Latest / The UNWavering Podcast / Alumni Council Spotlights: From ‘64 to ‘23

Transcript

Alumni Council Spotlights: From ‘64 to ‘23 · The UNWavering Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_02: Hey everybody, this is Monty, and welcome to another episode of the Unwavering podcast.
0:06
SPEAKER_02: I know uh some of you might be wondering to yourself, wait a minute, what happened to Cassie?
0:12
SPEAKER_02: Well, let me tell you what happened to Cassie.
0:14
SPEAKER_02: Um, this week is very special.
0:16
SPEAKER_02: It's Eagle Giving Day week, and one thing that happens on Giving Day is that you can give 124 or more and then name something on campus for the day.
0:25
SPEAKER_02: So Cassie is running all over campus right now, naming things on campus.
0:31
SPEAKER_02: And uh you can see the different things she's naming if you just go follow us on Instagram or whatever.
0:35
SPEAKER_02: But that's where Cassie is.
0:37
SPEAKER_02: She's fine, she survived homecoming, um, but she's running around.
0:40
SPEAKER_02: And uh today's episode is unique because we don't just have one guest, not just two, not three, not four.
0:47
SPEAKER_02: We get a chance to have a bunch of mini alumni council spotlights.
0:51
SPEAKER_02: You're gonna meet a bunch of alums, and I bet that you will know some of these friends of ours.
0:56
SPEAKER_02: So um I'm gonna welcome them into the studio and let's dive in.
1:03
SPEAKER_09: Join as we highlight the people, the purpose, and the pulse of Northwestern.
1:08
SPEAKER_09: This is the Unwavering Podcast.
1:29
SPEAKER_02: All right, let's get into this.
1:31
SPEAKER_02: We have our first two alumni council members in the studio.
1:33
SPEAKER_02: We have Emily Herman and Jodie Richard.
1:36
SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the podcast.
1:38
SPEAKER_01: Thanks for having us.
1:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thank you.
1:40
SPEAKER_02: All right, Emily, I want to start with you.
1:42
SPEAKER_02: So give me a little bit about Northwestern story.
1:45
SPEAKER_02: When did you graduate?
1:46
SPEAKER_02: What did you study?
1:47
SPEAKER_02: And what are you doing in the world today?
1:49
SPEAKER_01: I graduated in 2006.
1:52
SPEAKER_01: I was a communications and public relations major.
1:55
SPEAKER_01: So I spent time um in the Mel Johnson Media Center often.
2:00
SPEAKER_01: Um, since graduating, I am currently working in development at a local high school Concordia Academy in Roseville.
2:08
SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's awesome.
2:10
SPEAKER_02: Well, thanks for joining us today.
2:11
SPEAKER_02: And Jody, how about you?
2:14
SPEAKER_13: I graduated in 1992 with a degree in piano performance and in Bible.
2:19
SPEAKER_13: And I am a professional in facilities management, working for a national nonprofit and also actively playing the piano as often as I can for choirs and singers and violinists.
2:30
SPEAKER_02: Is it true that you were just playing piano for Homecoming weekend?
2:34
SPEAKER_13: Uh yes, I did just play piano at homecoming.
2:36
SPEAKER_13: Loved it.
2:37
SPEAKER_02: Well, I'm gonna get your autograph after this podcast for sure.
2:39
SPEAKER_02: So um, what I want to know, Emily, we'll come back to you.
2:42
SPEAKER_02: Um, so obviously you've been, you've worked in the alumni office before.
2:46
SPEAKER_02: Now you're back on the alumni council.
2:48
SPEAKER_02: Like, what is it about Northwestern that makes you want to stay connected?
2:53
SPEAKER_02: Like, why are you still engaged with this place?
2:56
SPEAKER_01: Great question.
2:57
SPEAKER_01: For me, Northwestern was so formative in my career path, in my life path.
3:05
SPEAKER_01: I met my husband here and enjoyed working here for eight years.
3:11
SPEAKER_01: So for me, I like staying connected because every time I'm back on campus, it's reminding me of what God did in my life in the time that I was a student and an employee.
3:23
SPEAKER_01: So I see it as a chance to kind of rekindle um special seasons of life and um to just remember all that God's done.
3:33
SPEAKER_02: So, how would you answer this question?
3:36
SPEAKER_01: I give on Eagle Giving Day because I give on Eagle Eagle Giving Day because I believe in the mission of Northwestern.
3:45
SPEAKER_01: I've seen the impact on my own life and I want to further it for other people.
3:49
SPEAKER_02: Oh, come on, let's go.
3:51
SPEAKER_02: Um and Jody, um, you know, what what area of campus impacted you the most?
3:59
SPEAKER_13: Definitely the fine arts building.
