Guest Jeff Botelho, Dartmouth ’96, had always been interested in languages. In college, he studied history and Spanish. When he studied abroad and realized that his interest and skill in learning languages could open the world to him, he knew he wanted a career that would allow him to use those skills. He began working in consumer goods in Gillette’s Latin American group, first making his Spanish-speaking colleagues in Boston look good and then working for the company in Mexico. For as much as he was happy living in another culture and as fluent as he’d become, he found the Mexico City too big and so went back to his home town in Massachusetts.

He wanted to use his Spanish fluency, so he taught the language in Massachusetts schools. In time, he found he wasn’t actually speaking Spanish all that much and wanted to use his language skills in a more functional way. He went to law school and decided that he could use his languages practicing immigration law. He worked at a firm for a year but quickly realized that he could do much better at a more reasonable cost for his removal and deportation defense work. He started his own firm in 2009.

Just as language provides a connection to his clients day to day, learning Portuguese provided him with a deeper connection with generations of Botelhos (who had come from the Azores). There also came a time when his faith—which he hadn’t been very aware of for quite a while—became another way to forge a deeper connection to others, to himself, and to the greater world around him.

In this episode, find out from Jeff how listening to the language of the heart and having a little faith can help guide you…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley. 

About This Episode's Guest

Jeff Botelho is an immigration attorney who has been practicing in his own firm in Hollywood, Florida, since 2009. He's fluent in Spanish and English and is also accomplished in his family's own Portuguese. 

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Maryam Kia-Keating, Dartmouth ’96, was keen to help students find their voice and build supportive communities as an undergraduate advisor and area coordinator in the residence halls. And she could see a life full of this sort of work with broader populations. But with a psychology major and volunteer activities such as sexual assault peer counselor, the honor code committee, and psychiatric care work, she kept having to confront the reactive end of the spectrum of care, where things had already gone bad and helpers were having to try to make things better. She found her natural inclination, however, was to start from a place of strength and instead think about building stronger communities so that the bad stuff doesn’t happen in the first place. She found a graduate program that helped foster this idea and then held tight to it (if quietly) through her clinical psychology training.

She began to focus her career on the idea of resilience and concentrated on a group she understood deeply from her own lived experience: refugee communities.  Again, she found that giving voice to others yields stronger policy outcomes and heathier communities, thus she committed to using a community-based participatory research methodology in her work with both refugee groups and young people. Through the work, she has found vulnerabilities and strengths that she knew, from experience, were there all along.

In this episode, find out from Maryam how giving people voice and understanding their resilience can be the key to strengthening community…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley. 

Bonus: Maryam also gives us thoughts for tapping our own resilience for the good of the young people around us.

About This Episode's Guest

Maryam Kia-Keating is a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in its school of Education’s Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology. Her scholarship and activism centers around resilience and empowers individuals, families, schools, and communities through participatory action and human centered design. She is also a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and a mom of two.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Rob Hamilton, Dartmouth ’96, was already a musician before entering college and knew he wanted to major in music. But he also wanted to go deeper, understanding how and why sound affects us as humans. So double-majored with cognitive science. He also found his way to the Bregman Electronic Music Studio—not widely known outside of the electronic music scene, but considered a powerhouse by students of the genre due to its development of the Synclavier the first commercially available portable digital synthesizer.

Even though Rob loved writing and playing electronic music it didn’t seem that there was much of a commercial future in that, so he turned to consulting and eventually leaped into the dot-com start-up world, where he was able to pick up coding by doing (despite being a bad computer science student in school). When the boom became a bust, he was actually happy to leave the corporate world and turned back to music.

He jumped into the world of academia to pursue electronic music but it wasn’t the easiest of roads. And in the middle, he got pulled back to the start-up world just as smart phones came on the market and the app scene was blowing up. Developing sound-based apps, he was tapping into the creativity of both his technical and musical sides, but the market-driven lifestyle just didn’t seem to fit.//In this episode, find out from Rob how interweaving interests and playing by your own rules often leads to the sweetest music…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

Bonus from Rob: "Also, thought it would be fun to mention, in the Magic Piano app by Smule, one thing I got to do as the Project Manager/Music Director was to sneak "Dear Old Dartmouth" into the app; you can still go download and play it."
 

