The Sound Bearier: Recent Episodes
Northeast State Community College
The Sound Bearier seeks to acquaint listeners with Northeast State news and events. Our hosts Tom Wilson, April Allen, and Matt Poole interview staff, faculty, students, and alumni to bring you the latest in all things Northeast State!
*All opinions expressed by the hosts and guests of "The Sound Bearier" are solely their opinions and do not necessarily reflect the official position or opinions of Northeast State Community College. Any content provided by our hosts or guests are solely for educational purposes.
The Sound Bearier is back! Northeast State welcomes you to the upcoming fall semester. Host Matthew Poole, Mackenzie Moore-Gent, and Tom Wilson talk fall events news you can use and what to expect from the podcast this year.
Thank you to the Department of Communications and Marketing for their support. Let's get ready for a great semester.
Get all the Northeast State news at Northeast State Community College.
What are you afraid of? The news of the day creates anxiety for many. What is the nature of fear and how does it manifest in human thinking and actions?
The Sound Bearier podcast proudly welcomes Professor Lisa Poole, alias The Psychology Goddess of Northeast State, to discuss the role fear plays in our lives and decisions. Managing fear helps people push their boundaries and achieve goals they never thought possible.
In this episode, we talk why people fear public speaking more than death, the fear industry, the exhilaration of skydiving, breaking out of comfort zones, and how the likelihood of a killer whale riding a bus to your house is slim but not impossible.
*This episode is a discussion about the nature of fear. The opinions and views expressed by guests and hosts are not intended as psychological advice or mental health recommendations for any listeners.
Halloween season is here. As long shadows fall across the lands, The Sound Bearier presents our annual scary stories episode with haunted houses, ghostly travelers, and high-in-the-sky phenomena.
What are your favorite stories? Are entities reaching out to us from parallel dimensions or beyond the grave? Give us a listen and subscribe on your favorite streaming services. Happy Halloween!
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Slaying with 'ris requires one to rock a certain drip. And that drip must go hard.
All the real ones out there know what we are saying. We hope. In this episode, the Sound Bearier podcast team discusses a few choice slang words used to communicate today and from years past. Northeast State English professors are encouraged to leave comments and emojis. You can grade us in the transcript!
Enjoy a new episode that both smacks and is on fleek. Thank you to the fantastic Entertainment Technology team and our Marketing and Community Relations Department for their support of The Sound Bearier podcast.
Give us a listen, like, and review at your favorite streaming service.
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John McMeen could be something of an accidental renaissance man.
As an assistant professor of computer science at Northeast State, John's day job involves teaching students technological systems and computer science. His interests and life experiences involve much, much more. An accomplished musician and performer, McMeen talks performing punk/hardcore music, using technology to track frogs in Steele Creek Park, and how artificial intelligence helps students.
The Sound Bearier welcomes one of the most interesting faculty members in the Northeast State world. Give this episode a listen. Give us a like and comment on your favorite streaming platform.
https://www.northeaststate.edu
Claiming financial aid. Navigating the Blountville campus road project. Cool campus events. Fall classes began this week and The Sound Bearier crew has a few tips and suggestions to help move through the semester.
A wealth of information is available at the shiny, updated Northeast State web site https://www.northeaststate.edu to help you on your way.
To wrap up our third season, The Sound Bearier proudly welcomes Northeast State President Dr. Jeff McCord to the podcast!
Dr. McCord became president of Northeast State in 2022 after serving as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
He talks about his own journey attending college, first job and diverse career, and how he made his way to Tennessee. We also discuss career academy options for students, education and a changing economy, and the value of earning a college degree or certificate with NO DEBT after you graduate.
Subscribe to The Sound Bearier your favorite streaming service. Apply and register for summer and fall classes now at Northeast STate via this link: https://www.northeaststate.edu.
Artificial intelligence (AI) programs everything from health care to education to vehicles. What does this mean to human thought and evolution?
The Sound Bearier welcomes Northeast State professor of history, Tabetha Garman, and professor of psychology, Kristin Lazarova, to the podcast. In this episode, they discuss the implications of AI in education systems and human cognitive development as the technology advances faster than its creators imagined.
Enjoy this episode and subscribe to The Sound Bearier on your favorite streaming platform. Leave a comment and review and get to know us at Northeast State Community College.
https://www.northeaststate.edu
ChatGPT. That is Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer in formal company. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. You may even be using it to write your academic papers or TPS reports.
Northeast State instructor and computer science industry pro David Blair joins The Sound Bearier to talk technical about Big Tech’s most talked about marvel. Blair brings his extensive experience in the private sector and college classroom. As the AI arms race heats up, he talks about the use of artificial intelligence and technical aspects of programming systems such as ChatGPT.