4:02
SPEAKER_13: I was a music major, like I said earlier, and I spent most of my life there practicing, being in classes, being in community with other musicians, learning from my wonderful professors, and just I had the best four years of my life being a musician at Northwestern.
4:17
SPEAKER_02: I love that.
4:18
SPEAKER_13: And if you had to finish this phrase, um I stay connected with the music department at Northwestern because I stay connected with the music department at Northwestern because it fills my soul to be a part of music and be a part of a Christ-oriented place with other Christians.
4:38
SPEAKER_13: And I'm also really passionate about helping the next generation.
4:41
SPEAKER_13: And so my husband and I give in many ways to try to further that and help these students become wonderful Christians and leaders in our world.
4:49
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you so much for what you guys both do at Northwestern, and thanks for taking a few minutes to join me on the podcast today, too.
4:56
SPEAKER_13: Thanks.
4:57
SPEAKER_13: Thanks, Monty.
4:58
SPEAKER_02: All right, we have our next two council members here.
5:01
SPEAKER_02: We have Betty Mertens and Erin Hosking.
5:03
SPEAKER_02: Did I say that right?
5:04
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
5:05
SPEAKER_02: Okay, good.
5:06
SPEAKER_02: I'm so good with names, but I think I got that one right.
5:08
SPEAKER_02: So, um, all right, Betty and Erin, thank you for joining us on the Unwavering Podcast, and thank you for being on the council as well.
5:15
SPEAKER_02: Um, would you mind just briefly introducing yourself to our audience?
5:19
SPEAKER_07: Um, I'm Erin Hosking, and I graduated in 1999 with a degree in English education, and I came to Northwestern from Hawaii.
5:28
SPEAKER_07: That is where I grew up.
5:29
SPEAKER_02: What?
5:30
SPEAKER_02: Wait a minute.
5:31
SPEAKER_02: How did you hear about Northwestern?
5:32
SPEAKER_07: Um, from a campus life magazine where I checked off 30 schools and got so much mail.
5:38
SPEAKER_07: Yep, but it was fun.
5:39
SPEAKER_07: And then I came to visit, and that was where I I loved that, and that I majored in Bible as well as my chosen major of education, because uh a lot of Christian schools, you know, you take one or two Bible classes, but I thought if I'm gonna pay for a Christian education, I really wanna learn a lot about the Bible.
5:55
SPEAKER_07: Well, let's go and dive in.
5:57
SPEAKER_02: And everybody still gets a minor when they come here, so that is still true.
6:00
SPEAKER_02: And what do you do in the world now, Aaron?
6:02
SPEAKER_07: Now I am a substitute teacher uh because I taught before I had kids and then I had my five children, and so now I sub and hang out and support my kids and volunteer a lot of my time.
6:14
SPEAKER_02: And you live in Wisconsin, which is almost the same as Hawaii.
6:17
SPEAKER_07: Right.
6:18
SPEAKER_07: Very similar.
6:19
SPEAKER_07: Do you ever go back to Hawaii?
6:21
SPEAKER_07: Uh my parents left about eight years ago.
6:23
SPEAKER_07: So the last time we went, they took all 26 of us for their 50th wedding anniversary.
6:28
SPEAKER_07: Oh my gosh.
6:28
SPEAKER_07: Two years ago.
6:29
SPEAKER_02: Oh, so much fun.
6:30
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
6:30
SPEAKER_02: Betty, who are you?
6:32
SPEAKER_11: Well, I'm not from Hawaii.
6:34
SPEAKER_11: I'm from St.
6:34
SPEAKER_11: Louis.
6:35
SPEAKER_11: I graduated twice from Northwestern, once in 2007 with a communications undergrad, and then again uh for my master's in organizational leadership in 2009.
6:45
SPEAKER_02: Have you ever thought of made it a trifecta?
6:48
SPEAKER_11: Actually, it's funny that you ask.
6:50
SPEAKER_11: I have been recently putting some thought into getting my doctorate, but I have way too many other things to do.
6:56
SPEAKER_02: I was gonna say, are you just need something else to do?
6:58
SPEAKER_02: Like what what are you doing in the world nowadays?
7:00
SPEAKER_11: Well, uh what I want to get my doctorate in is not what I'm doing in the world specifically.
7:04
SPEAKER_11: I'm doing a lot of things in the world.
7:06
SPEAKER_11: I am uh the director of client success at a marketing agency in St.
7:12
SPEAKER_11: Louis called Upbrand.
7:14
SPEAKER_11: I am a personal trainer as a hobby.
7:16
SPEAKER_11: Um, I'm a speaker and an author.
7:19
SPEAKER_11: I run a nonprofit.
7:20
SPEAKER_11: I have some adorable kids and a darling husband.
