Life Invented at SCU

On today’s episode of Life Invented, we dive into the study of us: Humanities. Santa Clara University's Center for the Arts and Humanities explores the joy of meaningful expression at the interface of the arts, humanities, sciences, and entrepreneurial genius in the 21st Century. Humanities majors include classics, art & art history, english, modern languages & literature, philosophy, and religious studies. In this podcast, we debunk myths about employability with Victor Republicano ‘13 who explains how he uses his studies in Classics to bring people together at Apple. Plus hear Chair of the Art & Art History department Andrea Pappas break down the importance of Humanities in policy making since “The balance sheet never tells you the true cost of doing something." Let’s go!

On this episode, listen in as first-generation college students and alumni share how being part of the LEAD Scholars Program introduced them to a rich college experience - from the communities built in the program to the indispensable resources it provides, both emotional and financial. As part of the LEAD program, students connect with a group of scholars who truly understand the unique challenges faced by those who are the first members of their families to attend college. The program helps them to navigate the uncharted territory of the class registration process, summer internships, and housing. It’s more than just a program - it is truly a guide for young men and women who are not just learning how to college. They are learning how to transform a generation.

What does the future hold for our planet and environment? How do we figure out solutions today that will make a better tomorrow? Join us as we sit down with Michelle Marvier, professor of Environmental Science, and Chonsa Schmidt, Environmental Science Major, to discover what the planet means to us all and how we can find hope after all. SPEAKERS: Michelle Marvier, Professor of Environmental Science Michelle Marvier is a professor of environmental science at Santa Clara University, where she has taught undergraduate courses in conservation science since 2000. She has published over 40 articles, is on the editorial board of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, and regularly publishes articles with her undergraduate students. Dr. Marvier has also worked for NOAA Fisheries on salmon conservation and has served as an adviser to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and The Nature Conservancy on matters of statistics, monitoring, and risk analysis. Chonsa Schmidt ‘18, Environmental Science Representing the Aloha state of Hawaii, Chonsa is an Environmental Science major in the class of 2018. She is an intern with the SCU Center for Sustainability, studied in Costa Rica as part of a non-traditional study abroad program, and catches air as captain of the the ultimate frisbee club. She is also a student ambassador, helping to welcome hundreds of visitors to campus every year. If you happen to see her, make sure to tell her you heard her on the podcast!

What does it mean to be an artist at a time when the stories we choose to tell, and how we tell them, might just shape the future? The nuances of choice in life and on stage are the jump off for this episode of Life Invented. Join us in conversation with nationally recognized actor Aldo Billingslea, Professor of Theatre Arts at Santa Clara University. Explore yet another way to invent the life you want to lead at Santa Clara University. SPEAKERS: Aldo Billingslea, Professor of Theatre Arts Aldo Billingslea joined the theatre department faculty as an assistant professor in the Fall of 1998 after serving as an adjunct lecturer in the spring of 1996. Billingslea earned his B.A. in English and Communication Arts at Austin College, his M.A. in Secondary Education with a Theatre and English emphasis at Austin College, and his M.F.A. in Acting at Southern Methodist University. He appeared in Santa Clara University's productions of Paul Robeson, Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale, and directed A Midsummer Night's Dream, Love's Labour Lost, Pentecost, The Shadow Box, Coriolanus, Little Shop of Horrors, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf and Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window. A member of Actor's Equity Association and the Screen Actor's Guild, Billingslea has appeared in productions of August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, Two Trains Running and Radio Golf; Eugene Oneill's The Hairy Ape; Arthur Miller's Death of A Salesman; August Strindberg's Miss Julie; Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire; and more than two dozen different plays by William Shakespeare. Billingslea has worked in the San Francisco Bay Area at the American Conservatory Theatre, Aurora Theatre, California Shakespeare Theatre, Cuttingball Theatre, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Magic Theatre, Marin Shakespeare Theatre, Marin Theatre Company, TheatreWorks, and Shakespeare Santa Cruz. He has also worked at Portland Center Stage, Portland Repertory Theatre, Tacoma Actor's Guild, Sacramento Theatre Company, Plano Repertory Theatre, Theatre Three in Dallas, San Antonio's Majestic Theatre, Oasis Theatre Company in Buffalo, San Diego's Old Globe Theater, Utah Shakespearean Festival, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, the Shakespeare Festival of Dallas and spent seven seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. Billingslea teaches American Theatre from the Black Perspective, a seminar on August Wilson, Acting for Non Majors, Acting I, Acting Styles: Shakespeare, and Acting for the Camera.