So, is ChatGPT a harbinger of doom or this month’s outrage? Speaking of outrages…HAM radio has gone digital. Terrible.
Summer and Fall class registration begins April 3! Apply and register for classes now at https://www.northeaststate.edu.
Did you know Northeast State fields a host of esports gaming teams? Esports generated roughly $243 million in market revenue during 2021 while the global video game market value exceeded $178 billion, according to Statista data company.
After a succesful first season last fall, the Northeast State Bears roared into the spring esports season in February. Gamers joined the melee in new games of Madden 23; NBA2K, and Mario Kart. The team's first season of gamers returned to play Overwatch; League of Legends; Halo; Super Smash Brothers; and Rocket League among others.
The Sound Bearier welcomed esports Bears’ coaching staff of Chris Demas, Jim Holbrook, and Brandon Burleson to talk about the Bears’ student players, their favorite video games, and how esports gaming builds teamwork while creating a school identity.
Check out all things Northeast State esports including the student teams and the season’s schedule at: https://esports.northeaststate.edu
Visit Northeast State at https://www.northeaststate.edu.
Why are you the way you are? Does this question get directed at you from those in your personal or professional sphere? The Sound Bearier team opted to take personality tests and read our results. The gold standard Big Five test. The beloved Myers-Briggs type indicator. And the popular Enneagram. There are scores of others, but we tried these three.
Fortunately, our Matt Poole is steeped in psychology and personalities. Give it a listen and see if you recognize anyone or yourself.
Oh, priority registration for spring is happening now at Northeast State. Beat the rush and get those classes you need at: www.northeaststaste.edu/admissions.
For this Halloween episode, The Sound Bearier solicited scary stories and experiences from students and faculty.
Thank you to students/staff who submitted their encounters. If you have a scary story or experience to share, email tdwilson@northeaststate.edu. Happy Halloween 2022!
The Sound Bearier welcomed student Rebekah Saulsbury to talk about her experiences as a dual enrollment and full-time college student at Northeast State.
Saulsbury is one of nine children - many of whom are Northeast State alumni. She has carved her own path as an English and Mass Communications major.
As the opportunities for dual enrolled students grows at Northeast State, Saulsbury represents a new generation of students moving faster to achieve their goals and living as she so eloquently describes it, "a purposeful life."
https://www.northeaststate.edu/hsp/
Dancer. Choreographer. Activist. Educator. Muslim. American.
Amirah Sackett embodies both tradition and innovation. Her dance and performance art garnered international recognition, most notably with her performance group We’re Muslim, Don’t Panic.
Our International Education Committee via Conscious Campus arranged her visit to Northeast State in October to share her experiences with students. Amirah graciously accepted an invitation to The Sound Bearier to talk about life, inspiration, the fusion of hip-hop dance and Islamic tradition, and the road ahead.
www.northeaststate.edu
TRiO Student Support Services at Northeast State provides a pathway, and lifeline, to qualifying students pursuing a technical certificate or college degree. Federally-funded, TRiO serves first-generation college students facing financial or disability challenges to graduate from college.
Wes Greear joined Northeast State at TRiO director in 2021. He joins The Sound Bearier to talk options, qualifications, and guiding students to success.
Get to know this often-overlooked program responsible for helping hundreds of students achieve their goals. Visit www.northeaststate.edu/trio to learn more.
The Northeast State Foundation administers more than 200 scholarships to help students reach their goals and earn an associate degree or certificate.
The Sound Bearier sat down with Foundation Chair, Mr. Peter Raber, to talk about making smart financial decisions while earning a college degree. He talks about the Foundation’s drive to help students, minimizing dreaded student debt, and why cultivating your net worth at an early age pays big dividends in the long run.
To learn more about the Foundation and how to support students visit our web page: https://www.northeaststate.edu/Business-and-Community/Foundation/.
Hazelnut or mocha? Team TSB wraps up the second season of Northeast State’s The Sound Bearier podcast with a roundtable coffee talk discussion.
In this episode, your hosts April, Matt, and Tom talk coffee we like, previous jobs we didn’t, and business ideas ready – or not – for investment by the Shark Tank judges. The Sound Bearier goes on hiatus this summer. We return for our third season this fall with new guests and old friends.
Speaking of Fall, get advised and register for classes now at www.northeaststate.edu.
Subscribe to TSB and leave a review at your favorite streaming media service. We are on them all!
Live theatre is back on stage where it belongs!
The Sound Bearier welcomes Jillian Cox and SarahGrace Triplett to the podcast to talk about the Northeast State Theatre Department's upcoming production of Alice in Wonderland.
