Vivi Wei is Brand Manager and Business Development Director at Brain Co. in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She is a recent graduate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Education Policy and Analysis. Her learning journey has taken her from Hubei, China, to Edinburgh, Scotland, to Boston, USA. She shares about her struggles to fit into and work with the Chinese educational system. Her perspective greatly expanded through literature and travel. Vivi has been led by her many interests in international affairs, educational policy, and technology. Her work at Brain Co pulls together her interests in making a change in the world through curriculum related to robotics and coding. Check out what Vivi has to say about being a global citizen! 

Cathleen Kong is a computer science educator and former software engineer at Microsoft with experience teaching, designing technology-enhanced learning experiences, and building software. She is passionate about helping students develop technical skills through engaging, real-world projects in computer science and AI. In our conversation, she shares her interdisciplinary journey of becoming a software engineer and the connecting thread of wanting to build things that help other people. Her work as a teacher comes from a place of hope that new generations of leaders will be equipped with not only the right skills, but also a solid sense of moral values to inform their decisions. Enjoy what Cathleen has to say about being a global citizen. 

Dr. Sarah Ann Wider is emerita professor of English and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Colgate University. A distinguished scholar of American literature, Wider spent nearly four decades teaching at Colgate University, where she developed a wide-ranging curriculum centered on Ralph Waldo Emerson, the Transcendentalist movement, feminist autobiographical writing, and Native American literature. As former president of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Society, she has made enduring contributions to the study of Emerson and the broader American Renaissance. In our dialogue, Sarah shares about the role of storytelling in healing past traumas, building greater community, and envisioning a more hopefilled world. She is a life long learner who exudes a passion for good conversation. 

Dr. Sarah Ann Wider is emerita professor of English and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Colgate University. A distinguished scholar of American literature, Wider spent nearly four decades teaching at Colgate University, where she developed a wide-ranging curriculum centered on Ralph Waldo Emerson, the Transcendentalist movement, feminist autobiographical writing, and Native American literature. As former president of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Society, she has made enduring contributions to the study of Emerson and the broader American Renaissance. In our dialogue, Sarah shares about the role of storytelling in healing past traumas, building greater community, and envisioning a more hopefilled world. She is a life long learner who exudes a passion for good conversation. 

Herminio L. Perez, DMD, MBA, EdD is a nationally recognized leader in dental education, student affairs, diversity, and academic innovation. Herminio currently serves as Assistant Dean for Campus Life at the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM). He is guided by a deep commitment to education, inclusion, and humanistic authentic leadership. In our dialogue, Herminio shares about his love for dentistry as a combination of the arts and science. His mission to educate, raise, and mentor the new generation of dentists to be ethical leaders and professionals is truly inspiring. Find out what Herminio has to say about being a dentist and a global citizen. 

Dr. Michael Miller is a mission-driven executive leader with 20+ years of progressive experience across higher education, including academic affairs, student services, and institutional advancement. He is the Associate Dean at The City College of New York, The Spitzer School of Architecture. Michael shares about his foundational experiences as an actor and the ways in which he brings his full self into the work he does in higher education. He speaks to the need for global citizens to lead with kindness and curiosity. 

Handrio Durham is an anthropologist (Boston University) with an MA in philosophy (Texas Tech University). His work lies at the intersection of culture, language, ethics, and technology, with a current interest in how human meaning-making is conducted through systems. Currently, he applies his background in ethnography and critical analysis to AI qualitative evaluation at Meta, ensuring linguistic precision, cultural nuance, and ethical alignment in Indonesian-language AI tasks. Enjoy listening to Handrio’s journey to discover his passion for philosophy and learning. He also shares insights about his other passion for opera about language learning, culture, arts, and human connection. 

Dr. Denise Nelson Nash is a strategic leader and transformational project expert. She is the Vice President and Secretary of the Board of Trustees at Scripps College. She also is co-host of "Life in Higher Ed" Podcast and co-author of the book: Trinity of Leadership: Learners, Thinkers, Tinkerers. With over 25 years of experience driving transformative change, she specializes in turning complex challenges into sustainable growth opportunities. Enjoy our dialogue about learning beyond borders, believing in one’s agency to achieve great things, and engaging in humanistic leadership. 

Dr. Hans Schattle is a Professor of Political Science at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. He teaches coursework in citizenship, democracy, civil society, cosmopolitanism, nationalism, global governance, political theory, political communications and politics of Europe, East Asia and the United States. He has written two books, Globalization and Citizenship and The Practices of Global Citizenship, both published by Rowman & Littlefield, as well as numerous articles in academic journals and commentaries in newspapers, including The New York Times/ International Herald Tribune, The Guardian and The Christian Science Monitor. We discuss American politics, democracy, and global citizenship. Enjoy what Dr. Schattle has to say about what it means to be a global citizen. 

Sheila Nabanja is the co-founder of Musizi University in Uganda: the first liberal arts university in the country, opening its inaugural cohort in January 2027. She serves as Executive Director of the Foundation driving strategy, fundraising, governance, and stakeholder relationships across the US diaspora and Uganda. Africa's next generation of leaders needs better infrastructure, and education is the longest-compounding investment there is. Sheila received her PhD from MIT and has a background in electrical engineering and technology. Enjoy our conversation about stretching beyond one’s boundaries and finding your purpose in life.