The Arts are Alive in Kent County, especially at The Mainstay, a nonprofit live music venue dedicated to the performing arts. We got to chat with Matt Mielnick, who started working for the 26-year-old venue in Rock Hall in 2021.

In addition to learning about the variety of events and programs offered at The Mainstay, Matt treated us to some history of the venue and area, as well as his professional background and career path. Learn how to follow your passion and explore possible career pathways with this episode!

Learn more about The Judy Center at Henry Highland Garnet Elementary School (HHGES) in Kent County.

Elizabeth and Brittani describe their daily tasks, current projects, and roles, as well as community engagement and challenges.

We're chatting all things civic engagement with the incomparable Pat Nugent, Thomas V. Mike Miller Director of Civic Engagement, Washington College Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience.

From NYC tour guide to building student and community engagement in and around historic Chestertown, Pat offers his best practices and words of wisdom for creating inclusive programming and building relationships.

He also shares an exciting opportunity for high school students - Hip Hop Time Capsule, a paid summer internship opportunity that allows students to explore local history while finding their voices.

BONUS: hear a couple of tracks during this episode that were created by KCHS students & alumni!

Learn about all things senior year, Next Generation Scholars (NGS), and the NGS Leaders program with Class of 2023 members Alycia and Lacy. They've both been part of the MBRT NGS program since the very beginning, January 2018! Let's go on a journey.

Curious about the implementation of Blueprint for Maryland's Future in Kent County Public Schools (KCPS)? Check out this chat with Tom Porter, Assistant Coordinator of Accountability and Implementation at KCPS. Learn about the timeline and upcoming initiatives related to the Blueprint. 

We got to learn about the Rock Hall Seventh-day Adventist Blessing Bag program - a weekly program that provides food and hygiene items to those in need in Kent County. This program has grown exponentially over the past year and continues to grow! Learn how the program benefits the Kent County community, how to participate, and more.

Listen to this conversation with Mark Berry, MBA, Director of TRIO Upward Bound at Chesapeake College. We cover his professional journey through higher education, including work in student affairs, and aspirations to become a top leader in higher education. This energetic chat also features a new program available at KCHS - Upward Bound. Learn how you (or a student you know) can join this program and receive help to go higher!

We had the opportunity to chat with Justin Jenkins, Math and Science Instructional Coach, Engineering Teacher, and former math teacher.

Mr. Jenkins knew he wanted to pursue public service since high school. Having great teachers and mentors in high school helped him succeed as a first generation college student. Now, he's pursuing his doctorate in education. Learn about his professional journey, thoughts on education, and more!

We got to chat with ice cream artist, designer, and entrepreneur Jacqueline Lockwood, of Lockbriar & Daughter, and family-owned Lockbriar Farms in Chestertown, MD. We cover a variety of topics - skills, food science and technology, communication, networking, and finding your passion and gift.

A lifelong learner, Jacqueline was intent on pursuing higher education. With her family's background in owning and operating family farms (Lockbriar celebrates 18 years in 2022), she knew she wanted to work in agriculture, but changed her direction after making connections in college. She was able to pair love of food, food science and technology, photography, and more to create and promote Lockbriar & Daughter, a premier local business that combines fresh fruit, herbs, and produce with high-quality dairy to produce unique and seasonal ice cream. The ice cream is available on their farm and also for hire at events, with their transportable ice cream wagon. 

Join this conversation with Kristen Owen! We chat about her love of learning and history and her journey to becoming a Vice President and Financial Advisor with Chesapeake Bank & Trust. More importantly, we talk about the skills that helped her on this career pathway (like problem solving, customer service, and communication) and share a message with students that there’s time to discover future jobs, especially if you focus on building your skills.