7:24
SPEAKER_02: And do you uh do you own a coffee shop to help make all those other things work?
7:27
SPEAKER_11: Wouldn't that be great?
7:28
SPEAKER_11: No, I'm just a patron.
7:30
SPEAKER_02: For sure, a full-time patron.
7:32
SPEAKER_11: Full-time patron, yeah.
7:33
SPEAKER_02: Um, you also just finished giving a TED talk.
7:35
SPEAKER_02: And uh, for those of you listening, at some point we're gonna share the link out to Betty's TED Talk.
7:40
SPEAKER_02: So this will be awesome.
7:41
SPEAKER_02: So here's what I want to know.
7:43
SPEAKER_02: You're both council members now, so you're actively engaged back at Northwestern, well beyond the time that you were here as a student.
7:50
SPEAKER_02: Like, I want to know what is it that really compels you to want to continue to be involved at Northwestern and make an impact on the students here.
7:58
SPEAKER_02: And Betty, let's start with you and then we'll finish with you, Erin.
8:01
SPEAKER_11: Yeah.
8:01
SPEAKER_11: Well, I gotta tell you, every time I come back to campus, I am deeply reminded of how important the work is that is happening on campus and this in the students.
8:15
SPEAKER_11: I think every time I come back, it feels like coming home.
8:18
SPEAKER_11: I am reminded of the foundation that I've built, which has gotten me through some really hard times, like when my daughter died in 2017.
8:27
SPEAKER_11: Um it wrecked our whole world.
8:30
SPEAKER_11: But also we had our faith and we never felt like we were alone.
8:36
SPEAKER_11: And people from Northwestern, there is still, there's someone who worked at Northwestern, and every single year on the anniversary of my daughter's death, he texts me and just tells me that he's thinking about me.
8:47
SPEAKER_11: And that kind of those kind of relationships, that kind of community is phenomenal.
8:52
SPEAKER_11: So it is supportive, but also I believe that the students from this campus can absolutely change the world.
8:59
SPEAKER_02: Come on, you know it.
9:00
SPEAKER_02: You're doing it.
9:00
SPEAKER_02: Well thank you.
9:01
SPEAKER_02: Right now, Betty.
9:02
SPEAKER_02: And um, for those of you listening, and you just heard like, wow, she just dropped that bomb on us that you had you had a a child that passed away.
9:10
SPEAKER_02: Um, at some point, maybe we can get your full story on here.
9:13
SPEAKER_02: But for now, I know that you have an organization.
9:15
SPEAKER_02: Do you really quickly just want to say what the organization is?
9:18
SPEAKER_11: Yeah, it's called Ella's Umbrella, and we keep kids from dying from heart conditions.
9:22
SPEAKER_02: So come on.
9:23
SPEAKER_02: So go to Ella's Umbrella.
9:24
SPEAKER_02: You can find it online, hear more of Betty's story, and uh we'll unpack that more another time.
9:28
unknown: Thanks.
9:29
SPEAKER_02: All right, Aaron, how about you?
9:30
SPEAKER_02: Why do you want to engage and and pour into the life of students again?
9:35
SPEAKER_07: Again, foundational um the foundational impact that Northwestern had on myself um coming here, and even though I grew up in a Christian family and had a wonderful upbringing, those formative years of like making the faith my own and really digging deeper into it, and then meeting my husband at school here and making lifelong friends that I'm still connected to.
9:58
SPEAKER_07: And I just think that the those years are just so important.
10:02
SPEAKER_07: And um my husband has said, you know, it's completely worth the investment that you make in your education to be at a Christian school, you know, if that's where God calls you and that's where you see God using you and and where you can fit.
10:16
SPEAKER_07: But it's just really neat.
10:17
SPEAKER_07: I grew up in public schools and so did my husband, but we love the time that we had at Northwestern to really learn more about God's word, to make those lifelong friendships.
10:26
SPEAKER_07: Um, and so I just want to provide that for the for students that are here now.
10:31
SPEAKER_07: And I love seeing the students on campus talking with them.
10:35
SPEAKER_07: Um, I know some students that are here now and love the how much they love God's word and God's world.
10:42
SPEAKER_02: I love that.
10:43
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you so much for sharing your heart and all of that.
10:45
SPEAKER_02: Thank you both for being a part of the council and for pouring into students.
10:48
SPEAKER_02: Um, and thank you in advance for finding our next two council members to send on into the studio.
10:54
SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
10:55
SPEAKER_02: Sounds good.
10:56
SPEAKER_02: All right.
10:57
SPEAKER_02: It looks like Betty and Aaron found a couple more council members to come on in and join me in the studio.
11:02
SPEAKER_02: Uh next up, we have Hannah Zinn and Morgan Peterson.
11:05
SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast.
