The Delaware College Scholars Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jake Myers
Highlighting our scholars and successful people across all walks of life. We dive into their journeys and how they arrived where they are. Enjoy.
Taylor Easter joins the podcast to discuss her decision to attend Widener, her love of political science and sociology, and why she dedicates so much of her time to the school community.
Cohort 6 scholar Trinity Brown stops by and discusses the following: her experience as a student at Del-Tech, balancing a full-time job as a paraprofessional while also being a full-time student, and why she loves being in the classroom. Enjoy!
Cohort 4 scholar Ajah Quawiy joined the podcast to discuss her time at Lehigh and what she hopes to accomplish out West as a Climate Corps Fellow and Compost and Recycling Associate for Alameda County. Enjoy!
Derek Ike stops by to talk about his decision to join the DCS team and serve as a Student-Advisor this summer!
Emmanuel Appenteng stops by to talk about his decision to join the DCS team and serve as a Student-Advisor this summer!
Tabitha Webster stops by to talk about her decision to join the DCS team and serve as a Student-Advisor this summer!
Nikki Tora stops by to talk about her decision to join the DCS team and serve as a Student-Advisor this summer!
Kyle Share stops by to talk about his decision to join the DCS team and serve as a Student-Advisor this summer!
Nick Osbourne stops by to talk about his decision to join the DCS team and serve as a Student-Advisor this summer!
Sarah-Rose Odutola stops by to talk about her decision to join the DCS team and serve as a Student-Advisor this summer!
Stacey Duprey stops by to share the various lessons she has learned throughout her life's journey on this special edition podcast!
Joseph Eyiolowope walks us through his journey from Nigeria to Delaware, talks about playing college soccer, and what he hopes to accomplish in the medical field.
Cohort 6 scholar Allison Miller joins the podcast in one of our latest episodes! They discuss their love of art, their DCS experience, and how they continue to gain confidence each and every day.
In this special edition podcast, we sat down with Denée Crumrine!
Denée discusses many topics, including: the importance of her family, her faith, the power of storytelling, the changes she hopes to make in healthcare, and the impact of Highmark Health on the Delaware community.
Jacolby Suggs is a leader in education - he is the College Support Manager at Great Oaks Legacy Charter School, getting his Master's in Social Work at Rutgers, and serves as a DCS College Counselor. We talk about his passion for education, his ability to connect with others, and why he has dedicated his life to help students.
Roger Broussard has served DCS in so many ways - intern, program assistant, student-advisor, etc. This past summer, before he started his job at Ford Motor Company, he came back one last time to help lead camp!
In this episode you will laugh, cry, and learn from one of the very best. Thank you, Roger.
Jaylin Duprey, one of our Program Persistence Officers, sat down with us to discuss his journey in education and why he believes in the DCS mission.
We sat down with Program Persistence Officer and Cohort 1 scholar, Jillian Quale! Jillian talks about the numerous ways in which DCS helped her grow as a student and why she loves her current work!
The Rundown
0:00 - Intro
5:00 - Life progression
9:30 - What is culture? Finding his place in college
14:30 - September 20, 2016 - the day that changed his life
22:00 - What can we do for students to make them more aware and prepare them for the world they are living in
28:30 - Advice to your 16 year old self, opportunities in school
35:00 - Power of having people in your corner, quality vs quantity
The Rundown
2:00 - Meeting one another at TFA
7:00 - Experiences growing up in Georgia
11:30 - Options after HS
13:00 - The moment when he learned that he could lead
17:00 - Turning down the boarding school experience
24:30 - Choosing Hampton
28:00 - The adjustment to college, not feeling "good enough"
34:00 - Connection to Chicago, using his experiences in order to help his students
38:00 - Being "radically human" in this moment
40:00 - The importance of mental health
43:00 - DRW College Prep comes to DE
46:30 - Loving one another, trusting each other
53:00 - When you see students put the skills that you teach them into practice
58:00 - Bringing your humanity into work every day
On our 21st episode, we are joined by Jule Brown!
2:00 - Importance of Education
4:40 - Transferring from Dickinson to NYU
9:00 - Finding internship opportunities, standing out through this process
15:00 - Importance of mentors, reaching out and seeking help
20:00 - Staying motivated through rejection
26:00 - Getting the job offer!
30:40 - The road ahead, making others proud
33:00 - 2 minute drill
38:00 - Ring the Bell
Rundown
0:00 - Intro
3:00 - Early HS years, trying to find yourself
6:00 - Turning point, power of teachers and "A Better Chance"
9:30 - Imposter Syndrome, Attending a PWI
13:00 - Pushing through when it doesn't feel worth it . . .
