Northeastern Next Podcast

Kyle Kornack, S’13, graduated from Northeastern with a BA in environmental studies, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a drive for social change. With fellow alumni, David Cooch, S’13, and Liam Madden, S’12, he co-founded, and is the executive director of Green Gas, a nonprofit organization that uses innovative fundraising to offset carbon emissions at the gas pump. Transportation is the largest driver of greenhouse gas emissions in the US, and these donations directly support tree-planting and climate action projects, allowing users to drive “carbon neutral.” Kornack and Cooch were named in the 2019 Forbes 30 under 30 Social Entrepreneurs list.

Connect with Kyle on Twitter @krKornack and @GreenGas_org

Visit: greengasmovement.org

In hearing culture, American Sign Language (ASL) and the Deaf community remain a mystery to many, but some hearing individuals have dedicated their careers and personal lives as advocates and interpreters for the deaf. Madeleine Eames, MBA’18, and Tom Lauterborn, SSH’13, MS’18, are skilled hearing ASL interpreters, who have both discovered a career path and interest in deaf culture. Eames most recently worked at the Center for Atypical Language Interpreting (CALI), a grant-funded center at Northeastern. Lauterborn worked as a staff interpreter and administrator for Northeastern’s American Sign Language program until recently starting a full time freelance career in interpreting.

At Northeastern, entrepreneurship is in our DNA, and the innovation ecosystem has helped many students and alumni take their venture to the next level. This Northeastern Next bonus episode is a slightly different format in celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week. In October, we held an event on campus called, "The Market," featuring nine alumni vendors and small business owners. Almost 150 attendees spent the evening connecting with alumni behind local brands, and sampling unique food and beverage products from chocolates and teas, to savory dips. In this episode you will hear a preview of each vendor's entrepreneurial journey.

Our featured vendors include: Noank Nibbles - Elisa Coppelman The Happy Cactus - Tucker Gaccione, DMSB'19 Serenade Chocolatier - Nur Kilic, E'82 VermarjeTea Co. - Mary Fernandes, DMSB'83 Amie Bakery - Amie Smith, AS'87 Recreo Coffee & Roasterie - Miriam Morales, E'90 (f)x foods - Sophie Gechijian, SSH'16 The Ancient Bakers - Tonya Johnson, MS'18

For Sarah Gaines, AMD’15, what began as a blog called Fit University to help college students stay strong and healthy soon attracted a nationwide community. And, thanks to her Northeastern network and the university’s venture accelerator, IDEA, Fit University is now a global phenomenon, with Gaines holding fitness and health events, workshops and retreats around the world. Recently, USA Today invited her to do a Facebook Live workout for that news outlet’s million-plus online followers. Gaines also hosted a Huskies Fitness class for alumni and established Y Society, a forum to support young women’s social and professional development.

Connect with Sarah @sarahjgaines: Instagram, Twitter, Website

Imagine if switching on your favorite sports game was actually an important part of your career. Tom Giles, AS’09, majored in communications, and was recognized as the voice of Northeastern basketball on the campus radio station, WRBB 104.9 FM—a platform that launched his career. The proud western Massachusetts native began his on-air television career in Grand Junction, Colorado, before moving on to Spokane, Washington. He can now be seen on air from 9-11 p.m weeknights as a co-host of NBC Boston Sports Tonight.

It took just one event for Seema Brodie, L'01, founder of BikeBus, a cycling gym on wheels with a patent-pending safety system, to get reconnected to Northeastern. She hosted a Huskies Fitness class, part of an event series organized by the Office of Alumni Relations. From there, she became involved in the Women Who Empower program’s annual summit. She was also a featured guest at the She Started It Film Festival, organized by OAR and IDEA, Northeastern’s student-run venture accelerator—where she found business-development support, networking opportunities, and access to new investors. Today, Brodie is leveraging the McCarthy(s) Venture Mentoring Network, and she has given talks at the School of Law about her startup.

Book a bike at bikebus.com

Connect on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @bikebusboston

Binja Basimike wears countless hats, and as you will hear, she aims to give each role 110 percent! Binja serves as the chair of Northeastern's Young Alumni Advisory Board and is a frequent volunteer, host, and panelist for alumni events. She currently works as a Healthcare Business Systems Consultant at Synthesis Health. A double husky, she received a BS from Bouvé College of Health Sciences in 2012 and her Master of Public Health in 2014. In her free time, Binja runs a blog called African Cocktail.

The Northeastern Next Podcast is your channel to your global alumni network. In this show, we will catch up with alumni to hear what they do every day to achieve what’s next, and learn about their journey after Northeastern.

Tune in to season one to hear from entrepreneurs, TV personalities, fitness experts, and more. 

Questions, comments, or ideas for next guests can be emailed to [email protected].