11:08
SPEAKER_02: Um, Hannah, would you start by telling me uh just a little bit about yourself?
11:13
SPEAKER_10: Yeah, I would love to.
11:14
SPEAKER_10: My name's uh Hannah Zinn.
11:16
SPEAKER_10: I graduated from Northwestern in May 2023.
11:20
SPEAKER_10: I studied business here.
11:21
SPEAKER_10: Um, and it's really fun to be back on campus.
11:24
SPEAKER_02: Well, it's fun to have you back on campus.
11:26
SPEAKER_02: And uh, what are you doing now in the real world?
11:29
SPEAKER_10: Yeah, I'm working in human resources at uh Landa Lakes.
11:33
SPEAKER_02: Ah, good for you.
11:34
SPEAKER_02: And Morgan, how about you?
11:36
SPEAKER_08: Yes, hello.
11:37
SPEAKER_08: I'm Morgan Peterson and I graduated in 2019 with a degree in public relations.
11:43
SPEAKER_02: And is it true that you married a baseball player?
11:46
SPEAKER_08: It is true.
11:46
SPEAKER_08: I married the shortstop.
11:48
SPEAKER_02: Let's go.
11:49
SPEAKER_02: I didn't realize you played shortstop.
11:51
SPEAKER_02: That's fun.
11:51
SPEAKER_02: Um, but baseball players always tops top shelf guys.
11:54
SPEAKER_02: So very good.
11:56
SPEAKER_02: Um and what are you doing now in in life?
11:58
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, I'm an event planner um with a company called Do Good Events.
12:03
SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
12:03
SPEAKER_02: And I I know from talking to you that you're planning a lot of events at the same time.
12:07
SPEAKER_02: So anyway, thanks for taking out a little time to be on the podcast as well.
12:10
SPEAKER_02: Um, well, both of you, thank you so much for your role on the council.
12:14
SPEAKER_02: Um, but what I'd like to know, uh and Morgan, let's start with you, um, but you're you're back here as a volunteer on the council.
12:21
SPEAKER_02: Why why do you want to stay engaged at Northwestern and why does that mean so much to you?
12:26
SPEAKER_08: Yeah, that's a great question.
12:28
SPEAKER_08: I so I worked at Northwestern after attending as a student and just continued to understand Northwestern in a different way.
12:37
SPEAKER_08: And so when I left, I wanted to continue to be connected in a capacity where I can continue to make an impact on the students that are here.
12:46
SPEAKER_08: And so when Monty asked me about the alumni council, I thought that was a great way to continue to engage, to understand what's happening on campus, and then to make an impact connecting with other alumni and then hopefully invest in current students and future alumni.
13:01
SPEAKER_02: Well, I love that.
13:02
SPEAKER_02: It's been so good to have you back engaged on the council.
13:06
SPEAKER_02: So thank you so much for that.
13:07
SPEAKER_02: Um and Hannah, how about you?
13:08
SPEAKER_02: Like why why do you pour so much volunteer time back into this place?
13:14
SPEAKER_10: I love that.
13:15
SPEAKER_10: Man, Northwestern was so foundational to my faith.
13:19
SPEAKER_10: Um, I think when you are a young adult and you're, you know, trying to figure out your life and what's important to you being grounded in um the truth of the gospel while um getting ready to go out in the marketplace.
13:35
SPEAKER_10: So for me, that was studying business here.
13:37
SPEAKER_10: Um, it's really special to be back on campus and pouring into current students because they're gonna be our future alums.
13:44
SPEAKER_10: And um, hopefully we can keep that cycle going and they can see the value that Northwestern offers as well.
13:52
SPEAKER_02: I love that.
13:52
SPEAKER_02: And Northwestern really did provide a foundation for us.
13:55
SPEAKER_02: And uh, do you think current business students have any hope in the world today?
13:59
SPEAKER_10: Absolutely.
14:00
SPEAKER_10: I have I have strong confidence in the business students coming out of Northwestern.
14:04
SPEAKER_02: Let's go.
14:05
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you so much for both of you for your volunteer time and for joining me on the podcast.
14:09
SPEAKER_02: Let's go find a couple more council members there.
14:11
SPEAKER_10: Sounds good, Monty.
14:47
SPEAKER_02: All right, grab your headphones and uh, you know, Brian, make sure not to mess up your hair over there.
14:52
SPEAKER_05: We got it.
14:53
SPEAKER_02: Perfect.
14:54
SPEAKER_02: Well, hey, uh it's nice to finally have a couple guys join us on the podcast.
14:59
SPEAKER_02: You know, we just got done talking with six of different ladies who are on the alumni council, but now we have Brian Gilbert, uh president of the Alumni Council, and we also have Tony Rojas.
15:09
SPEAKER_02: Um, Tony, let's start with you.