17:00 - Strength and core values that she gained from her community
20:00 - Choosing a major in college, going into theatre and finding her way into Finance
28:00 - How her "Race & Ethnicity Studies" major helps her in Finance to this day
30:00 - Advice to her HS self, seek out help and the journey is up and down!
36:00 - Fighting for the most vulnerable
Want to connect with us?
Website: https://www.delawarecollegescholars.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delawarecollegescholars
Instagram: @delawarecollegescholars
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CollegeDelaware
0:00 - Intro
5:10 - Getting a PhD in Analytical Chemistry, journey to get her PhD
11:30 - Leaving the lab, starting STEAM Forward/Facilitate to Motivate
15:25 - Passion for helping others, influence of parents and advocating for herself as a woman of color in these white spaces
28:30 - Mad Minute Segment
33:20 - Ring the Bell Segment
Want to connect with us?
Website: https://www.delawarecollegescholars.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delawarecollegescholars
Instagram: @delawarecollegescholars
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CollegeDelaware
One of the original student advisors at DCS, Nnana Amakiri joins the pod! A true legend, Nnana shares his journey to and through medical school and offers some words of advice.
Want to connect with us?
Website: https://www.delawarecollegescholars.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delawarecollegescholars
Instagram: @delawarecollegescholars
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CollegeDelaware
On our 17th episode we are joined by Rebecca Nazario!
The Rundown
0:00 - Introduction
2:40 - Start in healthcare and how she grew her passion for what she does
11:30 - Finding your purpose in a professional setting
13:30 - Explaining population health
15:50 - Describing her leadership style
17:00 - Defining the essence of leadership, why being transparent is so crucial
18:55 - Challenges that she has faced during her career, having to work harder than anyone else and surrounding yourself with people who lift you up
23:30 - Exposing people to the various backgrounds in the medical field
26:20 - Paying it forward, importance of mentorship
28:40 - Vaccine hesitation
34:00 - Mad Minute Segment
38:20 - Ring the Bell Segment
Want to connect with us?
Website: https://www.delawarecollegescholars.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delawarecollegescholars
Instagram: @delawarecollegescholars
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CollegeDelaware
We are joined by the legend himself, Dr. Tony Alleyne!
The Rundown
0:00 - Intro to Dr. Alleyne
2:30 - Prep for Prep, HS journey at St. Andrew's School (SAS)
6:30 - Double consciousness while attending SAS, life at boarding school
12:10 - Decision to turn down a finance job, why he decided to pursue education
16:20 - Why he decided to stay in education after his experience at Teach for America in Charlotte for 2 years
17:45 - Early stages of Project SSOAR, how DCS got its start
21:10 - Taking data from a Harvard study in order to make DCS a reality
23:40 - What has he learned from DCS, how has the program evolved over time
26:10 - Balancing life as an Executive Director, a husband, a father . . .
28:00 - Daily routine
30:00 - Leading the program, seeing himself in the scholars
33:10 - Why being active is so important to him
35:00 - Pitch to Bill and Melinda Gates (if we got the chance to meet them!)
36:15 - Why DCS is valuable to the students we serve
37:45 - Demanding honesty
39:00 - Mad Minute
42:20 - Ring the Bell
YouTube Link to watch the entire video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL-Jf6PYFsw&t=168s
Want to connect with us?
Website: https://www.delawarecollegescholars.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delawarecollegescholars
Instagram: @delawarecollegescholars
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CollegeDelaware
On our 15th episode. we are joined by Dr. Laura Perna! Dr. Perna, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Co-Founder of Penn’s GSE Aliance for Education, talks about her research, issues of college access, affordability and success for first-generation, under-resourced students and why she has dedicated her life to this specific research.
The Rundown
0:00 - Intro and podcast name change
2:30 - arc of her career, goals of her research
4:00 - reflecting on her own experiences and how that influences her current work
7:00 - what does her ideal intervention look like? How do you tackle the numerous barriers for first-gen, under-resourced students?
10:10 - College Promise programs and her findings
14:45 - college affordability and pell grants
17:30 - achievement gap, staying on track during these Covid times and the benefits of a college degree
21:00 - Advice to our scholars about post-secondary options
25:00 - Ring the Bell Segment
On episode 14, we are joined by David Conley!
The Rundown
0-2:15, Intro to David
2:55-6:30, Arc of his career & why he got started in education/policy
7:30-13:40, What does it mean to be college ready? How can we better prepare students?
14:05-16:00, Creating a sense of self-belonging for college students
16:45-19:40, How can schools help students develop key learning skills that will help them as they continue their academic career
19:50-26:40, His book titled, "The Practice and Promise of Next Generation Assessment" and his findings
27:40-30:40, What more can be done to help students?
