Episode 50 is here! Countless stories. One powerful community. In this milestone episode of the Harper Talks Alumni Podcast, we’re revisiting the powerful advice from alumni over the past five years — the moments that inspired our listeners to say yes, take risks, and create their own paths. Their journeys started at Harper. Their impact reaches far beyond. Tune in and get inspired. Episode 50 is live!
[00:00:00.000] - Brian Shelton
I'm Brian Shelton, and you're listening to Harper Talks, a coproduction of Harper
College Alumni Relations and Harper Radio. Today on Harper Talks, we're celebrating
our 50th episode. Fiftieth episode, that's a lot. I wanted to do that with our producer,
Shannon Hynes, who comes to every show, but has never been on the show. Shannon, how
are you doing today?
[00:00:18.980] - Shannon Hynes
I'm doing great. Thanks for having me here, Brian.
[00:00:20.970] - Brian Shelton
That's great to have you. Now, if you listen to this podcast, you know that I interview
folks who are alumni of Harper College, but you don't know what goes on behind the
scenes. Shannon recruits all of our alumni to come. She does pre-interview questions
of them, sets up all of our schedule and everything, and she actually does all the
hard work. So I really appreciate you doing that.
[00:00:41.900] - Shannon Hynes
Well, thank you. I don't see it that way. I think you have the hardest job, but you
make it look so easy.
[00:00:46.440] - Brian Shelton
Oh, I appreciate that. So we've been doing... This will be our 50th episode, this
compilation show that we're putting together today. And so I was just curious, why
did we start doing this? Why podcast?
[00:01:01.120] - Shannon Hynes
Well, in my role as Director of Alumni Relations, I oversee all things alumni engagement
here at Harper. I think it was maybe 2019 when you and I started having that conversation.
Actually, I think you approached me and said, Hey, wouldn't it be cool to do a podcast?
And we started thinking about this and how we could really allow alumni to tell their
own stories through this format. And it just presented, as podcasts were really taking
off, in the last 5-10 years, it presented such a great opportunity to connect with
alumni that way, and connect their stories to our community.
[00:01:35.180] - Brian Shelton
Yeah, and it was an interesting thing. I remember we were just about to get started,
and then we all went home for the pandemic, and so-
[00:01:41.400] - Shannon Hynes
Ah, the pandemic.
[00:01:42.340] - Brian Shelton
Yeah. And so you and I had a conversation about, well, can we still do this? And so
we figured out a way to do it at home, as everybody was figuring out a way to do it
at home, and it was fun. It was neat.
[00:01:52.540] - Shannon Hynes
Yeah, definitely. That was the tricky part. And I know that you figured that out from
the technical side of being able to record virtually, and I believe about the first
12 to 15 episodes are all on Zoom. Those first episodes when you go back into the
archives, it was a different time.
[00:02:10.980] - Brian Shelton
Yeah, it was definitely a different time. And it was rough putting everything together
back then. I wound up recording and editing almost all those episodes. But for the
last two years, our student, Coby Pozo, has been editing all these episodes and putting
together. So I really just want to give a shout out to Coby for doing all that work.
So that's been great.
[00:02:30.000] - Shannon Hynes
Giving him that opportunity and working on this professional podcast, I think that's
a really unique part of this show, is that the students do play a role in it. The
station manager, Blue Bailey, who manages the online content for us, and the previous
station managers and then having students edit really makes it a learning opportunity
for them. Then we send it out into the world.
[00:02:55.060] - Brian Shelton
It's been a really fun experience. On every show, I ask each guest to leave us with
a piece of advice for students at Harper College, and every guest has given us really
great advice. And for this 50th episode, what we've done is we've pulled together
some of our favorites. We don't have time for all 50 or all 49, it would be. So I
don't want anyone to feel left out. But I was curious, out of this huge chunk of advice
that we have, was there anyone that stood out to you? I don't know if I put you on
the spot.
[00:03:24.540] - Shannon Hynes
Yeah, I was thinking about that, and I would like to I'll turn it around to you after
I answer. But I can't really call one out. I love them all. Every episode, the alumni
brought such different perspectives, different life experiences. But the one thing
that stuck out to me through all the advice that was given are those common threads.
And that was really how they connected at Harper, using Harper's services and resources,
and how they were able to use that and take their education and career to the next
level. Then being present and saying yes to the opportunities. I think the number
one thing that we heard across the board was getting involved. Most of the alumni
who connected, if they were able to get involved on campus, that was their recommendation
and their advice for current students. That was really neat.
