College Matters. Alma Matters.

As a first generation college student, Prof. Steve Engel was lucky to have been mentored by some great professors. That shaped his undergraduate experience and motivated him to go into academia.

In 2005, he became the Director of, what was then, the Honors Program at Georgia Southern, and the Dean in 2020, when the Honors Program transitioned to Honors College.

In this podcast, Dean Engel introduces the Georgia Southern Honors College, shares the Highlights of Programs, How to Apply, UG Research, Study Abroad, Scholarships and Career Opportunities.

In particular, we discuss the following with him:

Topics discussed in this episode:

Our Guest: Steve Engel is Professor of Political Science and the Dean of the Georgia Southern Honors College. Dean Engel earned his PhD in Political Science from Loyola University of Chicago.

Memorable Quote: “I always like to say, Honor students are booksmart, they wouldn't be an Honors, if they weren't booksmart. But I know they're more than booksmart. And I want them to be able to demonstrate that. And so that's what the Experiential Learning requirement really does for them.” Dean Engel.

Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode’s Transcript.

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By her own admission, Kimber was a book nerd in high school. She also watched True Crime TV Shows. Those shows Inspired her to study some form of forensics by the time she was a senior.

So when time came for college, she only looked at colleges with a strong Forensic Anthropology program.

Kimber joins our podcast to share her undergraduate honors college journey at Radford University, UG Research experiences, Interest in Forensic Science, FBI Internship, and Advice for High School Students.

In particular, we discuss the following with her:

Topics discussed in this episode:

Our Guests: Kimber Creek graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropological Sciences from Radford University Honors College. Kimber is pursuing graduate study in Biological Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Memorable Quote: “When I was transitioning to college, it was really easy because my suite-mate was in honors, my roommate was in honors. The girl down the hall was, like most of the people in the dorm were, in honors”, Kimber Cheek.

Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode’s Transcript.

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Sandra got her start in College Counseling when Seattle Prep changed direction to become a 4-year High School Program in the late ‘80s. She was part of the team that began offering a program to prepare their students for college.

Today, she is the Director of College Counseling at the school.

On our podcast, Sandra shares her background, her counseling approach, changes over the decades, managing expectations, and advice to high school students.

In particular, we discuss the following with her:

Topics discussed in this episode:

Our Guest: Sandra Foy is the Director of College Counseling at Seattle College Preparatory.

Memorable Quote: “So it's rewarding to help kids navigate the process, because there's so many different kids with different points of view. And I really like that.” Sandra Foy.

Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode’s Transcript.

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In High School, Ian was deep into Math, Science and Technology. He did AP courses,  and also Engaged in creative and research projects. He was a member of the school’s baseball varsity team.

And when time came for college, he wanted one close to home with good Science programs.

Ian joins our podcast to share his undergraduate Honors College journey at Oakland University, about being a student-athlete, his UG Research experiences, and Advice for college-bound students.

In particular, we discuss the following with him:

Topics discussed in this episode:

Our Guest: Ian Cleary is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences at Oakland University Honors College.

Memorable Quote: “Our lab, we have a lot of people that come in from foreign countries. So we have people from Zimbabwe, Mexico, Italy, and Puerto Rico. So I learned a lot about different cultures and stuff like that, and what life is like, sort of around the world”. Ian Cleary.

Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode’s Transcript.

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Making sense of the College News of the week, curated by Alma Matters. Coronavirus continues to drive the news. Shveta Bagade, College Counselor gives us her take on the news.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Our Guest: Shveta Bagade, College Counselor based in Silicon Valley California.

Resources referred to in this episode:

Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode Transcript.

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Nathan lives with a rare neurological diagnosis. In his upper class in high school, he started getting involved with the community, focusing on how to be compassionate towards people with disabilities.

Nathan joins our podcast to share his experiences on his undergraduate college journey at MassBay Community College & Merrimack, on Founding a Scholarship, and his Advice for High School Students with disabilities.