Jillian and SarahGrace talk about the camaraderie of theatre students, the hard work of creating a production, and why you should run toward fear.
Alice in Wonderland opens April 14 and continues through April 16 with three evening performances and one matinee. Bring your kids and get your tickets now at https://www.northeaststate.edu/boxoffice
Technology needs you. A wealth of opportunities awaits students-to-tech-professionals training to keep our civilization running on all microchips.
The Sound Bearier welcomes our friend Dr. Donna Farrell, dean of Technologies division at Northeast State.
Farrell talks about how a new generation of savvy thinkers can shape our technological future, how to understand the “Internet of Things” field, and how problem-solving skills help when a moose visits your workplace.
Check out the certificate and degree opportunities available in our Technologies Division.
To register for the Women in Manufacturing Symposium happening March 11 at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, click this link.
The Sound Bearier is delighted to welcome peer recovery coach Kenneth Knight to share his story of addiction and recovery. He works in Northeast State’s Counseling Services to help those battling addictions.
Kenneth talks about personal responsibility, the complexity of addiction, and our culture’s waning fear of dangerous things.
If you need help, please contact Counseling Services via their website: https://www.northeaststate.edu/Campus-Resources/Counseling-Services/.
https://www.northeaststate.edu
Ducks and Pomeranians the size of elephants?
Elon Musk and Joan of Arc breaking bread in the Courtyard?
In a light-hearted episode depending on your point of view, The Sound Bearier’s Tom Wilson and Matt Poole riff on giant animals (not tarantulas), overrated super heroes, and the random questions we put to our guests in our seasonal wrap-up episode.
The Sound Bearier team says thank you to all our guests and the Northeast State Department of Entertainment Technology for their excellent work to make TSB roar to life.
The Sound Bearier is honored to welcome United States Air Force veteran Jesse Carter and United States Army veteran Joni Hughes to our Veterans Day week podcast.
These two Northeast State alumni who stepped forward to serve their country talk about creativity, coming full circle in career paths, and navigating the civilian world.
Thank you to all veterans who served from The Sound Bearier team.
Listen, subscribe and visit Northeast State at www.northeaststate.edu. We're enrolling now for Spring 2022 classes.
A two-headed hitchhiker in Carter County. A vengeful Pig Man lurking near an abandoned ordnance site. Unexplained lights and a creepy farmhouse.
Tis’ the spooky season. The Sound Bearier offers up a few scary stories and legend for our Halloween episode. Enjoy the tales and stay out of the woods!
www.northeaststate.edu
Northeast State alumna and higher ed pro Dawn Carter keeps students on track to graduate as director of Student Success at Kingsport.
Get to know our friend Dawn as she and April talk about finding a path to passion, the three people she would most like to have dinner with, and parasailing as a treatment for acrophobia (That means fear of heights. We looked it up).
Subscribe to The Sound Bearier on your favorite streaming source.
Hola, friends!
We are delighted to welcome Northeast State Spanish instructor Norma Sanchez-Webb to this episode of La Barrera del Sonido.
Norma talks about learning English in school as a non-English speaking child, the nuances of ALL languages, and how Spanish-speaking students navigate college life.
TSB celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month. Why not take a foreign language? You will be glad you did.
(Editor's note: This episode was recorded in spring 2021 prior to the newest COVID-19 case surge. The episode reflects the experiences and lessons of that moment in time. The fluid nature of the pandemic and the resurgence of COVID-19 during the summer created new set of standards and challenges.)
The COVID pandemic continues. Health care workers of all stripes feel the burn. Northeast State Health Professions' students continue to step forward.
In this episode, Northeast State Nursing program instructor Joy McLain talks clinical education, determined nursing students, and health care at its most intense.
Subscribe and leave a comment at your favorite streaming media site.
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Season two of The Sound Bearier kicks off with a visit from our beloved colleague Mr. Gregory Walters.
A friend and ally to countless Northeast State students, Greg recently retired after 30 years of dedicated service at the college. While Greg’s contributions are well-known and many, April and Matt talk to the man about his life, personal drive, and plans for the future.
Have a few tissues handy. Thanks, Greg.
Matt Poole welcomes new Northeast State alumnus Isaiah Quaintance, '21, to this episode.
This Daniel Boone High School graduate made his way to Northeast State thanks to the wonderful Angela Shrum. Get to know Isaiah as he talks about mass communications, being a Direction Northeast host, the connection between playing football and live interviews, and his friendship with Professor Gary Potter.
Who Dat? It's The Sound Bearier with Isaiah Quaintance. Thank you Angela!
Fall semester approaches! What classes do I need to get the degree I want?