[00:04:18.340] - Brian Shelton
Yeah, it's absolutely the common thread that's there. I was just relistening to some
of these, and my colleague Laura Pulio-Kolbert, who's just retired last year, she
really hit that in her advice It's that you have to get involved at the college, whole
hog. You have to just bury yourself into it and be a part of the institution, and
then you'll have a great experience. I was just having a conversation with a colleague
the other day about his son is going to a different community college because of where
they live. He said his son has just treated it like it's university, and he's on campus
all day long, and he goes to every club meeting that's available and every free lunch
that's happening, and he's having a great time and a great experience. That's what
people need to do when they're here, I think.
[00:04:58.720] - Shannon Hynes
That's terrific.
[00:04:59.480] - Brian Shelton
It's a common thread.
[00:05:00.570] - Shannon Hynes
It's fantastic. Definitely.
[00:05:01.360] - Brian Shelton
Well, fantastic. Our first piece of advice today comes from Greg Cadichon.
[00:05:07.200] - Greg Cadichon
The number one thing I tell someone I could never give up, and back to my quote, It's
supposed to be hard. Difficulty is part of the journey. Every new step is a new opportunity
to learn something. What I mean by that, it's okay to fail. Failure is not a bad thing.
I tell them, I said, Listen, when you fail, that's a chance to learn something you
didn't know. If you think you know everything, you will never learn anything new.
So embrace your failures, work at it, and do better next time. Understand what you
did wrong and try something different. Never stop trying. Because I've had people
look at me and say, well, you got this business, you're doing this. I have many failures.
Many things I was so sure was going to work out did not. I tried something a little
different, tweak it a little bit, and it moves on. And see, I was like, it's failure
is my friend. And I put aside the fact that I failed, or I didn't know. We all don't
know something. I'm sure there's things you don't know, correct? That's right. That's
why I said, Never give up and don't be afraid to fail. That's your chance to learn
something new.
[00:06:12.850] - Brian Shelton
I'm excited to speak with Laura Pulio Colbert.
[00:06:16.260] - Laura Pulio Colbert
I would say what I say to all of my students, please just take advantage of this place
and please know that the people that you meet today and tomorrow, they will be a part
of your lives. They will be a part of your future. You are creating your ethos. This
is the chance for you to change mistakes you may have made in the past. Start fresh
and new. Do it. Take responsibility for your life. Take responsibility for your education.
Own it, earn it, enjoy it. Those are all the things that Harper can do for you. I
hope that our students will take advantage of every opportunity they have on campus,
both academically and in terms of extracurricular activities. Like you said, your
radio students that come in and are actively engaged in campus life. These things
matter, too. And these things future employers are interested in. So I want all of
our students to understand that it's not just about what happens inside the classroom,
but what you do with that and how you apply that in a more practical way. So just
take advantage and enjoy and learn. And I hope that... Oh, and know that you will
have some of the finest educators and teachers that you ever have in your whole journey
right here at Harper College. And you'll thank God for them years from now when they're
writing you letters of recommendation to get you those jobs you so desperately want.
[00:07:57.340] - Brian Shelton
I'm excited to speak with Michael Terson.
[00:08:00.000] - Michael Terson
That's a good question. Thank you. My advice is, I think current Harper students is
the very That's a wide range of people. It's that 18, 19-year-old who doesn't know
what they want to do. And it's also that 40-something who might be going through a
divorce or a life change where they need to find a career to a senior citizen who
never finished school, and now is the time that they just want to do it. There's so
many different students. So my advice that I think goes across the board is don't
go for the job that you think you're qualified for. Go for the job that you want to
be qualified for. Don't sell yourself short. Don't put limitations on your own potential.
If there's something out there that you think you want, go get it. Go convince someone
that you're the one for that role, because the more I look at the world and careers
in the world and jobs and the conversations I have with other people who hire people,
is that these jobs jobs, these tasks anybody can do. There's certain jobs where, yes,
you have to have a medical license to do surgery on people. You have to have a teaching
certificate to teach kindergarten. But a lot of jobs out there don't require licensing.