15:11
SPEAKER_02: Um, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself, like with your Northwestern story?
15:15
SPEAKER_04: I went here a long time ago.
15:17
SPEAKER_04: No, I uh graduated from Silver Bay High School in 2000.
15:21
SPEAKER_04: So came to Northwestern, uh degree in kinesiology, played football, was on the track team.
15:26
SPEAKER_04: Uh it was a great time.
15:27
SPEAKER_04: Met my wife here, so worth every penny.
15:30
SPEAKER_04: And then now we routinely try to make it back to catch different sports games and um build relationships with those athletes and remind them that they're cared about even though they're far away from home.
15:40
SPEAKER_04: So would you say you're athletic?
15:42
SPEAKER_04: I would say I grew up in a town with so few people they needed warm bodies, and I was a little bit bigger than most, so I had some success at football.
15:52
SPEAKER_02: That's great.
15:53
SPEAKER_02: Um and Brian, uh, what's your northwestern story?
15:56
SPEAKER_05: Well, uh, I grew up in a small town, Long Prairie, Minnesota.
16:00
SPEAKER_05: And I came down here to the big city and uh went to Northwestern.
16:04
SPEAKER_05: I was Dr.
16:06
SPEAKER_05: Luke's son's roommate.
16:08
SPEAKER_05: So it was a good time.
16:09
SPEAKER_05: Met my wife here, so uh that's been a blessing.
16:13
SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
16:14
SPEAKER_02: And what are you doing out in the real world now, Brian?
16:17
SPEAKER_05: Uh I work for a finance company, so we are very busy at this time, so uh glad to be involved and help people uh help people with their money.
16:28
SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's awesome.
16:29
SPEAKER_02: Um and Tony, how about you?
16:30
SPEAKER_02: What are you doing for work?
16:31
SPEAKER_04: I am on staff with Fellowship of Christian athletes uh in the Hudson and River Falls area over in Wisconsin.
16:37
SPEAKER_02: Oh, let's go pouring into people all the time.
16:40
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you so much for taking a couple minutes to join me on the Unwavering podcast here, and thank you even more for being uh on the alumni council and volunteering your time to help us as we engage our fellow alums and make a difference here on campus.
16:51
SPEAKER_02: But what I'm curious to know, and I'll start with you, Brian, um you know, why why is it worth it to you to invest so much volunteer time back here at Northwestern?
17:01
SPEAKER_02: Like why why do you do it?
17:02
SPEAKER_05: Uh I do it because if we're gonna seek the peace and prosperity of the city, it has to be through Christian leadership.
17:09
SPEAKER_05: And Northwestern develops Christian leaders in the home church community and world.
17:16
SPEAKER_02: Come on, let's go.
17:17
SPEAKER_02: Let's do it.
17:18
SPEAKER_05: So we're unwavering.
17:20
SPEAKER_02: Yes, we are.
17:21
SPEAKER_02: And uh Tony, um for the alum listening to this right now, what would you say to them about why they should get involved in Northwestern somehow, some way?
17:32
SPEAKER_04: For me, I it's not even much of a joke anymore.
17:35
SPEAKER_04: I that I think I'm getting more benefit out of the school now that I'm a dad.
17:39
SPEAKER_04: Uh bringing my kids back uh for the pat it's nine years now.
17:43
SPEAKER_04: We've been bringing our kids to games and making them meet their favorite athletes.
17:48
SPEAKER_04: So now our kids rub elbows with their heroes, and uh to the point where I took my son, my oldest son, to a Vikings game a few years back, and he got mad that he that we weren't going down on the field to meet Justin Jefferson.
18:00
SPEAKER_04: Um But what it what that's really done for for us is our kids want to go here, which is great.
18:08
SPEAKER_04: They can go whenever they want, but it's nice to know what that they're gonna want to come to Northwestern and be grounded even further in their faith.
18:15
SPEAKER_04: Um come to a place I I felt cared about here when I was a student.
18:20
SPEAKER_04: Um so yeah, just just knowing that our our kids want to be a want to be eagles and develop as disciple makers.
18:29
SPEAKER_02: I love that.
18:30
SPEAKER_02: I remember being a little kid and watching you and Pete Mottis and a bunch of the guys who were students here, and I wanted to be like you guys.
18:38
SPEAKER_02: So that's awesome to see you doing that with uh with your kids in the next generation.
18:42
SPEAKER_02: So and Brian, thank you for all your your service back in Northwestern and uh your heart for this place, and thank you both again for taking a couple minutes.
18:49
SPEAKER_02: Let's go find a a couple more council members to hop in.
18:51
SPEAKER_02: So all right, awesome, Colin Laka.
18:55
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for being the next guest here on on the Unwavering Podcast.
18:59
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for taking a few minutes.
