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SoundAffect is a podcast series of conversations with smart people about stuff that affects our world, and how we affect it.

  1. 037 Sharon Contreras on ensuring a high-quality education for all children

    05/17/2023

    037 Sharon Contreras on ensuring a high-quality education for all children

    Dr. Sharon Contreras is a lifelong advocate for ensuring all children can access a high-quality, public education. Drawing from her own childhood experiences, her tenure as a high school English teacher and her career progression, which includes being the first woman of color to lead one of New York State’s largest school districts, she is a consistent innovator in public education. On this episode, she relates some of her guiding principles and beliefs that have helped her have a powerfully positive impact on public schools across the country. Find out why every day is a great day to be an educator.   Links: The Innovation Project   Transcript: Megan Hayes: Dr. Sharon Contreras is CEO of The Innovation Project in North Carolina, which brings together North Carolina School District superintendents to find and implement innovative practices in public education so that students in their communities can thrive. Growing up in Uniondale, New York with nine brothers and sisters, Dr. Contreras learned early to advocate for her right to an excellent education. At the age of 10, she was told by one of her teachers that she didn't belong in a new gifted program that included classmates she had tutored. After pleading her case on her own, and then with her parents, she gained a seat in the accelerated program. This event changed the trajectory of her life and stoked a passion for achievement and advocacy of others. Dr. Contreras started her professional career as a high school English teacher before serving as a principal and district leader in Rockford, Illinois, and then as the Chief Academic Officer in school districts in Georgia and Rhode Island. She later became the first woman of color to lead one of New York State's largest school districts, serving as superintendent of the Syracuse City School District from 2011 to 2016. She went on to lead Guilford County Schools in North Carolina, one of the nation's largest school districts with 126 schools and 10,000 employees. She is driven to implement innovative policies aimed at closing achievement gaps and improving life outcomes for all students. In 2022, Guilford County school's graduation grade increased to 91.8%, its highest ever. Earlier this year, she took the helm of The Innovation Project. Dr. Sharon Contreras, welcome to App State and welcome to SoundAffect. Sharon L. Contreras: Thank you. It's great to be here today. Megan Hayes: We're so happy to have you. Can you begin by just talking a little bit about yourself? How did you come to be interested in education? Sharon L. Contreras: That's a great question. My parents always laugh because they say every Saturday morning, as an elementary student, I would go outside and line up the children in the neighborhood and play school. We used to have in the seventies, those chalkboards you could buy from Toys R Us and I would teach. I've just always really had a propensity to be a teacher. But in middle school or at that time it was junior high, I had my first and only African American teacher in my K-12 experience, Mrs. Doris Hargrove, and she was just so amazing. She taught me Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston, the Harlem Renaissance, and I wanted to be just like her. I thought not only was she an incredible English teacher, but she was beautiful. And I said, "I want to be just like her when I grow up." And I did that. I became an English teacher because of Mrs. Doris Hargrove. Megan Hayes: I think we all have that one teacher that we remember that really inspired us to do something in our lives. But sounds like you were a leader early on. Sharon L. Contreras: Absolutely. And there were many teachers that inspired me that were very good. Some people only had one great teacher, and I had a lot of great teachers, but Mrs. Hargrove was just someone special to me. Megan Hayes: So you learned self-advocacy at a very young age. Do you think it's important for kids to learn to advocate for themselves? Sharon L. Contreras: Absolutely. And at the time I didn't realize that this was something unique. I just saw something that I felt was an injustice. I knew I was tutoring students in my class, but they were in the gifted program, and I was not. I saw that I had straight A's on my report card. I knew I always did well in school, things came easy to me, and for some reason I was not in the gifted program. And I asked the teacher about it and she said, "No, you're not supposed to be in that program." And I said, "Well, why didn't you recommend me?" And she seemed pretty annoyed that I was asking that question at 10 years old. And I just went home and told my parents, "I think there's been some sort of error here." And my parents went up to the school, they talked to the principal, and the next thing I know I was