Living out Loud: Storytelling for Social Change: Recent Episodes
Merrimack College Podcasts
March 31 is internationally recognized as Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual day of awareness and celebration for the transgender community around the world. Student leaders for Merrimack's Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) sit down with executive producer Debra Michals and producer Michael Senoff to talk about the power of having a day of visibility and the importance of celebrating trans joy in a polarized, divisive society.
In the final episode in our trilogy, Merrimack senior Nicole Rohlman shares the story of how she came to choose to major in mechanical engineering and offers her advice for other young girls looking to enter the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
In the second episode of this series, Tiffany Begin-Stearns speaks with Dr. Zoe Sherman, Associate Professor and Chair of Merrimack's Economics Department, who has had three different careers in male dominated fields. She also shares insights about how women entering male-dominated fields can, one by one, produce systemic and long-term change for future generations of women and girls.
In recognition of Women’s History Month, this three part series explores the experiences of women in male-dominated fields – either students studying for future careers or faculty members who have had experiences working in male-dominated professions. In this episode, senior Hope Makenzie talks with producer Tiffany Begin-Stearns about being a woman in STEM and the impact her female professors and teachers have had on her education.
This episode is a live recording of an event at Merrimack College on March 16, 2021. The panel discussion featured guest speaker Dr. Margo Okazawa-Rey joined by MC faculty Dr. Simona Sharoni, professor of Women's and Gender Studies and Special Assistant to the President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Dr. Debra Michals, Assistant Professor of Women's & Gender Studies, Dr. Bahia Munem, Lecturer in Women's & Gender Studies, and Gabrielle "Gabby" Womack, Librarian and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Ambassador. Dr. Okazawa-Rey, Professor Emerita San Francisco State University, is an activist and educator working on issues of militarism, armed conflict, and violence against women examined intersectionally. She is a founding member of the Combahee River Collective and has long-standing activist commitments in South Korea and Palestine, working closing with Du Re Bang/My Sisters Place and Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling. Dr. Okazawa-Rey also hosts a virtual transnational feminist dance party; to join or for more information email her at mor@sfsu.edu.
The event was presented by the President's Initiative on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion with co-sponsorship from the Department of Women's and Gender Studies.
In celebration of Women's History Month, Merrimack College alums from the classes of 2012-2018 share stories of how what they learned about women's history in college has played a part in their careers and post college life. Joining host Dr. Debra Michals are Meg Saltzman '12, Maegen Sincleair Usher '13, David DupreWilson '16, Nick Davis '17, and Adrianna DeCicco '18.
Women’s History Month is a time to recognize, honor and highlight the roles women have played in every aspect of society throughout history. In this episode, host Dr. Debra Michals talks with colleagues Dr. Ellen McWhorter (English, Honors) and Dr. Zoe Sherman (Economics) about how our work as teachers and scholars recovers the long-silent voices of women from the past, forges links to the present and future, and creates new knowledge about women’s contributions to American history and life.
Sharing one's truth is part of the LGBTQ+ experience, but coming out to family and friends is far more complicated than many people realize. In this episode, four student leaders from the Gender and Sexuality Alliance -- Sam (she/her) ‘21, Haley (she/her) ‘21, Nicole (she/her) ‘22, and Rowan (he/him) ‘23 -- share their stories and offer insights into what it means to come out and how coming out is about more than a single conversation. Hosted by Amelia Alger '21 and Dr. Debra Michals, Director of Women's and Gender Studies.
In honor of February being Black History Month, Director of Merrimack College's new Master of Social Work program Dr. Shannon Butler-Mokoro and librarian Gabby Womack discuss the history of Black History Month and explain how diversifying education can extend Black History beyond a single month and into history curriculum. Hosted by producer Michael Senoff, students Cobbina Appiah, Derrick Harris, and Jackson Fortune-O'Brien join the conversation and share their experiences as student leaders, agents of history, and advocates of diversity.
Almost from the start, the US Census has been a site of controversy. In this episode, librarian Gabby Womack shares her research with host/producer Dr. Debra Michals and graduate student Tiana Lawrence about 1930s changes in Census categories that had an impact on how people of color were counted, as well as the complicated history of "passing" and the experience of being black in the US.
It's been 10 months since the coronavirus pandemic derailed the graduation ceremony of the class of 2020 and the economic crisis that followed forced many of them to rethink their post-graduation plans. In this episode, we check in with some recent graduates to hear what they're doing now and how they've confronted the challenges of graduating into a pandemic.
In recognition of "Movember," senior producer Michael Senoff talks about men's mental health concerns with Peter Rojas, Coordinator of Multicultural Initiatives and Co-Advisor of Fraternity and Sorority Life at Merrimack College. The episode raises concerns about the silence around men's men health, especially given that men are almost four times more likely to commit suide than women -- a number that increases among men who idenitify as gay, bisexual, or transgender.
In this episode, producer Tiffany Begin-Stearns, Media Coordinator and instructor in the Communication and Media Department, hosts a roundtable with graduate students in Merrimack College's Higher Ed. program about their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic during the Spring 2020 semester. (Tiffany is also a student in this program).
On this first episode, the four members of our team reflect on where we are, what we're thinking/feeling right now and how proud we are of our College administration as well as the entire Merrimack community.