19:00
SPEAKER_02: Um, Colin, I want to start with you.
19:02
SPEAKER_02: Okay, tell me about your Northwestern story.
19:03
SPEAKER_02: How'd you get there?
19:04
SPEAKER_02: What'd you study?
19:05
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
19:06
SPEAKER_03: So um I got to Northwestern because a postcard got sent in the mail.
19:10
SPEAKER_03: So it worked out coming from Iowa.
19:12
SPEAKER_03: Um, but super excited to be here.
19:15
SPEAKER_03: Um, I was a double major in nonprofit leadership in health science.
19:19
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
19:19
SPEAKER_03: Just graduated in 2023, so kind of fresh out of it.
19:22
SPEAKER_03: Fresh, super fresh.
19:23
SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
19:23
SPEAKER_02: Well, it's nice to know that Iowa gets mail.
19:25
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we do.
19:26
SPEAKER_03: It's not just corn.
19:27
SPEAKER_03: There's a little more.
19:29
SPEAKER_03: Not a lot, but a little.
19:30
SPEAKER_02: Well, good.
19:31
SPEAKER_02: Well, I'm glad you got the mail, glad you made it to Northwestern.
19:34
SPEAKER_02: And what are you doing now in the real world?
19:36
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I get to work here at Northwestern.
19:38
SPEAKER_02: Wait, you're still here?
19:38
SPEAKER_03: No, I knew that.
19:39
SPEAKER_02: They can't get rid of me.
19:40
SPEAKER_03: So I work in the admissions office.
19:42
SPEAKER_03: So get a re go out and recruit high school students, and it's the best job ever.
19:46
SPEAKER_02: Is Iowa in your region?
19:47
SPEAKER_03: It is.
19:48
SPEAKER_02: Wow, look at that.
19:49
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we're growing that.
19:51
SPEAKER_02: We're working on it.
19:52
SPEAKER_02: Let's go.
19:53
SPEAKER_02: Um, and Laka, uh, tell me a little bit about your Northwestern story.
19:56
SPEAKER_00: Yes.
19:57
SPEAKER_00: Um, I graduated in 2017.
19:59
SPEAKER_00: Um, so I started my field in I think my main my major was finance and math, double major, and then decided to change it to interdisciplinary because I wanted to work in international development so that I did an international relations.
20:16
SPEAKER_00: So I had like five awesome faculty help me make my major, which is really awesome.
20:21
SPEAKER_00: Um, and then currently I'm working for the state, Minnesota State, and I work for DHS, and I do more like physical and operations supervisor for like uh resettlement programs.
20:32
SPEAKER_02: Oh, very cool.
20:33
SPEAKER_02: I have lost so many questions I want to ask you, but I'll save them for later.
20:36
SPEAKER_02: Um, but also you made your own major.
20:37
SPEAKER_02: Huck, that's that's yeah, that's the awesome part.
20:39
SPEAKER_00: You can make your major and you can pick department leads from different areas to be on your team, and then you build out your curriculum.
20:47
SPEAKER_02: Oh, making your own major.
20:48
SPEAKER_02: Throws me back to the Reliant K lyric, uh, where um I I guess I'll just take calligraphy and make my own degree, right?
20:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, something like that.
20:57
SPEAKER_02: Um But anyway, we digress.
20:59
SPEAKER_02: Um uh lock, I'll stare with you on this one, but you know, you're you you graduated several years ago now and established yourself in your career, and now you're back volunteering on the alumni council at Northwestern.
21:09
SPEAKER_02: What is it about the mission of Northwestern that makes you want to stay engaged?
21:13
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
21:14
SPEAKER_00: Um, so when I was here, the big thing for me was community.
21:17
SPEAKER_00: And I also worked for alumni and parent relations back then.
21:20
SPEAKER_00: So the community built through that.
21:22
SPEAKER_00: Always had a soft spot, but also I think having kids now, trying to find a community that's not church, but also like something that's like mine and something that's Christ-centered, where that you get that giddy feeling when you go to church, and then that's and then you know your week starts.
21:37
SPEAKER_00: And here I I had that feeling, and then I came back this summer to show family around the campus, and they're like so excited to be in NAS.
21:44
SPEAKER_00: And I was like, Yeah, there's a reason people love this place, and I'm like, oh, this is why I love it.
21:50
SPEAKER_00: And I wanted to get involved and no other way for me than come back to like an area that I already am very familiar with.
21:58
SPEAKER_02: Well, we're so happy to have you on the council, and you're so right.
22:02
SPEAKER_02: Like, we just had homecoming, right?
22:03
SPEAKER_02: And it feels so good to be back on campus and remember, oh yeah, this place like impacted me, or like we had these memories, all these things.
22:11
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you for sharing.