in the gifted program, and that changed the trajectory of my life. I don't think we understand how something like that does change the trajectory of your life. You could be in a totally different program or pathway. But being in the gifted program just prepared me for the state's flagship university and made sure that I was prepared for advanced level coursework and for the career of my choice. And I'm just so grateful that my parents, particularly my father, was always a fighter because that spirit was in me at an early age. Megan Hayes: So how can kids develop the skillset on their own? And how can parents and caregivers and educators help them develop those self-advocacy skills? Sharon L. Contreras: I do believe schools should be preparing students to advocate for themselves. That's part of being a good citizen. It's part of living in a democracy. It's knowing how to advocate not only for yourself, but for the public good. That should be part of the curriculum. I don't think we do it well in public schools. I think in fact, we like for students to sit down and just obey. And we consider that a good student. In fact, when students ask questions, many adults believe that they are out of line. And that's not a good thing. We should encourage students to respectfully engage with us and engage with one another and to say, "I disagree. I have a question about what you're saying. I question the policy, the procedures." Because that's the only way to perfect our communities, to perfect our schools, to perfect our state, to perfect our nation, and ultimately to become a better global community. Megan Hayes: When you were saying that, I was remembering my report cards from when I was little. In that area where they had that, the satisfactory or unsatisfactory needs improvement, I always got, "Needs improvement for self-control." And I think it's because I liked to say, "That's not fair." So. Sharon L. Contreras: Absolutely. Megan Hayes: Which it sounds like you stood up and did. Sharon L. Contreras: Sometimes it's not that you didn't have self-control. It's that you asked questions, you disagreed. And a lot of adults are very uncomfortable with that. And we have to prepare teachers better, so that they can be okay with students who say, "I fundamentally disagree with that." Now what we have to do a better job with, is making sure that young people know how to disagree respectfully. Megan Hayes: Yeah, I think particularly in the last couple of years, it's been harder just for us as a nation to have those conversations no matter how old we are. Sharon L. Contreras: Absolutely. And I talked about that today during my keynote speech. I said, "The difference that we're seeing or that those who survey us are seeing is that at one point we're partisan and we had partisan ideologies. Now we're starting to see that we disrespect one another and we dislike one another." That's not a good thing. We're neighbors. We're family. You can't survive as a nation if you fundamentally distrust and dislike one another. We have to dislike ideas, disagree with ideas, but still be able to sit down and have dinner with one another. And we have to be able to make a compelling argument with someone to help someone change their perspective. Megan Hayes: That's such an important thing, I think, especially for young people to hear, but really for all of us to hear. Yeah, that was making me think about just in those kinds of conversations, it seems to me like the power of the story and storytelling is really where we can find some common ground, if not to agree, but to maybe find an emotional connection where we can at least recognize the humanity in one another. Sharon L. Contreras: Absolutely. And I find myself trying to do more and more recreational activities to get to know others. So gardening and joining gardening clubs and cooking clubs and events. Because when you get to know one another on a personal level, it's very difficult to be hateful and mean to one another. And we have to get back to just getting to know one another. And so I think it was very easy to start to distrust and dislike one another during a pandemic when we were so separated from one another. Before that, we were working together, we were office mates, we were in the faith community together. But then we were home and isolated and just engage in social media where you can say and do anything. So I think the more human interaction we have and the more we work to see where we are similar, then we'll have the opportunity to really work toward becoming a stronger community. And that's really important because I don't want my children or any child, to grow up in a world where they just distrust everyone around them. Megan Hayes: So you talked about self-advocacy. Can you talk about why and how you became an advocate for others? Sharon L. Contreras: So I think that it began with my parents who have eight biological children, but they then adopted two special needs children. So my mother always said, and she said it half jokingly, but she was also serious, "After five kids, it doesn't really matter anymore." And one of the childre