In this episode, Northeast State Academic Advisor and Completion Coach Julie Dykes answers this question and many others.
Julie talks about navigating class schedules, how to thrive in a virtual class setting, and what questions students SHOULD ask advisors. She and Northeast State’s Advising Resource Center team assist students with academic advising in person or virtually via telephone, email, or Zoom.
Give a listen to how advising provides an academic road map to complete your degree or certificate. You can email to advising@NortheastState.edu, or call at 423.323.0214 to get started.
Northeast State Advising
First-generation college student. Social Work major. Keeping Our Promise mentor. Hiker.
Melanie Fischer represents many students who overcame the challenges of college and COVID to succeed, and succeed mightily. She received Northeast State's Outstanding Student Award for 2020-21 graduating summa cum laude this spring.
Give a listen to this Daniel Boone High School alumna with a dedication to help people and the drive to succeed as she sits down with The Sound Bearier.
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Musician, professor, and encyclopedia of American history. Professor Jim Kelly embodies an imaginative teaching style to engage students and help them understand history.
Our host Tom Wilson interviews Professor Kelly about his philosophy of teaching. We might even get a special musical performance from the man himself!
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Northeast State alumna. People person. Animal lover. Owner of a pet snake.
As a communications representative for our college, Kirsti Graybeal is often the first person people meet when arriving on the Northeast State campus for the first time.
Get to know this free-spirited East Tennessee native in a new Bear Biography episode with host Matthew Poole.
Namaste, friends!
Tune into our latest Bear Biography episode and get to know Rebecca Moody, Coordinator of Workforce Solutions. Rebecca goes to great lengths in not only helping our students, but also our community. Rebecca shares her love for yoga, family, and has an interesting collection. Find out what that is and why it’s important to her. Rebecca will have you laughing with her answer to the infamous random question April asks at the end of each episode. Don’t miss it!
Interested in occupational therapy as a potential career? In this episode of The Sound Bearier, Matt Poole interviews Gym Assistant, Carson Dilley. Come hear about this occupational therapist in training's story and his passion for pediatric therapy. Carson also gives us tips on what exercises we can utilize to alleviate mental ruts while navigating the pandemic. This and many more engaging topics will be explored with our guest. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe to #TheSoundBearier to stay in the know about when new episodes release!
The state of Mississippi has given the world a slew of talented people.
One such person is Shelby McKenzie, director of University Parallel Dual Enrollment, at Northeast State. Catch this latest episode of TSB as Shelby talks about the University Parallel Dual Enrollment program, her love of the theater, and how she went from Greenwood, Miss., to becoming a Northeast State Bear! Yes, here's a shoutout to the University of Souther Mississippi, too!
Learn more about Dual Enrollment at
https://www.northeaststate.edu/Multi-Campus-Programs/High-School-Programs/University-Parallel-Dual-Enrollment-Program/
The Sound Bearier’s Matthew Poole welcomes Ethan Bentley, a second-year student/History major at Northeast State. We are proud to welcome this Hampton High School alumnus as the FIRST student to be a guest on our podcast.
Ethan talks about the process of making his first amateur film, 1970s era music, and the best actor to portray Spiderman.
Our region’s workforce population faces a set of bold challenges as we stumble toward a post-COVID world. Heath McMillian, executive director of Northeast State’s Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing in Kingsport joins us on this episode of The Sound Bearier.
Heath discusses how a recovering workforce can thrive in the years ahead, why apprenticeships of all career stripes can help shape the region's economic future, and why his musically gifted children did not get their talent from him.
Visit the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing to learn about the opportunities awaiting you www.Manufacturingfuture.net.
Mental health matters. The Sound Bearier's Matthew Poole talks to Jenna Welch, of Northeast State Counseling Services, about how to cope with Covid and college life.
Confidential and compassionate, Counseling Services wants to engage students in need. Get to know Jenna and learn about the services our counseling team provides at Counseling Services.
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In this episode of The Sound Bearier, our April Allen talks to Jennifer Kendrick, Career Specialist, in the Career and Workforce Development Center.
From displaced workers to single parents determined to earn a degree, Jennifer seeks to help people take one step at a time to success.
Career and Workforce Development
The world does not end at the county line. Led by Professor Nona Shepherd, International Education at Northeast State program strives to share the world’s cultures to students with past visits to Washington, D.C., and the United Kingsport; international speakers and events such as the very popular International Food Day.
Then, COVID came. Travel bans and social distance followed. But the desire to see and share experiences remains strong. While the moving events to the virtual world in 2020, Shepherd is looking ahead to a post-COVID world of international education. We welcome her to The Sound Bearier as we talk international education, literature, and Southern Appalachia.