22:12
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
22:12
SPEAKER_02: And uh, Colin, what area of campus most impacted you when you were here as a student?
22:17
SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think just like the student life area, um, specifically, working in a variety of different clubs, organizations on campus, getting that hands-on leadership experience in those organizations.
22:29
SPEAKER_03: Um, working with groups like Core and Student Government and a variety of other clubs on campus.
22:35
SPEAKER_03: So being able to have those groups where I was able to lead my peers, but also learn from mentors here on campus on how to lead those students was such an awesome opportunity and be able to give back to those through different events and be able to advocate for those students on campus.
22:49
SPEAKER_03: So that was a super fun experience here on campus.
22:51
SPEAKER_02: Well, that's awesome.
22:51
SPEAKER_02: So you have those experiences and you're still pouring back into the students that are in those now.
22:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
22:55
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
22:55
SPEAKER_02: So cool.
22:56
SPEAKER_02: Full circle.
22:57
SPEAKER_02: Well, awesome.
22:58
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast.
23:01
SPEAKER_02: I think we still have a few more council members to find, so I'm gonna go find them.
23:04
SPEAKER_02: Sounds good.
23:04
SPEAKER_02: All right, thank you, Monty.
23:05
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
23:06
SPEAKER_02: All right, we found our final two alumni council guests uh today.
23:10
SPEAKER_02: Um, we have Bill Abler and John Benham here.
23:14
SPEAKER_02: Dr.
23:14
SPEAKER_02: John Benham in the studio.
23:16
SPEAKER_02: Thank you guys both for taking a couple minutes to join me on the Unwavering podcast.
23:21
SPEAKER_02: Um, Bill, let's start with you.
23:23
SPEAKER_02: Um, or should I say Bob or Bill or Dad?
23:25
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
23:25
SPEAKER_02: We'll just go with Bill.
23:26
SPEAKER_02: Um, but how'd you get to Northwestern?
23:28
SPEAKER_02: What'd you study?
23:29
SPEAKER_02: What's your story?
23:30
SPEAKER_14: Well, I started 50 years ago.
23:32
SPEAKER_14: Right?
23:32
SPEAKER_14: So in 1976, I was at summer camp and uh someone talked me into going to Northwestern instead of my other plans.
23:38
SPEAKER_14: So did that, got to play soccer that first year on the club, and I guess the rest is history.
23:44
SPEAKER_02: That's awesome.
23:45
SPEAKER_02: Well, and you're in the Athletic Hall of Fame, right?
23:47
SPEAKER_14: How about that?
23:48
SPEAKER_14: So uh right time, right place.
23:50
SPEAKER_02: They play real soccer now, so that makes it uh John, what's your story at Northwestern?
23:56
SPEAKER_12: Well, I've been here in one way or another since 1953.
24:00
SPEAKER_12: Um I started when I was 12 years old.
24:03
SPEAKER_12: My dad actually was a student, and uh I got involved in the music department even at age twelve, and came back as a freshman in 1960, graduated in 64, met my wife who graduated in 63.
24:17
SPEAKER_12: I've had two children graduate from Northwestern and two grandchildren graduate from Northwestern.
24:22
SPEAKER_12: My particular major was music education.
24:24
SPEAKER_12: Love the place.
24:26
SPEAKER_12: It's just a part of my life, it has been for uh eight eight decades now.
24:30
SPEAKER_02: Oh man, what a what a legacy.
24:32
SPEAKER_02: Eight decades, and you've been involved with almost everything here on campus, including the alumni council.
24:37
SPEAKER_02: But is it also true that you were the first official uh faculty member hired in the new campus?
24:42
SPEAKER_12: I believe I was 1971.
24:43
SPEAKER_12: I was brought in a year before students arrived to help set up the music program.
24:49
SPEAKER_02: That's incredible.
24:50
SPEAKER_02: Um well tell me this, John.
24:53
SPEAKER_02: You you kind of have to like a place to be involved with it for any amount of time, let alone how long you've been invested here at Northwestern.
25:01
SPEAKER_02: So what is it about Northwestern or why is it that you still still stay so fully engaged and want to keep advancing the mission?
25:09
SPEAKER_12: Well, when I came in in 53, when my dad came, I immediately said to myself, I'm gonna be here when I go to college, because it was the environment, it was the the people that I met, the enthusiasm of that, enthusiasm of that enthusiasm by the way, which means to be filled with theos or God.
25:29
SPEAKER_12: And uh then I came back as a freshman in the 60s, which was not the best time for Northwestern.
25:36
SPEAKER_12: I was here two years just before they closed, and uh then had the privilege of being invited back on the faculty in uh 71 for that.
25:45
SPEAKER_12: And I had the same enthusiasm for the place, and we just started at that point and said, what do we want to do here?