They require experience or they require an aptitude for that skill, training in that
area. But at the end of the day, we can teach people to do any task, but we can't
teach people to be the person that they are. Nobody can teach you work ethic. Nobody
can teach you mental toughness. And at the end of the day, nobody can teach you to
be the person you are. And so that's what separates everybody, every student, every
job applicant. So yes, every job posting has certain requirements, certain education
requirements, certain experience, whatever. But I would encourage people to ignore
that. Put yourself out there and go. If you think there's something that is the perfect
fit for you that you might not be qualified for yet, throw your hat in the ring, and
and convince someone why you're the right choice.
[00:10:47.890] - Brian Shelton
I'm excited to speak with Michael Nejman.
[00:10:50.160] - Michael Nejman
What I shared earlier, I think, is still effective advice. I think it's important
for students to take off the blinders when they come on campus, look around. There's
lots of great opportunities. Connect with your faculty members, connect with your
other students. What's bad about social media now, in my opinion, is that you're always
focusing on your phone. People don't make phone calls, let alone personal connections
as much as they used to, from my observation. Meet students in your class. Ask them
what their game plan is. If they have similar interests, think about it. If you're
in a journalism class or a theater class or whatever class you're in or a math class
or a nursing class, find out what those other students in the class are. What are
they doing? What's their game plan? Where are they transferring for a four-year school?
What kinds of internships do they have? And take advantage of that because making
contacts, that's been the secret of success for me. And in the Harper College is just
a hotbed. There's so many opportunities. And I was going to mention, too, besides,
like with clubs and organizations, I wanted to share just to make sure to get that
in here. My wife and I have a scholarship for nursing students. Because of COVID,
we realized how critical it was for students students who wanted to go into the nursing
field that they got help to do that. And so we opened up the scholarship, and it's
out there. But getting involved with the Student Nurses Club or any other club on
campus, a lot of them belong to national associations. I know that for a fact. So
if you want to go into a particular field, find a related club, and you could possibly
go to some conferences on the college's dollar, on the student activities dollar,
which is a great experience. So take advantage of all that. Or using people like yourself.
Find a mentor. Find somebody who can help you figure out your journey, your route
to success.
[00:12:39.660] - Brian Shelton
I'm excited to speak with Tom Schnecke.
[00:12:42.160] - Tom Schnecke
Well, first of all, for someone who's already a student, be really firm in what it
is you think you want to pursue. You know, Harper makes it so easy to change, change
direction, but don't go in without a plan. To really pick where you think you want
to get and change mid-course if you need to. That's been my whole life. I was at a
radio station where the format changed and then they sold it, and then I unceremoniously
found myself in a TV station, which made my jump from NBC to CBS much easier because
I realized you could make a change and it could be better, it could be different.
But without having those experiences, might not have made the leap. And so I think
that's for if you're already there. If you're thinking about it, again, it goes back
to What is it you think you want to do? And how do you think Harper can help you?
And if you're not sure, there are certainly people there who can guide you once you
get that in your thought process.
[00:13:43.600] - Jeff Julian (Guest Host)
I'm excited to speak with Dr. Christopher Schneider.
[00:13:46.200] - Dr. Christopher Schneider
Go to class! (laughs)
[00:13:47.920] - Jeff Julian (Guest Host)
Show up.
[00:13:49.320] - Dr. Christopher Schneider
Yeah, show up. I would say, chase your dreams. Chase your dreams. People, when I came
to Harper, I didn't have a real good sense what it was I was doing with myself. And
sociology got me fired up. And I chased that. And here I am. And come to Harper College,
and maybe you don't have that dream yet. And what I would say is a recommendation,
expand your palate. Take classes that you otherwise think might not be interesting
or you might not know about. And the more that you learn, the more you're going to
expand your intellectual palate. And you might find your dream there. So something
that gets you going. That's what I'd say. It's vague. I don't know if it really speaks
well to your question. It's a really interesting question. It's a good question. I
can say the usual thing. So be yourself and never give up and all that stuff. But
I would say also hang out at Harper if you can. If you can. One of the things with
Harper College, it's a commuter campus. If you can spend time hanging out in the quad
in the grass or having a coffee at the Starbucks with with other friends and get to
know more people. Again, you're going to expand not only your social circle, and these
people, probably you'll be in touch with them throughout the rest of your lives, but
it's going to expand your interests. That's important. That's where Harper College
is. It's a place to come to begin. When you begin here, it leads to new beginnings
and really important. It can lead to important stuff. That's what it did for me. I
have friends I'm still very close friends with that I've known for 25 years who I
met at Harper. I learned from them, they learned from me. It's a fantastic place for
that, for learning what your dreams are and then chasing those dreams and making something
of yourself.
