College Town Talk

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan welcome Jimmy Guadalupe, Tennessee Tech’s newly appointed student trustee and a rising senior majoring in business management and business information and technology.

Jimmy reflects on being unanimously confirmed by the university’s Board of Trustees, discusses why supporting student mental health will be a priority during his one-year term and shares his experience navigating higher education as a first-generation college student.

He also offers a behind-the-scenes look at his role as a Tech Trailblazer, which involves giving personalized campus tours to prospective students and their families, and shares a family memory that inspired his hopes to one day work for Coca-Cola.

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Dr. Lauren Harding, associate professor of political science at Tennessee Tech. As our country celebrates its 250th anniversary, Dr. Harding shares insights from her research on trust in government and discusses how she and her family are experiencing the best of America through their mission to visit every U.S. National Park Site.

Plus, Dr. Harding tells us about paid internship opportunities for students at the Tennessee General Assembly and recounts a recent study abroad trip she co-led to Spain and Portugal.

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Margo Dirkson, department coordinator in Tennessee Tech’s Office of Access, Belonging and Community Outreach and a doctoral student in Tech’s new Ph.D. in higher education program.

Margo shares why she chose to pursue a doctorate while balancing a full-time career and extensive volunteer service, what it means to help students find a sense of belonging on campus and how she intentionally built community after moving to Cookeville a decade ago.

We also discuss her volunteerism with local organizations close to her heart, such as the Bryan Symphony Orchestra and Game On Accessible Tennis. Plus, in our rapid-fire round, Margo dishes on her favorite campus spots and the best part about living in the Upper Cumberland.

This week on College Town Talk, we sit down with Dr. Erin Hoover, associate professor of English at Tennessee Tech and the first-ever poet laureate for the City of Cookeville.

In this episode, Dr. Hoover discusses how Tech’s English Department is thoughtfully incorporating AI into the classroom while helping students strengthen their writing skills, think critically and develop their own creative voices.

She also shares her work mentoring students through The Iris Review, the university’s award-winning student-edited literary magazine, and reflects on the deeply personal experiences that inspired her 2023 poetry collection, No Spare People. Plus, she offers a preview of her next book, scheduled for publication in 2027.

This week on College Town Talk, guest co-host Jamie Fancher returns for a conversation with Dr. Joshua Martin, a Tennessee Tech alumnus who now serves as assistant professor of Spanish.

Dr. Martin is also the recipient of Tech’s 2024-25 Scholastic Research Award and author of the new book, "Masculinity, Coloniality, and the US-Mexico Border in Literature and Political Culture."

In our interview, Dr. Martin reflects on what it means to serve his alma mater as a faculty member, discusses the lengthy process of writing and publishing a book and shares insights from a recent student and faculty trip he co-led to Los Angeles. Later, during our rapid-fire round, he reveals which colleague is most likely to make him laugh in the middle of a faculty meeting and the surprising career path he might have pursued if not for higher education.

This week on College Town Talk, guest co-host Jamie Fancher joins us for a conversation with Dr. Julie Baker, a three-time Tennessee Tech graduate who now serves as dean of the College of Graduate Studies and associate provost at Tech.

As she approaches her 20th anniversary at Tech, Dr. Baker reflects on her early years as a high school teacher, shares favorite campus memories and gives us a glimpse into what it’s really like working alongside her brother. She also discusses how her rural East Tennessee roots shaped her belief in the transformative power of education — and how that conviction helped inspire a historic multi-year GEAR UP grant that will expand college readiness opportunities across the Upper Cumberland.

Later, in our rapid-fire round, Dr. Baker reveals the career she might have pursued outside education and names the Tech colleague she’d call as her lifeline in a game of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan catch up with Adam Poe, a 2011 Tennessee Tech graduate who now serves as vice president of the Highlands Economic Partnership.

In our interview, Adam discusses Tech’s role in driving economic development across the region and reflects on the lasting impact of his involvement as a Tech student with Kappa Sigma fraternity—an experience that ultimately led him to serve as the organization’s global president.

He also shares a personal story about how a friend’s illness inspired a major career change, and how a creative solution to improve sleep sparked an unexpected passion and talent for painting.

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan introduce listeners to Callie Smith, a senior at Tennessee Tech and Morgan County native double majoring in communications and marketing. 

Callie is also a former Tech Trailblazer — Tech students who provide personalized campus tours for prospective students and their families — and the former sports editor for The Oracle, Tech’s student newspaper.

While still a student, Callie has landed multiple internships with national radio and podcast networks, including K-LOVE Radio, and has a podcast of her own — thanks in part to skills she learned through a podcasting class in Tech’s Department of Communication and Media. 

In this interview, Callie shares about being a third generation Golden Eagle, the support she has received from faculty mentors like Dr. Teddy Burch, and recalls how a little determination helped her land a sought-after internship after initially facing multiple rejections.

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and Shan sit down with Dr. Jeannette Luna, assistant dean of research and graduate studies in the College of Arts & Sciences at Tennessee Tech.

Dr. Luna was recently selected by NASA as a participating scientist on the first Artemis lunar surface science team — a small, elite group of researchers supporting the agency’s upcoming crewed mission to land astronauts near the moon’s South Pole.

In the episode, Dr. Luna shares the unforgettable moment she received the call from NASA inviting her to join the team and reflects on what this milestone means for her, her research and her students.

She also highlights the Department of Earth Sciences’ new planetary geology concentration and looks back on her service as faculty representative on Tech’s Board of Trustees from 2023 to 2025.

This week on College Town Talk, Jonathan and guest co-host Susan Luna-Hazlewood are joined by Sam Brooks, a two-time Tennessee Tech graduate and president of the Tech Football Quarterback Club. 

Sam has been an educator in the Upper Cumberland for more than 30 years, ranging from his early days as a biology teacher at Cookeville High School and Upperman High School, to his role today as Upper Cumberland regional director for Volunteer State Community College.

In our interview, Sam discusses his passion for Golden Eagle football and how fans can get involved and show support ahead of the upcoming season. He also shares about the importance of Tech’s strong working relationship with Vol State and recalls his memories in the classroom - including some humorous (and scary) moments teaching driver’s ed. 

Plus, Susan Luna-Hazlewood breaks news on the podcast by exclusively sharing the names of the Tennessee Tech Alumni Association’s 2026 Alumni Award winners!