25:52
SPEAKER_12: What do we want to accomplish?
25:53
SPEAKER_12: And I've watched it now over the last since 72 when the students first came.
25:58
SPEAKER_12: The program gradually builds on build to where it is now.
26:01
SPEAKER_12: And much of the curriculum we developed is still in place.
26:05
SPEAKER_12: And of course, uh, much of that enthusiasm and spiritual environment, I think, is what makes me most enthusiastic about the place right now.
26:13
SPEAKER_02: Wow, I love that.
26:14
SPEAKER_02: Thanks for sharing that.
26:14
SPEAKER_02: You've been part of this place throughout that whole time.
26:17
SPEAKER_02: And Bill, so uh what was uh what was your favorite part of your experience or most impactful part when you were a student here?
26:24
SPEAKER_14: Well, I got to be involved in a lot of different things.
26:26
SPEAKER_14: So I already mentioned soccer, and I wasn't really a soccer player, so that was kind of special.
26:31
SPEAKER_14: I was a journalist, so I was a newspaper editor and yearbook editor, and then I was elected student president twice.
26:37
SPEAKER_14: And um that was probably even more impactful than the classes that I took was the opportunity to kind of grow as a leader.
26:44
SPEAKER_14: And then eventually uh, you know, I got my wife out of here.
26:48
SPEAKER_02: It's a good deal.
26:48
SPEAKER_02: I'm happy about that.
26:50
SPEAKER_14: And then three kids who all went to Northwestern, so we just love this place.
26:54
SPEAKER_02: So why do you, after all these years of since you graduated, um, stay involved in so many different ways?
27:00
SPEAKER_02: You know, you're involved, you give on giving day, you volunteer in the council, you've been praying for this place, you come back and teach.
27:07
SPEAKER_02: Like, why do you stay invested in Northwestern?
27:10
SPEAKER_14: Well, both my wife and I, we we believe in it.
27:13
SPEAKER_14: You know, the mission, the need for it.
27:15
SPEAKER_14: I I think when uh with really the the re-embracing of the unwavering concept, you know, for God's word and God's people really resonated with us.
27:24
SPEAKER_14: And so we're really encouraged about Northwestern's ministry and its direction.
27:27
SPEAKER_14: It's certain we certainly understand the need and culture for an institution that uh prepares leaders to be in all parts of the society.
27:35
SPEAKER_14: So it's it's our privilege to be able to help.
27:37
SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you so much for all the ways that you have stayed involved and continue to do so.
27:41
SPEAKER_02: And John, let me close with this.
27:43
SPEAKER_02: Can you answer this question?
27:45
SPEAKER_12: I give on Eagle Giving Day because Well, I give an Eagle Day because uh it's in my blood, number one.
27:52
SPEAKER_12: You'll go in this place or being connected with it for eight decades without having something in your your whole being that's Northwestern.
28:01
SPEAKER_12: But mostly what I give now for is is uh investment in the future.
28:05
SPEAKER_12: What I see happening right now is more exciting than any time I've ever been at Northwestern, with its spiritual focus, the unwavering, as Bill said, uh, and this idea that everything we is dri we do is driven by the mission of how does God fit into this plan?
28:21
SPEAKER_02: Oh, that's awesome.
28:22
SPEAKER_02: Well, as President Hornbeek says, mission drives momentum, and I'm thankful that the mission is not for sale here at Northwestern, and we'll keep praying for this place.
28:29
SPEAKER_02: Thank you both for the way that you stay involved at Northwestern.
28:32
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for being on the council.
28:33
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for giving a few minutes of your time today to be on the podcast as well.
28:36
SPEAKER_02: Going.
28:37
SPEAKER_02: And uh to you listening, thank you so much for tuning in for this episode and listening to these different spotlights.
28:43
SPEAKER_02: Um, we hope they remind you and have you uh start to think back to your Northwestern story, how this place impacted your life, and uh maybe that'll even inspire you uh to find a way to give on Eagle Giving Day or to find another way to get engaged and involved with the mission and the students that are here at Northwestern.
28:59
SPEAKER_02: But this has been Monty and uh speaking on behalf of Cassie, who is still running around campus somewhere, naming things all over the place.
29:05
SPEAKER_02: Uh, thank you for joining us on the Unwavering Podcast.
29:08
SPEAKER_02: We'll be back with another episode soon.
29:21
SPEAKER_09: Thank you for listening.
29:22
SPEAKER_09: To hear more, subscribe and leave a rating wherever you listen.
29:25
SPEAKER_09: And if you know an alum, faculty member, staff, or student of Northwestern doing amazing things out in the world, let us know at alumni at unwsp.edu, the unwavering podcast, highlighting the people, the purpose, and the pulse of Northwestern.