Resilient Campus

To kickoff season three, I invite you to join me for a discussion at a gathering of the Trans*forming Higher Education Collaborative in Tucson, Arizona. T.H.E. Collaborative is “a group of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) educators dedicated to addressing transgender oppression in and through higher education." (T.H.E. Vision Statement, 2018) We centered the work of adrienne marry brown’s book, “Emergent Strategy”, by focusing on three questions. We had a very robust convening around these questions, so you have the honor of digesting the entirety of the discussion in three parts. Episode 31, Part One centers the question: “What does it mean for us to convene across and within geographies and institutional hierarchies?” Episode 31, Part Two centers the question: “What does it mean to build something that has never been built before?” Episode 31, Part Three continues the discussion from part two, as well as centers the question: “What does trans*forming higher education mean to you?” In the spirit of brown’s work, T.H.E. Collaborative centered this Emergent Strategy principle: “There is a conversation in the room that only these people at this moment can have. Find it”

To kickoff season three, I invite you to join me for a discussion at a gathering of the Trans*forming Higher Education Collaborative in Tucson, Arizona. T.H.E. Collaborative is “a group of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) educators dedicated to addressing transgender oppression in and through higher education." (T.H.E. Vision Statement, 2018) We centered the work of adrienne marry brown’s book, “Emergent Strategy”, by focusing on three questions. We had a very robust convening around these questions, so you have the honor of digesting the entirety of the discussion in three parts. Episode 31, Part One centers the question: “What does it mean for us to convene across and within geographies and institutional hierarchies?” Episode 31, Part Two centers the question: “What does it mean to build something that has never been built before?” Episode 31, Part Three continues the discussion from part two, as well as centers the question: “What does trans*forming higher education mean to you?” In the spirit of brown’s work, T.H.E. Collaborative centered this Emergent Strategy principle: “There is a conversation in the room that only these people at this moment can have. Find it”

To kickoff season three, I invite you to join me for a discussion at a gathering of the Trans*forming Higher Education Collaborative in Tucson, Arizona. T.H.E. Collaborative is “a group of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) educators dedicated to addressing transgender oppression in and through higher education." (T.H.E. Vision Statement, 2018) We centered the work of adrienne marry brown’s book, “Emergent Strategy”, by focusing on three questions. We had a very robust convening around these questions, so you have the honor of digesting the entirety of the discussion in three parts. Episode 31, Part One centers the question: “What does it mean for us to convene across and within geographies and institutional hierarchies?” Episode 31, Part Two centers the question: “What does it mean to build something that has never been built before?” Episode 31, Part Three continues the discussion from part two, as well as centers the question: “What does trans*forming higher education mean to you?” In the spirit of brown’s work, T.H.E. Collaborative centered this Emergent Strategy principle: “There is a conversation in the room that only these people at this moment can have. Find it." Guests included:

In episode 30, my guest Tori Svoboda shares raw stories and thoughts on life as a professional in higher education as well as equity in the academy. She discusses her lifelong journey, her experiences as a student, and how that all shapes her work today. Tori encourages us to take action and be relevant, while trying to balance not being too disruptive. Make sure to check out some great resources in the show notes! About Tori: A formerly low-income and still first-generation student, staff, and faculty person, Tori worked in student affairs for 20 years before changing lanes to full-time faculty life 5 years ago. Tori now directs the master's program and teaches in the doctoral program in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. Tori has a chapter coming out in the book, Social Class in the Academy, edited by Becky Martinez and Sonja Ardoin, entitled, "I could always go back to being a bartender: Musings of an ambivalent academic." If you meet Tori, ask about her family, including Stella, Hannah, and Millie - the three dogs who rule the roost.

In episode 29, my guest Julia R. Golden reminds us to be careful, kind, and patient with ourselves. Julia talks about the work they move forward, not only in Boston but across the nation through the NASPA Ubuntu Institute. Julia encourages us to follow our heart and trust our gut. We conclude our discussion with a tremendous list of resources and fantastic guidance to inform your daily work.

Intro Paragraph: In episode 28, Dr. Sonja Ardoin provides an overview of her current work as a scholar-practitioner. She highlights tremendous resources on the issues of social class, rural experiences, and first-generation pathways in higher education. She shares information about her upcoming book and provides contact information so you can add her to your network. About Dr. Ardoin: Sonja Ardoin, Ph.D. is an author, learner, educator, & facilitator. Proud of her hometown of Vidrine,...

