SHECP Talks

SHECP

During SHECP Talks, we invite guests who are or have been part of the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty, to share valuable insights, experiences, and lessons they have learned throughout their time with SHECP.

  1. 12/17/2025

    Intern Insights with Kelsey Dowling (U of Lynchburg) & Samuel Hudson (VMI)

    On this episode of SHECP Talks, we are joined by two 2015 SHECP Interns — Kelsey Dowling and Samuel Hudson. Kelsey, a 2017 graduate of University Lynchburg, interned with Tenacity Inc., a Boston-based nonprofit that uses tennis to teach reading and life skills to youth from preschool through high school. Samuel, a 2017 graduate of Virginia Military Institute, spent his summer working with Code/Interactive, a New York City nonprofit that places high school students in coding internships. Kelsey and Samuel met during their SHECP summer, and the two are now married and living in Virginia. During their conversation with Abby, Kelsey and Samuel reflected on their SHECP internship experiences and how those insights continue to shape their personal and civic lives. Though their internship placements were in very different settings, both Samuel and Kelsey highlight similar lessons of adaptability and empathy from their internships. Neither currently works in the nonprofit sector, however both emphasize how their early SHECP experience continues to inform their sense of purpose. Kelsey now serves on the board of her local “Girls on the Run”, while Samuel applies the values of equity and perspective he learned during his SHECP internship to his work in clinical research. Both alumni also emphasize the importance of growth through discomfort. “Step outside of your comfort zone,” Samuel said. “Not too far to the point where you shut down but stretch yourself and stress yourself out a little bit. You grow through stress.” Kelsey encouraged future SHECP interns to build on what they already know when stepping into new, stressful environments. Try to find an internship that incorporates something you’re already interested in,” she said. “It gives you a point of comfort when everything else is new.” For more information about topics discussed in the podcast: Girls on the Run helps address mental and physical health concerns in young women by building confidence, fostering relationships, and encouraging the joy of movement. Tenacity Inc. meets a critical need for enriching after-school, in-school and summer programs for Boston youth. Athletic activities are closely integrated with literacy, tutoring, and mentoring programs to help build academic motivation and achievement. Code/Interactive which recently merged with Mouse is a nonprofit that empowers all youth and educators to engage with computer science and creative technology to solve real problems and make meaningful change in our world. For more information about the episode: https://www.shepherdconsortium.org/post/shecp-talks-intern-insights-with-kelsey-dowling-samuel-hudson

    32 min
  2. 05/07/2025

    Faculty Voices: Dr. Troy Makal, UVA Wise

    In this episode of SHECP Talks, Dr. Troy Makal, Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at UVA Wise, invites us to consider how deeply interconnected everything truly is, from molecules to community building. Dr. Makal focuses on addressing medical mistrust in rural Appalachia, health disparities, and nutritional access. Blending science with service, Dr. Makal shares how education and community engagement can work hand-in-hand to illuminate the challenges of poverty and empower students to be changemakers. Dr. Makal discusses how he teaches students to approach community-based research through the idea that “everything is connected.” Applying the tenets of osteopathic medicine, a person is a sum of everything that affects them, body, mind, and spirit, to the classroom and community. This conversation highlights how engagement is highest when we use real-world and tangible learning to foster empathy, challenge assumptions, and inspire practical solutions to systemic issues like food insecurity and economic inequality. As he explains, his research on obesity and food deserts highlights how identifying “small problems that are systems of larger problems” is a powerful way to begin addressing entrenched social challenges. Throughout the episode, Dr. Makal emphasizes the value of curiosity, humility, and action: “Your judgment means nothing… what you have instead is an opportunity to learn if you’re open to it.” He urges students to identify what fuels their passion early on, encouraging a life of purpose rooted in understanding and impact. For more information about topics discussed in the podcast: Community Nourishment Project: https://swvagmec.com/cnproject/  Southwest Virginia Graduate Medical Education Consortium: https://swvagmec.com/what-gmec-is-and-does/ Reach out to Dr. Makal through email vem4r@uvawise.edu Thank you to Evan Clark, Geena Ravelo Cepero, and Lela Casey for supporting the production of today's episode.

    37 min

About

During SHECP Talks, we invite guests who are or have been part of the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty, to share valuable insights, experiences, and lessons they have learned throughout their time with SHECP.