Visit the International Education webpage or the Tennessee Consortium for International Studies to learn more.
Our friend - and newest member of The Sound Bearier podcast team - Matthew Poole wants you to give Northeast State Community College a look as your higher education destination.
A Northeast State alumnus, Poole previously served as a Success Coach & Lead Mentor of the Inclusive Excellence program at the college.
Our April Allen talks with Matt about his own experiences and how students can become successful in college and beyond. Give it a listen and smash that Subscribe button!
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This Bear Biography episode features our Nathan Hawkins talking with April Allen.
He is an Information Technology pro by day, musician/mountain biker/trail builder, well, also by day and most other times. A Northeast State and King University alumnus, Nathan represents the adventurous spirit of southern Appalachian life.
Hear about a few biking trails of our area and what interesting wildlife a mountain biker can encounter on a ride. Check out his band, These Are The Angles.
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For what do you give thanks during the Thanksgiving holiday season?
In this special episode, The Sound Bearier team hit the streets to ask our Northeast State family for their thoughts on what they hold dear this season and all year. Going beyond the standard "family and food" answers, the responses are insightful, funny, and moving.
TSB gives thanks for our listeners, and those who made our podcast possible.
We also give thanks to Will MacMorran and the Entertainment Technology department at Northeast State for their stellar work making TSB happen.
Happy Thanksgiving from The Sound Bearier!
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This special Veterans Day week episode shares a slice of life from a veteran, colleague, and friend Mr. John Adcox.
John is a veteran of the United States Army. He serves fellow veterans at the College's Veteran and Military Student Success Center. John along with Jessica Kelso help scores of students veterans and their families each semester.
Northeast State expresses our thanks and respect to all our veterans who served and continue to serve around the world.
Give it a listen and don't forget to smash that Subscribe button to get The Sound Bearier episodes on your favorite channel.
Veteran and Military Student Success Center
Northeast State Community College
What lurks in the forests of northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia? Tune in to this special edition of The Sound Bearier to hear more about the myths and monsters of southern Appalachia.
Join us as we chat with Julie Murray, Career Development Coordinator, as she gives us insight into how COVID-19 has changed searching and applying for jobs, the interview process, and how the Career and Workforce Development Center can assist you with pursuing your career goals.
Dracula. Now there's a guy who knew how to isolate.
Fall is here. Two full moons happening in October, including one on Halloween. And Northeast State Theatre presents an audio drama of Bram Stoker’s classic Dracula running Oct. 28 to Nov. 1.Shew, these cosmological logistics took a LONG time to coordinate.
We welcome Northeast State’s director of Theatre, Elizabeth M. Sloan, to our first October episode. Prof. Sloan talks about the Theatre team’s creative ideas for Dracula, the parallels of our modern day fears, and the struggles of entertainment industry in the COVID world.
Produced by the Northeast State Theatre Department and the Mass Communications Department. Check the link here.
The Audio Drama will be available to the public for free!
Think you missed out on Fall 2020 semester classes? Well, think again!
In this bonus Bear Byte episode of The Sound Bearier, Northeast State Registrar and all-around great person Deidra Close gives you the sweet and low down about Term Two class opportunities available now. Term Two Fall classes begin Oct. 5th so time draws near.
Enroll and register for Term Two classes NOW via your MyNortheast account or contact the Northeast State Admissions Office.
In this Bear Biography, get to know our friend Charlie Reese, formerly of the Northeast State Financial Aid office. Charlie talks to The Sound Bearier's April Allen about money management, financial aid, and what his secret superpower might be. Reese serves his town and country as a member of the National Guard.
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Classroom content delivery looks much different from last fall. The Sound Bearier proudly welcomes Northeast State Speech professor Dr. Rick Merritt to the podcast. In this episode, Dr. Merritt talks about how students responded to the spring's upheaval and how video conferencing is changing our communication habits.
Dr. Merritt serves as a faculty coordinator to A Toast to Education and Volunteer Northeast State.
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The first week of Fall 2020 semester closes out today.
Our Jennifer Starling offers some great advice for students to navigate this highly challening semester. A few timely notes and you've got a Bear Byte episode of The Sound Bearier!
Thank you to Jennifer and our friends in the Entertainment Technology department for their hard work.
https://www.northeaststate.edu/Programs-of-Study/Entertainment-Technology/
Welcome to first episode of The Sound Bearier, the official podcast of Northeast State Community College.
We are pleased to welcome Will MacMorran, director of our Entertainment Technology program. Will joins our April Allen to talk music, technical education, and how digital technology is changing our world. Give it a listen and a like.