Gators on Purpose

What happens when you have the grit to keep going? In this episode of Gators on Purpose, host Briana Lewis sits down with Jennifer Haddox-Schatz ’00, senior applications architect at Daniel H. Wagner Associates.

Despite wanting to drop her first semester course of computer science without any programming experience, Haddox-Schatz built a career in defense software architecture for over two decades. Haddox-Schatz reflects on staying open to change and all the mentors that led her to where she is now.

Briana Lewis is joined by alumna Emily Ricotta ’09 to share how she’s educating and serving the public to mitigate diseases at Uniformed Services University. 

Ricotta reflects on the breadth of hands-on experience she gained from the biology lab to Creek Connections, a watershed education program, as a student. These experiences would lay the foundational skills for her work researching malaria in Zambia and with the National Institutes of Health at the height of COVID-19.

In this episode of Gators on Purpose, host Briana Lewis connects with Seth Ehrlich ’01, the CEO of SOS Outreach. The organization has taught 3,000+ youth critical skills through mentorship based on the outdoors. 

He shares that the sense of community on campus is what initially drew him to Allegheny College, but his experiences studying away broadened his perspective on life. As a student, Ehrlich majored in international studies with a minor in German.

Host Briana Lewis speaks with Jonathan Spencer '79, founder of New Horizon’s House, a Colorado-based nonprofit providing care to survivors of human trafficking and sexual abuse. 

He credits developing problem-solving skills and resiliency at Allegheny College — tools he continues to use draw on to champion those in need. Spencer majored in mathematics with a biology minor and was the recipient of the 2022 Allegheny Gold Citation.

What does a minor in religious studies have to do with technical systems for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)? More than you think!

In this episode, host Briana Lewis sits down with Bethany Eppig ’11, who shares her incredible journey from an undeclared first-year to her career at NASA. Eppig notes how her interdisciplinary education at Allegheny College gave her the foundation to connect ideas in science and policy. 

Update: Our interview with Bethany Eppig was recorded in January 2026. Since then, Bethany's role at NASA has changed as she leverages the experience in fission surface power that she describes in our conversation to contribute to the next generation of nuclear space systems. 

In March 2026, NASA announced a series of transformative agencywide initiatives, including creating NASA’s Moon Base and advancing space nuclear power and propulsion. NASA plans to launch the Space Reactor-1 Freedom, the first nuclear fission-powered interplanetary spacecraft, to Mars before the end of 2028. When SR-1 Freedom reaches Mars, it will deploy the Skyfall payload of Ingenuity‑class helicopters to survey potential human landing sites, search for subsurface water, and relay navigation data for future landers. 

SR-1 Freedom is the first step in a deliberate sequence. It will inform and enable the Lunar Reactor-1, a fission surface power system designed to keep NASA’s Moon Base operating through periods of darkness and in locations where solar power and batteries alone are not sufficient. By flying a reactor first, SR-1 Freedom will provide ground and flight data on reactor and power conversion performance to the lunar fission system without the complexity of a lunar landing.  

Eppig now supports the SR-1 and LR-1 missions.

In this episode, Briana Lewis sits down with Mike Newman ’94 to discuss how his double major in philosophy and English paved the way for his career in law and high-tech entrepreneurship.

Newman shares his journey from a student-athlete recovering from injury to a technology CEO to chairman of the Nicholas Academic Center. He argues that a liberal arts education is the best defense against a rapidly changing professional landscape.

In the third episode of Gators on Purpose, host Briana Lewis sits down with Isaac Gittens ’14, who translated his passion for football into a career with the National Football League (NFL). Gittens' journey to Allegheny was sparked by a positive interaction with the football coaching staff, and he worked in the athletic department as a student.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in managerial economics with double minors in communication and Black Studies, Gittens pursued a graduate assistantship at Baylor University with the American Football Coaches Association. Today, Gittens manages pipelines for coaches, officials, and players. He is particularly proud of his work in flag football, as he creates pathways for women in the sport and sees the game reach the 2028 Olympics. 

In this episode of Gators on Purpose, Briana Lewis talks with Katie Shipp, Executive Director of I Have the Right To and Pittsburgh Magazine 2025 40 Under 40 Honoree. A psychology major and religious studies minor, Shipp reflects on how Bonner service, AmeriCorps, and law school shaped her path advocating for survivors of sexual assault. After more than a decade practicing law, she shifted to prevention and education work nationwide. Shipp shares insights on community, courage, experiential learning, and building a meaningful career at the intersection of passion and purpose.

In this first episode, host Briana Lewis sits down with Dr. Ron Cole ’87, President of Allegheny College, to reflect on his journey from student to alum to institutional leader. President Cole shares insights into his undergraduate experience, the mentors and moments that shaped him, and how the Allegheny philosophy of combining disciplines continues to influence his leadership and career.