    38 min
  2. 036 Daniel E. Dawes, JD on how to overcome deep-rooted challenges in the American health care system

    02/24/2023

    036 Daniel E. Dawes, JD on how to overcome deep-rooted challenges in the American health care system

    From his childhood on a rural Nebraskan farm to the negotiating tables in our nation’s capitol, Daniel Dawes has combined his lifelong passion for health equity, political acumen and confidence in a collaborative process to create real and powerful changes in the American healthcare system. With contagious hope and a non-partisan process, the widely respected health equity and policy expert leverages his understanding of the root causes of America’s healthcare problems to advance solutions.   Megan Hayes: Daniel E. Dawes is a widely respected healthcare and public health leader, health equity and policy expert, educator and researcher who currently serves as Senior Vice President for Global Health and Executive Director of the Global Health Equity Institute at Meharry Medical College. He's also founding Dean of the School of Public Health at Meharry Medical College, the first school of public health at an historically black institution. He has also served as Executive Director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine and is a professor of health law policy and management. Highly respected for his ability to achieve sound policy changes in a nonpartisan manner, Professor Dawes is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and an elected fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine. He serves as an advisor to the White House COVID-19 Health Equity Task force, an appointed member of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Advisory Committee to the director and co-chair of the CDC'S Health Equity Working Group, as well as the National Institutes of Health's National Advisory Council for Nursing Research. He's the author of two groundbreaking books, 150 Years of Obamacare, published in 2018, and the Political Determinants of Health published in 2020, both by Johns Hopkins University Press. Among his many achievements, he was an instrumental figure in developing and negotiating the Affordable Care Act's health equity focused provisions among other landmark federal policies. He's the principal investigator for the nation's first health equity tracker, and he's a recipient of the American College of Preventative Medicine, Dr. Daniel S. Blumenthal Award and the National Medical Association's Louis Stokes Health Advocacy Award among many others. Professor Dawes holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Nova Southeastern University and a juris doctor in law with concentrations in health law and labor and employment law from University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Later tonight, he will address App State students, faculty, and staff, as well as members of the broader community as the keynote speaker at Appalachian State's 38th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration, where he will speak about his work as well as the legacy of Dr. King. Daniel Dawes, welcome to App State and welcome to Sound Effect. Daniel Dawes: Well, thank you so much for having me. It's wonderful to be here. Megan Hayes: I'd like to start, if you don't mind, if you wouldn't mind just beginning talking a little bit about your personal background and the path that led you to where you are now. Daniel Dawes: Yeah, absolutely. For me, it starts in Lincoln, Nebraska where I was born. You always wonder where should I start? I'm going to start from where I was born, because I think that played a significant role in who I am today. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska to farmers in a little town called Deshler, Nebraska, a town of 600 people in rural Nebraska, and really this product of a interracial marriage, black father, a white mother. What I found interesting as I was growing up was the dichotomy in terms of their health statuses on each side. On my mother's side, I noticed that a lot of my grandparents, uncles, aunts, other relatives were able to live past their 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, had longer lifespans. But then on the white side of my family, I mean on the black side of my family, I realized that they were lucky they made it out of their 60s. They had higher rates of diabetes, higher rates of cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke. I kept thinking to myself, why is that? What is the reason that they seem to have worse health outcomes and lower life expectancies? As I was investigating, my dad and his mom, quite frankly would say, "We just have bad genes." I thought, "Gosh, is it really true? Could it be genetic solely?" As I was investigating that, interestingly enough, I went to college thinking, "I'm going to do healthcare administration." I'm going to do it because there was a report that had come out in the early 2000s from the Institute of Medicine, now the National Academy of Medicine called Unequal Treatment. Then, there was another report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that had come out with a national healthcare disparities report. I thought, "Wow, there's more to this." It seems like it's maybe our healthcare system that isn't providing equal care and equal treatment depending on your background. That really excited me that folks were looking into this and exploring what were the causes of these outcomes. I decided, "Yup, healthcare administration, that's exactly what I'm going to do." I decided I wanted to focus on cultural competency because of an experience that I had. Now, after my parents moved from Nebraska, from Lincoln, Nebraska, they actually moved to Miami, Florida. Imagine that. Quite the opposite, right? Megan Hayes: A little warmer, maybe. Daniel Dawes: A little warmer, exactly. It was interesting now growing up in that setting meeting folks from diverse backgrounds and cultures. One day I decided I wanted to intern in a public safety net hospital. I wanted to get a feel for why there's so much dysfunction and fragmentation in our health services. The CEO at the time of this hospital said, "Sure, feel free. You can go to the emergency department and observe as long as you have permission from leadership." I said, "Sure." They gave me permission. On my first day I witnessed this woman who was pulled in on a gurney and she spoke very limited English. She was writhing in pain trying to be understood, but the triage nurse just couldn't understand because they couldn't communicate in the same language. I saw her then ask one of the other nurses on the team to go and speak with her. The nurse goes there, and it didn't even last a minute. You saw the nurse go back to the triage nurse and an argument erupted, where to make a long story short she says, "I have no idea what she's saying." The triage nurse said, "Well, I thought that you could speak her language. You have an accent." I thought, "How did she not know?" Because I picked up on the accent really fast. I said, "It sounds to me like she is from a Haitian Creole speaking nation, so a French Creole speaking nation, maybe Haitian Creole. It really caused me to start thinking, how many times does a situation like this happen in our hospitals, in our clinics, and in other healthcare entities across the United States? From that point, that really was the impetus for my journey to advance health equity nationally. After that experience, I then applied for a leadership development program with a hospital system, one of the largest in the country, the largest Medicare provider in the country, and one really that served a diverse group of folks internationally. I said to the administration at the time, I said, "Listen, there are these major studies that just came out showing tremendous disparities in healthcare, and I'd like to work with you all to rectify it." They looked at me and they said, "Well, we don't discriminate against our patients." I said, "Well, I'm not saying you do, but the literature," and at the time there were 600 peer-reviewed journal articles, "are demonstrating that this is something that is systemic. Perhaps we can try to create a cultural competency toolkit." Finally, after making the business case that this would be a competitive advantage over such and such hospital in your backyard, they finally let me do this. We created this toolkit that was, I think, pretty groundbreaking for the time, and one that really brought the community out and really engaged the community in developing, and it's something they appreciated. From there, they used it in all 50 of the hospitals at the time. During that process though, one of the things that struck me was how many barriers I had to go in order to do this project. I had every lawyer in that health system bother me and say, "You cannot do this because it would be a violation of X, Y, Z statute." Now remember, I'm an undergrad, never gone to law school, couldn't even research the law, much less interpret it. I just thought, "You know what? Instead of going the hospital administration route maybe, or the public health route, maybe I should go the law route and immerse myself in the health laws and anti-discrimination laws in this country so that I can fight for people who really have been locked out of our health system." That is what really pushed me on the journey. I then, of course, immersed myself in the law and left and got this amazing fellowship in Congress where I got to work with Congresswoman Donna Christensen, who was the first female physician member of Congress. She took me under her wings, this lawyer, imagine the doctor, the lawyer. Usually, were butting heads, but she took me under her wings and she helped me to understand how the sausage is made. She introduced me to her network, she mentored me. Because of her, the rest really is history, I then got to work with the late great Senator Ted Kennedy on the Senate Health Education, Labor and Pensions committee, and worked on behalf of special needs populations. These are people with disabilities, people who have been marginalized in our society. Really have been excluded from enjoying the benefits, the social and economic benefits of our policies