In particular, we discuss the following with him:

Topics discussed in this episode:

Our Guests: Nathan Persampieri is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Social Justice from Merrimack College. Nathan received the Associates degree in Liberal Arts from MassBay Community College.

Memorable Quote: “In a world where you can be anything, Be Kind”. Nathan Persampieri.

Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode’s Transcript.

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According to Rohan Pasari, CEO of Cialfo, while some schools have College Counselors on their staff, globally around 95% of the students do not have access to dedicated counselors.

As high schoolers and their parents start to seriously think about college in their sophomore years, one of the important resources they start to look for is a College Counselor.

Athena Lao walks us through the Things to Consider as you choose your College Counselor.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Our Guest: Athena Lao is a graduate of Harvard University with a Bachelor’s degree in Classics. Athena then went on to get a Master’s degree in International Education Development Program at the University of Pennsylvania.

Memorable Quote: “I would say, though, that there are some other factors that one should also consider and that in some ways, I think, are more important than those usual categories that people are thinking about.” Athena Lao.

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When Prof. Chiang started doing research as an undergraduate, she found she had lots of questions. They were good questions. And when the Graduate Assistants couldn’t answer her questions, they told her she should go to graduate school.

Today, Prof. Chiang runs a UG Lab in Social Emotional Development and is on the Advisory Board of the Mentored UG Research and Creative Endeavors program. 

Prof. Chiang joins us on our podcast to talk about UG Research at Georgia College, CUR’s Role, Success Stories, and Advice for High Schoolers.

In particular, we discuss the following with her:

Topics discussed in this episode:

Our Guest: Prof. Tsu-Ming Chiang is a Professor of Psychology at Georgia College and State University. Prof. Chiang received her PhD in Psychology from the University of Wyoming.

Memorable Quote: “As a faculty mentor that it is, it is very exciting to see that your students grow. And I can observe the growth year by year.” Prof. Tsu-Ming Chiang.

Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode’s Transcript.

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Prof. Jenemann did not grow up dreaming of being the Dean of an Honors College. He didn’t think he’d be working with such extraordinary people either. 

Today, he is the Dean of University of Vermont Honors College -  which traces its model to the philosopher, education reformer & an 1879 graduate of UVM, John Dewey.

In this podcast, Dean Jenemann introduces the UVM Honors College, Highlights of Key Programs, How to Apply, UG Research, Study Abroad and Career Opportunities.

In particular, we discuss the following with him:

Topics discussed in this episode:

Our Guest: David Jenemann is Professor of English and the Dean of the University of Vermont Honors College. Dean Jenemann received a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature from Swarthmore College. He earned his PhD in Comparative Studies in Discourse and Society from the University of Minnesota.

Memorable Quote: “We really want a thesis to be appropriate to a student's major and appropriate to their discipline, as well as a project that they're excited about taking ownership of and seeing it through from germ of an idea to completion.” Dean Jenemann.

Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode’s Transcript.

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Tim discovered undergraduate research as a student at Oklahoma State University when a peer introduced him to this idea of partnering with Faculty and doing research. Tim graduated with 3 different UG degrees -  in English, History and Political Science, each one with a thesis project.

Today, Tim champions and coordinates UG Research at the U of Colorado, Boulder.

On our podcast, Tim O’Neil talks about UG Research at UC Boulder, the role CUR plays, Impact of Research on Students, and finally the Advice for high schoolers.

Topics discussed in this episode:

Our Guest: Timothy O’Neil is the Asst. Director, Undergraduate Enrichment Programs at University of Colorado, Boulder. Tim received the Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science, History and English from Oklahoma State University. He then earned his Master’s degree in English at Oklahoma State University.

Memorable Quote: “ And yes, everybody can do academic research. We do research all the time, intuitively as we engage with the world. And we bring up prior experience and apply critical thinking. And we're engaging in that activity all the time.” Timothy O’Neil.

Episode Transcript: Please visit Episode’s Transcript.

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