30:55-32:50 , Advice to our DCS students and why "under-matching" is NOT the answer. Challenge yourself!
32:55-36:10 , Ring the Bell Segment
Want to connect with us?
Website: https://www.delawarecollegescholars.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delawarecollegescholars
Instagram: @delawarecollegescholars
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CollegeDelaware
On our 13th episode, we had the pleasure to speak with Cohort 4 scholar and Lake Forest High School graduate Cierra DePrisco. Cierra talked about her love for cheer, choosing MVC and how she balances her time.
The Rundown
0-1:00, Introduction to Cierra
1:00-3:25, Starting sports in 6th grade and her HS career
3:25-4:55, Why she applied to DCS and how DCS helped with her college process
5:00-8:20, Her recruiting process and why MVC was the best fit for her
8:20-10:25, Competing on the MVC cheer squad
10:30-13:10 , Winning the Conference and Regional Championships at MVC in year 1
13:20-14:00, Balancing her time b/w school, work and sports
14:05-14:55 , Reflections on her first 1.5 years at MVC, becoming club president
15:00-15:10, What Cierra is most proud of . . .
15:25- 17:15, Mad Minute Segment
17:20-18:05, Ring the Bell Segment
Want to connect with us?
Website: https://www.delawarecollegescholars.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delawarecollegescholars
Instagram: @delawarecollegescholars
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CollegeDelaware
On our latest episode, we are joined by Janet Bonner! Janet, who serves as the Director of College Counseling at KIPP, talks about her work with NASA, her work with KIPP and why she loves serving students and their families through college counseling. Subscribe, rate and review.
We are joined by C3 scholar and William Penn HS graduate Damien Cook on our 11th episode! Damien, a Food & Service Management major at Johnson & Wales University, talks about where he developed his passion for cooking, his incredible experience at Disney and where he hopes to be in 10 years. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and subscribe to the podcast, maybe even leave a review if you’d like.
On our tenth episode, we are joined by C2 scholar Marwane Adlani. Marwane, a senior at the University of Delaware, talks about his initial struggle with his major, how he navigated the internship process and the moment when he found out about his first full-time job offer. As always, subscribe, rate and review.
On our 4th and final episode of our STEM-Powered series, we are joined by Cohort 1 scholar Dymon Moore! Dymon, a software engineer at Northrop Grumman, talks about starting her own non-profit and why advocacy is so important for young women in STEM fields. As always, subscribe, rate and review!
On our third episode of our STEM-Powered series, we were fortunate to speak with Kamela Smith. Kamela, the Community Outreach Program Manager at Christiana HealthCare System, talks about what it means for organizations to be diverse, the notion of addressing and confronting stereotypes and provides guidance and support for our young women in STEM who are looking to break through.
On the 2nd episode of our STEM-Powered series, we had the pleasure to speak with Sigourney Bell! Sigourney, a second year PhD student at the University of Cambridge and Co-Founder of Black in Cancer, talks to us about her work as a researcher, her experience as a woman of color in a leadership position and the importance of visibility for our young women who are looking to enter the STEM fields. As always, subscribe, rate and review.
In the first episode of our four-part series titled STEM-Powered, we chat with Jakarda Varnado! Jakarda, who serves as an instructional coach and education coordinator at NASA, talks about the barriers that she's faced as a woman of color, her passion for STEM education advocacy and some advice for our scholars who are interested in STEM fields. As always, subscribe, rate and review the podcast.
Cohort 4 scholar Charles Nyakundi talks about military life, overcoming doubt and why surrounding yourself with great friends is crucial. Subscribe, rate and review!
Episode four features Eric Hutcherson, the Executive Vice President, Chief People and Inclusion Officer at Universal Music Group. Eric talks to us about his work in the NBA, his decision to leave for Universal Music Group and the question that everyone must ask themselves when making important life decisions. Subscribe, rate and review!
Youssouf takes us through his college journey, the pressures he faces being a first-gen college student and the words of advice he passes down to his younger brother as he begins the college process. Subscribe, rate & review!
In episode two, we sit down with the newest member of the DCS team, Jordan Bonner! Jordan takes us through his journey at St. Andrew's School, the challenges of being a black teenager who has to navigate predominantly white spaces and his plan to create equitable educational opportunities for our DCS scholars.
In our first episode, we sit down with Cohort 1 scholar Jean Filo to talk about his journey from Syria to the United States, the sacrifices his parents made for both him and his sister, and how having a routine has been so crucial to his academic success.