Fresh from the Hill: Inside Stories of Noteworthy Cornellians

We are PUMPED to bring you this very special International Podcast Day episode, where we'll highlight a collection of podcasts that are produced, hosted, and/or created by some pretty talented Cornellians. Check out the full list of all the podcasts to learn what Cornellians are involved and where you can listen. Also read up on some of the featured podcasts here.  *If you're sensitive to strong language, please note that there is swearing in this episode. Read the episode transcript.  Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by the individuals featured in this episode do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

Hilary Lashley Renison '05, MEng '07, MBA '09 knows resiliency. Though she was one of three African American women in engineering during undergrad, she stayed at Cornell for almost a decade pursuing a bachelor’s, masters in engineering, and an MBA. Yep, that makes her a triple red! Now at the top of her game at General Electric and founder of her own company Tinker and Fiddle—promoting STEM education for K-12 students—prepare to be inspired.  As we all grapple with the new normal of 2020, Renison says, “Don’t be afraid of change, lean into it.” Read the episode transcript. Hosted by Madeline Dubelier '20. Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University

Civil engineers help society. How can one ensure their infrastructure is safe and benefiting everyone in the community? This is Erica Fischer '07's mission. Hear about her journey from an undergraduate at Cornell to her current role as a Civil & Construction Engineering Assistant Professor at Oregon State University. Oh, and she’s part of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute and Virtual Earthquake Reconnaissance Team. What’s that? Tune in for more! “How can you really help real people? Just everyday people in their lives and make an impact?” Read the episode transcript. Hosted by Catherine Gurecky '20. Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

The world is better when women succeed. Joanna Dai’s eight year finance career in New York and London instilled a sense of effortless style with cool attitude, but lacked the comfort and ease from her Californian upbringing. Yet, when it came to workwear shopping, she felt increasingly discouraged by a market where fabrics restricted movement, designs lacked function and versatility, and quality mismatched value. She had the vision of a brand where none of these factors were compromised – a brand of tailored performance wear where comfort empowers confidence. Listen in to the second episode of our Wall of Wonder series as Abigail Macaluso '20 chats with Joanna about her journey - from being one of five women in an incredibly difficult major at Cornell, to landing a job at Bear Stearns right before the Great Recession, to eventually finding her footing in the fashion world by creating a brand committed to sustainability, empowering women, and promoting comfort and style.   “I really believe that brands have that power, they have the platform. And through their platform and voice they can really impact change.” Read the episode transcript. Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

Wall of Wonder is a book written and published by three remarkable class of 2020 Engineering grads: Madeline Dubelier, Catherine Gurecky, and Abigail Macaluso.  Listen in as Fresh from the Hill producer Amanda Massa sits down with Madeline, Catherine, and Abigail to discuss how the book came about, what it was like to write and publish a book while still in school AND during a global pandemic, lessons learned, and what our Fresh from the Hill audience can expect for upcoming episodes of the podcast.  Learn more about Wall of Wonder at http://swe.cornell.edu/wallofwonder.html, available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  “I think we’re all people who just have never related to this very stereotypical engineer image ... I find myself going out of my way to defy that image as much as I can.” – Madeline Dubelier "It’s really important to get young minds engaged and excited about technologies that they could perhaps go on to have careers in.” – Catherine Gurecky “This project has just become a great resource to young women and girls, that they can see themselves in these women, and these are women that are making history today and they can as well.” – Abigail Macaluso Read the episode transcript. Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

Academy Award winning filmmaker Ryan Silbert '02 is a writer, author, producer, and founder of Origin Story Entertainment, a multi-platform entertainment company with a global focus on storytelling. Silbert is also the co-creator of the New York Times bestseller Stan Lee’s Alliances: A Trick of Light, an original, first-of-its kind audio storytelling event produced by Amazon’s Audible Studios and starring GROWN ISH’s Yara Shahidi.  In this episode of Fresh from the Hill, we hear Ryan's story - the thrill he felt when he received that acceptance letter to Cornell and how he utilized storytelling in his first career in marketing. The role mentors and mentorship played in his life and how his love of comic books eventually led his partnership with Stan Lee. His take on movies, the Sci-Fi & Fantasy genres, and so much more. Keep an eye out for A Trick of Light, which debuted as an audiobook original and will be published as a full-length novel in hardcover by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on September 17th. “Storytelling is so important because it creates sense out of the chaos.” Read the episode transcript. Hosted by BJ Siasoco '07. Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. The mentoring website mentioned by BJ during the episode is CUeLINKS. You can join today at cuelinks.cornell.edu. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