In this episode, Erin-Kate Escobar (she/her/they/them) shines light on countless practices of personal and professional resources and strategies for changing the world one human connection at a time Erin-Kate highlights a program she coordinates for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) students that uses “mentoring pods”. She discusses the foundational readings and bodies of work that inform her approach today. Erin-Kate has tremendous guidance regarding finding community in...

In part two of episode 26, Drea Elzy and I have an unfiltered conversation about resources that inform her wildly brilliant mind. You are being invited to listen in on Drea and I bouncing ideas off one another like two old friends catching up. We giggle, we ponder, and we dive deeply into lessons and guidance from her personal and professional journeys navigating West Coast and the Midwest. Connect with Drea on multiple social media accounts. I tried to close out our discussion a couple of...

In the first part of my interview with Drea Elzy, we talk about making moves from the West Coast to the Midwest as an educator in K-12 and higher education roles. Drea wears multiple hats today and elaborates on her work disrupting education environments to address the opportunity gap in Chicago. She expands on her philosophy of "intentional autonomy" and how she enacts it and her work. Drea is very reflective and very articulate, so listen closely for a case study regarding implementation...

In this episode, Dian drops a ton of wisdom about the need for creativity, imagination, and risk-taking to address issues of social justice. He echoes the work of Grace Lee Boggs, to revolutionize our minds and offers questions and strategies to nourish a creative spirit. Dian offers a response to dialogues about self-care and draws connections to resources in the field of leisure studies that offer alternative frameworks. He shares more about his work today that aims to humanize black...

In episode 24, we welcome the first K-12 educator to the show. Humberto Reyes, a high school educator in Southern California, brings forth resonant themes of developing culturally relevant learning experiences, refining our habits, knowledge, and abilities, and infusing activism within our classrooms. Humberto believes we must come to this work as educators with a fresh spirit and an open mind. He elaborates on his first-generation identity and its influence on his scrappy approach to...

In my discussion with T.J. Jourian, he tells us about his current work researching campus climate by creating heat maps. This scholarship offers an opportunity to check the pulse of campus regarding college and university micro-climates. He then describes how he connects scholarship with policy and practice. T.J. shares the context shaping his philosophy for higher education activism today. He shares three points of guidance he has learned throughout his career and a phenomenal array of...

In episode 22, Rachel Wagner shares her salient identities and expands on the work she is engaging in today as an Assistant Professor at Clemson University. She uplifts the theory of liberatory consciousness and provides us a powerful reading list of resources that inform her work as a social justice educator. Rachel shares a lesson learned and an important piece of guidance for other professionals doing the work today.

In the second part of my interview with D-L Stewart, we discuss where D-L finds kinship and “refills his well”, shares the biggest lessons and points of guidance for others doing social justice work in higher education spaces. D-L shares suggestions for maintaining the momentum needed for transformative social justice work and provides strategies for investing in people’s lives in higher education. Stay tuned for the comprehensive reading list of works that inform his work and details on...

In part one of my interview with D-L Stewart, he shares stories of his early socialization as a student affairs professional and how he has grown and learned from these experiences. He tells us about the array of research and community-based projects he’s currently engaged in and even a couple he wants to kick off soon. D-L addresses preventing burnout, creating enough ripples to make waves, all in the hopes of making postsecondary education spaces more radically democratic. Don’t miss...

Episode 20 explores Dr. Cabrera’s role and philosophy as a public scholar in the context of systems of tenure. He speaks about the Influence of college presidents in setting the tone for serving first-generation and low-income students as well as where he finds a supportive community of scholars of color to practice vulnerability. To end, Dr. Cabrera shares two of the biggest lessons imparted by his mentors and offers guidance for scholars of color in their own efforts to make social...

This resonant episode focuses a lot on the first generation college student experience in general and how it has shaped our awesome guest, Dr. La’Tonya Rease Miles. She shares her story and the wisdom her journey has given her as she works to support other first generation students. As an authentic, driven, and passionate professional, “LT” as she is called, serves as a great resource that we can’t wait for you to hear from. About La’Tonya: La'Tonya "LT" Rease Miles is the Director of...