[00:15:42.680] - Brian Shelton
I'm excited to speak with Joe Plazak.
[00:15:45.140] - Joe Plazak
That's a really good question. I'm going to have to think for a second about the most
important thing to say. I just feel like when you're a student, you will be in a place
for, say, two years or four years. It just depends. But in the end, it's not a lot
of time. Where you'll spend most of your time is as you build your career and you
go on. There's a big difference between student life and the life that comes thereafter,
where it's very much the same thing day to day. It's not this super rapid, fast-paced,
16-week semester. I would say that wherever you go, try to make the most of the opportunities
that are around you for for that short period of time, even if it means not sleeping
as much or putting in more effort or just really working hard, and students do work
hard. Just know that it's for a concentrated short period of time in your life, and
it's an investment that will pay off as soon as you're done for the rest of your career,
for the rest of your life.
[00:16:51.810] - Brian Shelton
I'm excited to speak with Dr. Shelomi Gomez.
[00:16:55.240] - Dr. Shelomi Gomez
One of the things that happened to me when I was in I remember it was an English 102
class, and I had written something, some paper, and I had just written it really in
a rush. The professor pulled me aside and he said, You know, you've got some really
good ideas here, but there are some issues with structuring it, maybe some grammar
issues and stuff. And he said, you know what? If you come to my office about half
an hour before the class starts, maybe we can go over this, at least for next couple
of weeks, and I can I'll help you on it. And I went away and I thought, oh no some
more work. I don't have time for it. And also a bit of my ego was in there, too. I
don't need help. I'm okay. But then I'm glad I took him up on that advice because
he really did help me. So there are professors here that are willing to help you.
And if they offer you help, just go. Just go at least that one time to see what they
can do, what advice they can give, what tips they can give. That's not one thing.
The other thing is get involved. There are so many clubs and associations and things
you can do on campus. And it would be, I don't think it would be... I mean, maybe
you work and maybe you don't have the time to come and do other things on campus,
and that's fine. But that opportunity to meet other people that is beyond just academics
is something that is there at Harper and would be beneficial for some students. It
definitely was for me doing speech. So take up the opportunities that are offered
here on campus. Another thing that I would say is going to college is meant to be
challenging. You are going to change. The person that you are when you entered in
and the person you are at the end of two years or at the end of four years is going
to be a different person. And so that change requires you to be challenged.
[00:19:09.260] - Brian Shelton
I'm excited to welcome Dr. Leslie Van Wolvelear to the studio! For, I guess, two groups
of people. One, the student who's thinking, should I go to a community college? And
I guess the second would be, while you're at the community college, what should you
be doing to maximizing that opportunity?
[00:19:28.900] - Dr. Leslie Van Wolvelear
Yeah. So I actually talk to high school students, and I will explain the benefits.
If you are funding your own education, if you don't have a full ride or mom and dad
are paying, consider community college. It will save you substantial amounts of money
and that you can then use for other things, right? I also really encourage my students
to get involved because nowadays what you have on that resume will open doors or close
doors. And so if you're involved in the accounting club or DECA or whatever your passion
is, do improv, do theater, whatever your passion is, somehow get involved at the community
college because that's what employers are looking for. They're looking for people
that go that extra step. And it also helps you, they say your first two years, you're
becoming a well-rounded individual with all the Gen-Eds. Okay, I buy in. That's good.
But also being involved will get you a network of people you could reach out to for
jobs or whatever. So getting involved.
[00:20:47.510] - Brian Shelton
Alex Alexandrov.
[00:20:48.800] - Alex Alexandrov
I would tell them, Go ahead and do it. You would not... The money, your money will
be well-invested in your future because Harper, really, as I said, it prepares you.
It prepares you for your future positions. And the teachers at Harper not only are
there to teach you, but they're there for emotional support. They're there in any
aspect of the two years that you're there. I still keep in touch with some of the
professors and some of the teachers at Harper through social media. So social media
is great about that. But there's no other place like Harper. You can find a great
community, you can find great people, you can find many opportunities that can help
you with your education, such as the HOPE scholarship that is not many people are
aware of that. But if people are thinking about Harper, then I definitely will encourage
them to pursue a career there.