As we look with fresh eyes at how we nurture gender bias and the barriers women face in education and beyond, we are now able to consider new possibilities and solutions already in action. In this episode, we invite you to imagine what it’s like to learn in an environment with one of the highest percentages of female engineering staff in the country. Listen in as we chat with Dr. Tonya Nilsson and 2017 graduate Cynthia Le, two women who are here to share their experience as Women in Engineering at Santa Clara University. SPEAKERS: Dr. Tonya Nilsson, Department of Civil Engineering Tonya Nilsson is a full-time lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering at Santa Clara University. Previously, she was on the faculty at California State University, Chico where she was a tenured Associate Professor. Dr. Nilsson has her Professional License and has worked in industry on structural engineering projects. She received her Bachelors in Architectural Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in 1991, her Masters in Structural Engineering from Stanford University in 1993, and her Ph.D. in Structural Mechanics from University of California at Davis in 2002. Her Ph.D. research focused on the development of new material properties to model crack propagation on ductile materials. Dr. Nilsson has a strong interest in engineering education and worked for eight years with ASCE's ExCEED Teaching Workshops to train other engineering faculty on effective teaching methods and served for four years on the national ASCE, Committee on Faculty Development. She is also a member of School of Engineering's NSF "Engage" team. Cynthia Le, ‘17, Computer Science and Engineering Cynthia graduated from Santa Clara University in 2017 and transitioned her internship at Google to a full-time gig as a Creative Technologist. While at SCU, she was a member of the hip hop dance team, an Undergraduate Admissions Ambassador. Originally from Boise, ID, she studied abroad to Scotland and was an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Robotics Systems Laboratory.

Silicon Valley is the birthplace and playground of young entrepreneurs and there is a growing community of entrepreneurs that look beyond the profit and seek to be the changemakers of tomorrow. The Global Social Benefit Fellowship Program at Santa Clara University combines a fully funded summer field experience in the developing world with two quarters of academically rigorous research. The program applies compassion and social justice to real world problems, in the Jesuit educational tradition. In this episode, we learn more about this unique program, discuss impact investing, water filtration systems in Nicaragua, and the opportunities that can not only change a life, but change the world. [SPEAKERS] Aidan O’Neill, Senior, Economics Aidan is a senior Economics major who seeks to use the tools he’s learned at SCU to truly improve his industry or field of choice. His experiences abroad, both as volunteer and as traveler, instilled in him a passion for the poor jumpstarted by a microeconomics lecture where he learned that poverty is not a simple byproduct of capitalism, but rather a burden on the economy. His passion and his studies met, and as a result he looks forward to pursuing this issue even further. Keith Warner, OFM, Director, Education and Action Research Keith Douglass Warner, OFM directs Miller Center's education, fellowship, grants and action research activities. He is a practical social ethicist in the Franciscan tradition. He has designed and implemented innovative, inter-disciplinary educational programs that advance social justice and Catholic identity in higher education since he came to Santa Clara in 2004. He directs the Global Social Benefit Fellowship, which provides a comprehensive program of mentored, field-based study and research for SCU juniors within the Center's worldwide network of social entrepreneurs. With Thane Kreiner he designed the fellowship and wrote the grant that funds it. He also teaches in the Honors Program, School of Engineering, and Religious Studies Department. Keith is an active participant in the retrieval of the Franciscan Intellectual Tradition, and on the Board of Regents at the Franciscan School of Theology.

We live in an age of global connectivity and Santa Clara University seeks to graduate students who will become skilled leaders with an understanding of global complexities. Through international opportunities for action and engagement, SCU’s Global Fellows Program combines service, academics, and leadership into an experience that leaves students transformed. Hosted and funded by the Leavey School of Business, the goal of this nine-month program is to nurture competence, conscience, and compassion in Santa Clara students. Recent fellows, Nick Kikuchi and Onno Ho, tell us their stories of personal transformation, and Program Director Tanya Monsef Bunger shares how the Global Fellows Program serves her life’s passion. Our guests aim to leave no path untraveled and continue to explore the possibilities of a truly global society. [SPEAKERS] Onno Ho ‘18, Finance Onno is a junior Finance major at Santa Clara University. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Onno has been lucky to have had a variety of enriching experiences that have shaped who he is today. From teaching children in South Africa, to training with the People's Liberation Army of China, these opportunities have molded his unique perspective. His placement with the Global Fellows Program sent him to work with artisan company AHABolivia in Cochabamba, Bolivia focusing on corporate social responsibility, sustainability, ethical business practices, and teaching mathematics. He’s also studied abroad in London and worked as a financial analyst internship at tech start up, Virtually Reality. Nick Kikuchi ‘18, Bioengineering Nick is a junior Bioengineering major from San Jose, CA and aspires to create a more just and equal world where his research and work can improve the lives of many. He has a powerful goal to work with prosthetic limbs that will revolutionize this technology and industry. His passion is to help others, change the face of medical technology, and create a more just world. Nick’s placement with the Global Fellows Program sent him to work with Moscoso Arquitectura, an architecture firm founded by Mario Moscoso where he was able to put to use his engineering background. His experience in Bolivia changed his perspective and broaden his global view. Nick looks forward to putting his experience in Bolivia into practice when he interns at Genentech this summer. Tanya Monsef Bunger, Program Director, Global Fellows Program Tanya is a global business consultant and executive coach with 25+ years of Silicon Valley high tech, startups and non-profit business success in the areas of finance, marketing and strategy. She has coached and delivered programs with leaders from 40+ countries. She designs leadership training, leads workshops, provides one-on-one coaching, and facilitates conversations to clients around the world. She speaks globally about the power of leading from authenticity as a way to create harmony in the workplace. She is Dean's Executive Professor, Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University (SCU). Tanya is active in global leadership projects. She is Chair of the board for Global Women’s Leadership Network, co-founder of SF Turkish Women’s International Network chapter, advisor for Turkish Women’s Initiative, and program director of the Global Fellows program at SCU. She is also a proud alumna of SCU, Class of 1986.

