishes was different about Baltimore, and the roundabout path she took to finding her political stance.

Episode 16: Revolutions & Revelations

Yannis Katsaros was born in Athens, Greece as the eldest of three. When he was five years old, his family moved to Cairo, Egypt, where he was raised through high school. In tenth grade, Yannis was evacuated from Cairo due to the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, and returned four months later, after the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. This episode, Yannis talks about his memories of the Arab Spring, and reflects on where life has taken him in the decade since.

Episode 15: Wooden Shoes Any Other Podcast

This episode, we are joined by newlyweds Katy and Niels de Koning. Katy, our senior podcast advisor, fills us in on her background, from losing her Miami home during Hurricane Andrew to chasing the dream of living in NYC. Niels, who was Virginia-born and Netherlands-raised, breaks down American misconceptions about the Netherlands and Dutch history, and reveals the truth about wooden shoes. Finally, we hear about how their story started with a super-like on Tinder, and culminated in a completely unexpected proposal on a misty day in Montreal.

Episode 14: Why did the Epidemiologist Cross the Road?

Dr. Kiarri Kershaw is a social epidemiologist whose research focuses on how social environments impact health, particularly cardiovascular health. This episode, we hear about Kiarri's motivations in becoming an epidemiologist, her perspective on the pandemic we find ourselves in, and her research on how race, segregation, and various social factors can influence cardiovascular health.

Joining us to help out with the interview is Kiarri's younger sister, Njeri Kershaw.

Pictured: Kiarri (left), Njeri (Middle), and their mom (right)

Episode 13: A Versatile Contributor

Tony Szymendera is the Varsity Baseball coach and Head of Upper School for St Christophers Boys School in Richmond. In our conversation, Tony shares his thoughts about St Christophers' ongoing journey of adapting to distance learning, and the challenges and opportunities it presents. He also talks about his path to becoming an educator and coach, and imparts some wisdom from his 25 years of coaching baseball. Finally, Tony shared his memories of Tad DuPriest and Brad Parrish, dear friends to each other and alumni of St Christophers, both of whom tragically passed away a year apart, and far before their time. Tad's Friends and Family later started Tad's Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring his life and serving children. To read more about what they do and donate, visit https://tadskids.org.