[00:21:46.020] - Brian Shelton
I'm excited to speak with Jalen Little.
[00:21:48.160] - Jalen Little
Some advice I would share with current Harper students is definitely to enjoy the
journey, every ounce of the journey, and know that when you enjoy being present in
the moment in that class, or you enjoy being present on campus, a part of a club,
or in the tutoring center, or hanging out with your friends, or just being on campus
is the best way to really just enjoy not just their experience, but being a part of
a larger experience with their peers and so many others. And that is what will make
the process of getting to the destination that much more enjoyable. Really to lean
in on your support mechanisms, whether that's your friend, your family, your instructors.
Lean in and know that you have a strong, strong, and very well-put-together support
mechanism that can help you to succeed personally, academically, and beyond.
[00:22:56.080] - Brian Shelton
I'm excited to speak with Dr. Justin Harty.
[00:22:58.960] - Dr. Justin Harty
One is understand that it can be hard and challenging at times, but there are services
at Harper to help you do that. For me, like I said, I struggled in high school. I
had to take a bunch of remedial courses at Harper that at first were difficult. I
was going to have to come in and take a few math courses and not get credit for it,
but I had to complete them in order to move on. And I remember being in these classes
and thinking, this makes no sense. I already don't like school. I don't like math.
But then I have to take these classes that I don't get credit for. But for me, it
was foundational. I had to do it. But now I use fancy mathematical statistical software.
I use that, and I didn't think I would use it. That was the first thing. The second
thing was finances for me. I got through Harper on payment plans. Otherwise, I would
not have been able to attend it. There were also times where even with payment plans,
I couldn't afford it, and I wasn't able to come back. Sometimes I would skip some
hours because I couldn't afford it, but I just stuck with it. I think those are two.
The third one is, having teachers at Harper, to me, they were the most passionate,
the most down Earth professors that I've ever interacted with. And understand that
while you're at Harper, having professors like that will likely be an anomaly. And
so I think, stoke that up while you can. I remember also in classes, I really enjoyed
having a small student to teacher ratio. After I transferred to U of I, when you're
one of among 100 students in a class, it's easy to get lost. You don't always get
that time and attention that I feel like I got it at Harper. So leverage that while
you're there.
[00:25:28.140] - Brian Shelton
Our last piece of advice comes Andy John Kalkounos.
[00:25:31.800] - Andy John Kalkounos
I don't feel like I'm in a position to give great advice, but I'll tell you my offer
is to be fully present, right? What I think I've been able to do with my corporate
ADD, if you want to jokingly call it that, is I'm fully present with you right now.
I'll be fully present when I go to the Township after this. I'll be fully present
with my children. I'll be fully present at the restaurant. There is nothing I won't
be focused on when I'm doing it.
[00:26:02.900] - Brian Shelton
Right.
[00:26:03.380] - Andy John Kalkounos
If you're in class, you choose to be there, you're spending a few bucks there, somebody
helped you to get here today, just sit there and pay full attention, put your phone
down, turn it off. When you're at dinner, put the phone down. Dang it, put the phone
down at dinner, gang. I see it every day, and I see beautiful families, and I see
them put their phones down, and I see them talk, and it's beautiful. It's beautiful.
Then I see families that have their phones out. That doesn't mean it's a bad thing.
They might be making travel plans because their airline just bumped them.
[00:26:37.240] - Brian Shelton
Sure.
[00:26:37.340] - Andy John Kalkounos
Okay, so I'm not judging. But I do see some incredible things happen when people are
fully present. A lot of that being present, I learned in the Black Box Theater right
downstairs at Harper College. That being present is a part of the tool belt that you
learn in school, in speech, in debate here at Harper, or wherever you choose to go
after here. So I think that's all I have to offer.
[00:27:11.160] - Andy John Kalkounos
Okay, that's it. That's a lot of great advice from alumni. You can find all 49 previous
episodes on any podcast platform. If you're enjoying Harper Talks, please subscribe.
And while you're at it, rate us and review us so that others might find us. Harper
Talks is a coproduction of Harper College Alumni Relations and Harper Radio. Our show
is produced by Shannon Hynes. Say hi, Shannon. Hello. This episode was edited by Coby
Pozo. Our online content producer is Blue Bailey. Our theme music was created by Aiden
Cashman. I'm Brian Shelton. Thanks for listening.