They made the choice and are now having the time of their lives. In part two of our conversation, Uma, Nathan and Alonzo share their favorite parts about Bronco life from the laundry lessons to their Saturday nights. Every student’s experience is different but the Bronco pride remains the same. Press play to hear more about how these students are making the most out of a Santa Clara University experience they will always remember.

Raw, genuine, honest answers. That’s what we got when we sat down with three undergraduate students and discussed how they made the Bronco choice. In part one of our two part conversation, hear how these current students submitted dozens of college applications and navigated the decision making process to find just the right fit. Every path is unique to the individual, but these three students discovered a way forward where their potential is limitless. SPEAKERS: Nathan Metzger, Senior, Mechanical Engineering Nathan is a senior Mechanical Engineering major on the path to complete a Masters in Mechatronics, Robotics and Automation Engineering. He is from San Jose, CA and blends his passion for engineering with a love for music. He is a member of the SCU Chamber Choir and a capella groups and will sing for you at the drop of a hat. Just ask him! Uma Palaniappan, Senior, Public Health Science/Public Psychology Uma is originally from Fremont, CA and is interested in the intersection of technology and healthcare. She is double majoring in Public Health Science and Public Psychology on the Pre-Med path. Uma is a Global Fellow who completed a program in Istanbul and would love to start off at a digital health company and then expand into global health. Eventually, she would love to pursue a career in medicine or epidemiology and with a senior superlative like “chatterbox”, we’re certain her bedside manner will be top notch. Alonzo Billips, Freshman, Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering Originally from Los Angeles, CA, Alonzo is enjoying his first year at SCU as a declared Bioengineering major. He’s on the Varsity Baseball team, and is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Igwebuike (SCU’s Black Student Union). He considers himself a natural leader. With stints as freshman, sophomore, junior and student body president during his high school years, we’d agree wholeheartedly!

A few times each year, high school seniors and transfer students all over the country wait anxiously for that one big decision from their colleges of choice. Have I been denied, waitlisted, or accepted? On this episode, we go behind the scenes and hear from a few members of the Undergraduate Admissions team as they reflect on their own college experiences that help drive their decision making and share a few tips for all those waiting on the edge of their seats. Press Play to hear their top questions you may want to ask yourself before submitting that enrollment deposit. SPEAKERS: Eva Blanco Masias, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Eva has been with the Undergraduate Admission Office since 2003, formerly serving as Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Admission. She is responsible for leading admission and recruitment efforts of first-year and transfer students, including oversight of all marketing and technology associated with enrolling each incoming class. Eva worked for ten years in Latin American and Hispanic media and has served on several boards and committees of local and national non-profit organizations. Eva who hails from Venice Beach, has also lived in New Haven, Miami, and now resides in San Jose with her husband and daughter. AJ Howell-Williams, Senior Associate Director A.J. is a native of San Jose, CA, but has spent time in each of the four corners of the country. A former transfer student and athlete, A.J. oversees the Transfer process and is the Admission liaison for Athletics recruitment. An admissions veteran, A.J. has worked in higher education for over a decade and is a published author on race and societal issues. Eddie Kelinsky, Assistant Director Eddie was born and raised in Pasadena, CA, before attending Santa Clara University as an undergraduate. While attending, he was heavily involved in student life, including new student orientation, philanthropy, student government, and improv comedy. As a member of the admissions team, he is excited to help future Broncos find their home at SCU. He also coordinates the ShadowSCU program and visitor services, ensuring that prospective students and their families leave campus with a student's perspective of student life, campus culture, and the admissions process.