About This Episode's Guest

Rob Hamilton is Associate Professor of Music and Media at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he’s been since 2015, composing, performing, researching, and designing software for interactive soundscapes. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer-based Music Theory and Acoustics and an M.A. in Music, Science and Technology from Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) in the Department of Music, as well as a M.M. in Computer Music Composition from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Recently, ROADS TAKEN sat down to talk with Josh Marks about how his life has been full of happenstances that finally led him to meaningful work within independent schools. What we didn't talk about was his role as college bagpiper. Join Leslie Jennings Rowley as she talks to Josh about how he got into the bagpipes, how it's kept him connected to the college, and what evolution he's seen going back to campus twice a year for the last quarter century. Then, stick around for a special treat to musical tribute to our class and anyone who has called Dartmouth home on this special Bagpiping Bonus Episode of ROADS TAKEN.

Executive Producer/Host:Leslie Jennings Rowley

Opening Music: Clancy Rowley on a theme by Worth Rowley

Closing Music: Dear Old Dartmouth, Harry Wellman 1907, performed on bagpipe by Josh Marks ’96

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Josh Marks, Dartmouth ’96, remembers his college days as being marked by a self-unawareness and a happenstance that exposed him to interesting people, interesting extra-curriculars, and interesting academic pursuits. While it made for an enriching college experience, it didn’t set him up for an obvious path after graduation.

After a handful of jobs that were good enough, and one that paid that for an MBA, he was helping a friend look for a teaching job when serendipity struck again. Looking at jobs for his friend at his alma mater, the Hackley School, he saw an advertisement for a financial officer. He realized what he hadn’t loved about consulting was that he couldn’t see the outcomes of the process improvement suggestions. Within a school environment, he could make strides to improve processes and see the benefits. He also found a sense of community and a greater purpose in helping to transform the lives of young people.

On this episode, find out from Josh how the unexpected, and seeing things with new perspective, can provide unforeseen bonuses…on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Josh Marks has spent over 15 years in business operations roles within the independent schools sector. He now serves as the Chief Financial Officer of LREI, The Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School in New York City's Greenwich Village. He also still plays the bagpipes, serving as Dartmouth’s official piper, presiding over commencements and homecomings since our college days. Tune in for a special Roads Taken episode on June 9—25 years to the day of our graduation—to hear more about that and for a special treat from Piper Josh.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Tracy Canard Goodluck, Dartmouth ’96, is a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and also of Mvskoke Creek heritage and was raised as a strong Native woman in her urban communities of Utah and New Mexico. Freshman year of college illuminated how socio-economic disparities were affecting her beloved Native American communities, and the activist in her got fired up and, after a few terms away to process it all, came back to campus committed to do something about it. After a job in the Hanover After-School Program she knew education would be one route to impact and received a fellowship for graduate study in education. 

She made sure to be near Native communities to learn about the systems that empowered and challenged success.  Wanting to test a style of education that championed culture instead of removing it, she helped start the Native American Community Academy (NACA) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When she realized, however, that in telling the students to follow their dreams she was actually saying what she needed to hear herself, she applied to law school to pave her road to public service in the federal government, where the majority of tribal policy decisions are made.

In this episode, find out from Tracy how heeding the fire in the soul sometimes leads to the place where you can do the most good.....on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Tracy Canard Goodluck is a member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and also of Mvskoke Creek heritage. Beginning her career as an educator, she was one of the co-founders of the Native American Community Academy (NACA) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She now is an advocate for Native American communities throughout the United States in her roles within the federal government. She recently joined the White House as a Policy Advisor for Native Affairs in the Domestic Policy Council, staffed there on a detail from the Department of Interior where she is the Deputy Director of the Secretary’s Indian Water Rights Office.

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Woojin Kim, Dartmouth ’96, didn’t have a clear idea of how he wanted to approach college so he briefly considered being pre-med or pre-law. But after taking a broad range of courses, he realized history spoke to him and enjoyed it so much that he was considering a master’s degree in the discipline after college with an eye toward the professorate.