Imagine turning a hobby into a successful business and your full-time job. Sounds amazing, right? Get inspired as we talk to Katie Bartels ’06, jewelry designer and owner of her eponymous brand Katie Bartels. Starting through Etsy, her colorful pieces gained traction and have led her to opportunities like curating the Edward Metzger Gem Collection at Cornell’s very own Johnson Museum. Tune in and let’s talk diamonds! “There have definitely been a lot of low moments, which make the high moments wonderful, and as I’ve grown, I’ve tried to always stay humble and grateful for everything.”  Read the episode transcript. Hosted by BJ Siasoco '07. Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. This episode was recorded 3/12/20. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

Diversity. Inclusion. Sustainability. What do they really mean and how do they intersect? Listen in as we chat with Kamillah Knight ’13, MPA ’15 about her goal to change the way people look at and interact with the environment. As a leader at Unilever, Kamillah advocates for corporate responsibility and credits her time at Cornell for turning a passion into a career. And did we mention she’s currently pursuing her third degree from Cornell? Let’s Go Red! “I fell in love with, honestly, the diversity of all the students, because I truly do believe that you should learn not only in the classroom, but outside of the classroom. And I remember telling my mom right then this is the school I’m going to go to.” Read the episode transcript. Hosted by BJ Siasoco '07. Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

Admit it. We are consumers and We. Love. Stuff. But what happens when we’re done with it? Arthur Huang ’02 founded his company Miniwiz to turn your trash and recyclables into resources for the future. Listen to his chat with host BJ Siasoco ’07 as he reflects on his time at  Cornell, his advice for fellow architects, and his partnership with Jackie Chan. Yes, that Jackie Chan. "We need to change the dialogue from the very top." *If you're sensitive to strong language, please note that there is swearing in this episode. Read the episode transcript.  Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

Pulitzer Prize winner? Check. Reporter for the LA Times? Check. Cornellian? Check! Tune in as we chat with Molly O’Toole ’09 about her award-winning work on the “Out Crowd” podcast--investigating the Trump administration’s policy on asylum officers and asylum seekers. Joined by host BJ Siasoco ’07, we dig into her career, her thoughts on media in society, and of course, her love for Cornell. “I feel like I tricked someone somewhere where I get this job that’s sort of just endlessly fun and I’m never bored.” *If you're sensitive to strong language, please note that there is swearing in this episode. Episode photo of Molly by Foreign Policy. Read the episode transcript.  Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

This is not your typical "meet the host" episode. What was supposed to be a 5-10 minute mini episode turned into a 25 minute epic (edited down from over 40 minutes) with a fake out ending and a fun conversation between two old friends about podcast surprises, people who inspire us, outlooks on life, and more. Read the episode transcript. Created, produced, and hosted by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

We're so excited to bring you brand new episodes of Fresh from the Hill starting May 13! In the meantime, catch up on past episodes and stay up-to-date on all of Cornell Alumni Affairs digital offerings at our Connect Online website. Read the episode transcript. Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

Tune in to a fascinating discussion with Ben Ortiz, Assistant Curator for the Cornell Hip Hop collection. Why are musical archives important? How does Cornell’s collection partner with the likes of HBO, Neflix, and the New York Times? Learn more as host Juliana Garcia ’14 dissects Ben’s work in and outside of the office. “Being a lifelong hip hop nerd is not something I would ever thought would ever result in a career.” Learn more about the Cornell Hip Hop Collection at preservinghiphop.org. To contact Ben, email him at ben.ortiz@cornell.edu. Read the episode transcript. Episode recorded at the Language Resource Center on Cornell's Ithaca Campus in September of 2019. Comedy drum hit by Dan Collins. Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

During this time of crisis and uncertainty, we lean on our local communities for support. Fresh from the Hill host Juliana Garcia ’14 is doing her part as an active member of Mutual Aid Tompkins - a grassroots organization responding to community needs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Tune in as she talks to our producer, Amanda Massa about how to organize, identify existing resources, and gain support. Interested in getting involved in your local community? Visit COVID-19 Mutual Aid USA. Stay home and stay safe, everyone! “I feel like this is one of those points where if I looked back 10 years from now I would be really upset with myself if I didn’t do anything.” Read the episode transcript. Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University.

Tune in as we talk to Alina Kim SHA ’03, owner and operator of Ithaca’s premier karaoke bar. Alina chats with host Juliana Garcia ’14 about her entrepreneurial spirit and the science behind karaoke and how it brings people together. “On certain nights when karaoke is really lively ... it’s like this positive energy that you can almost soak in.” Read the episode transcript. Episode recorded at the Language Resource Center on Cornell's Ithaca Campus. Created and produced by Amanda Massa. Music by Kia Albertson-Rogers '13, koa3@cornell.edu. Artwork by Chris Kelly. *The views expressed by Fresh from the Hill hosts and guests do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Cornell University. This episode was recorded in October, 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.