Back at home preparing applications for the following year, he consulted the list of Dartmouth alumni in his area and planned to reach out to a few for informational interviews to make sure he’d considered a range of options. He reached out first to a doctor who ultimately changed the path of his life.

In this episode, find out from Woojin how even though life’s not a race, sometimes you need help finding the starting line.....on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley. 

About This Episode's Guest

Woojin Kim is a triple-Ivy educated gastroenterologist and assistant clinical professor in the Department of Medicine and the director of interventional endoscopy at City of Hope, the comprehensive cancer center in southern California. He is passionate about the prevention and treatment of gastro-intestinal cancers, including both research and therapeutic procedural interventions. 

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Taran Lent, Dartmouth '96, knew he wanted to study engineering, even if he didn't see himself becoming an engineering. Learning how to scope a problem, build a toolkit of tactics and encyclopedia of methodologies, and solve real-world problems appealed to him. As he juggled the coursework and his role as captain of the varsity football team, he found a way to put the engineering mindset to action: He approached a slew of Hanover-area eateries—including the old favorites EBA's, Panda House, Lou's—and built a system that allowed college students to use pre-paid cards in college town eateries, something absolutely new in the late 90s. When corporate recruiting found him with a number of offers at the big consulting firms, he decided to turn them down and to go all in on his business.

In time, the business grew beyond Hanover to other campuses and Taran's company also took over Dartmouth College’s on-campus card system. When he realized he could solve problems at scale, he ended up building enterprise-wide payment processing systems that were ahead of their time and that ultimately paid off.

In this episode, find out from Taran how somtimes you just need to pay attention to see how you can make things better and more efficient...on today's ROADS TAKEN with met....on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Taran Lent has been building and operating payment technology companies his entire professional career from the Hanover Green Card back in the day to his current role as Vice President of Product Development at Transact Campus. When he's not processing your tuition payments, he enjoys windsurfing and spending time with his wife and two kids and extended family in Texas.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Beth (Jordan) Mattingly, Dartmouth ’96, had thought she wanted to be a neurosurgeon so that she could investigate how and why people ended up being different before and after some unexpected event. But when she stumbled upon the field of human geography and how one’s location can have outsized impacts on opportunities, motivations and behaviors she was hooked. Ever more interested in the more expansive questions and implications of sociology, she pursued graduate work in that field and found new ways to investigate the before and after questions that had always piqued her interest. She focused her research and policy-informing work on poverty alleviation and improving family outcomes and continues this work today in her current role with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Of course, this all happened after she met classmate David Mattingly ’96 and they married, both intent on centering their lives on their partnership and parenthood. With five children, there has been a lot of compromise and flexibility.

In this episode, find out from Beth how using longitudinal inquiry can tell us a lot about how things change and need to change for the better...on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Beth Mattinglyhas had a research career that has focused on families, poverty, inequality and how to make things better. She currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Research & Communications, Regional and Community Outreach at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. NB: The views expressed in this episode are those of Beth and not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, the Federal Reserve system, or its board of governors.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]

Guest Liz Rawson was biologically-minded, but wasn't pre-med in college. The idea of doctoring to people just didn't appeal. Once she realized what was keeping her away wasn't the medicine part but the people part, she set her sights on veterinary school, even if she had to play catch-up a little. She got the work experience and extra training she needed in Boston to be able to apply and enrolled at Tufts. In school, she found what she didn't love (farm animals) and what she did (surgery), but had to stay scrappy to realize the dream.

Her surgical residence ultimately led her to Florida, where she has practiced for nearly two decades. Her tendency to keep her head down and her eye on her career played out in two interesting and different ways over the years—once to get her through things and another against all odds. Though her career has concentrated her surgery work on cats and dogs, she most resembles the Energizer bunny, just going and going, no matter the circumstances.

In this episode, find out from Liz how sometimes just getting through is the way ahead...on ROADS TAKEN...with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode's Guest

Liz Rawson is a board-certified small animal surgeon who spent nearly two decades in the hospital setting and now works in private practice in South Florida. She’s going to call us the next time she cares for a gator.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Email the show at [email protected]

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at [email protected]