    53 min

  3. 04/01/2022

    035 Bakari Sellers on a heavy heart, patience and a lot of work to do

    A child of the civil rights movement, a trial lawyer and the youngest individual ever to be elected to the South Carolina Legislature — as well as the youngest African American elected official anywhere in the nation, Bakari Sellers has known great personal loss and earned historic public victories. On this SoundAffect, Megan Hayes speaks with Bakari about cancel culture, the most valuable currency, relationships and being bipartisan but still getting the votes.   Transcript Megan Hayes: A self-described country boy from South Carolina, Bakari Sellers is the son of educators, Gwendolyn Sellers, and civil rights activist, Cleveland Sellers. He grew up under the influence of legends of the civil rights movement, including Julian Bond and Stokely Carmichael. At 22 years old, he made history when after graduating from Morehouse College and while enrolled in law school at the University of South Carolina, he became youngest member of the South Carolina State Legislature, and the youngest African American elected official in the nation. Megan Hayes: In 2014, he won the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant governor in South Carolina. Bakari Sellers has worked for Congressman James Clyburn and former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. And he served on President Barack Obama's South Carolina steering committee during the 2008 election. He has been named to Time magazines 40 under 40 in 2010, as well as the route 100 list of the nation's most influential African Americans in 2014. Bakari Sellers currently practices law in Columbia, South Carolina, where he heads strategic communications and public affairs team for the Strom Law Firm LLC, and has recently added diversity, equity and inclusion consulting to the list of his services offered. Megan Hayes: He has provided political and social commentary and analysis on many major national news outlets and is a prominent political contributor for CNN. His memoir, My Vanishing Country, was published last May and he's a New York Times best seller. Bakari Sellers is on our campus as the featured speaker for App State's 37th annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Bakari Sellers, welcome to Appalachian State University and welcome to SoundAffect. Bakari Sellers: Hey, I'm glad to be here. Thank you. That was a great intro. Megan Hayes: Well, thank you. And think the weather's a little better than the last time we tried to bring you here. Bakari Sellers: So yes, that was it. It snowed and snowed and snowed. And although I am a country boy, the snow is not my friend. I'm glad that it is clear out there. Although it's really hilly out there. I got a workout walking around this campus. Megan Hayes: Yes, We call it the High Country. And I think you say you're from the Low Country. Bakari Sellers: I'm from the Low Country. Yeah, for sure. Well, thank you for having me. Megan Hayes: Well, we're really glad to have you here. And I'd like to begin by asking you to share a bit more about your background. In your book, you describe how in many ways you are defined by the Orangeburg massacre, the first deadly confrontation between university students and law enforcement in the United States history. Can you talk about the influence of this event on just the decisions you made early in your career? Bakari Sellers: Well, yeah, I mean, I look at it as being the most important day of my life truly. The way that I look at life socially, culturally, politically is through the lens of the movement and that speaks to me as probably the most impactful day. My father was shot and imprisoned. You had three people who lost their lives, but between that and the Charleston massacre in 2015 where I lost my good friend Clem to a racist killer, Dylann Roof, murdering nine people in a church. I say my life has been book end by tragedy, and I highlight those two tragedies as a point that I still live with that pain, but try to truly understand and dissect the role that race plays in society and continue to live for those who can't live for themselves any longer, whose lives will cut short because of that type of violence. It's a heavy burden to bear but one I carry with pride, I believe. Megan Hayes: Do you see differences between how you respond or how you responded to that influence in your life when you were in your twenties and now? Bakari Sellers: No, I mean, the answer to the question is no, because it is so ... it's always so heavy, and I've felt that heaviness in my heart since when we first started going over to South Carolina State on February 8th and my dad would pick me up from school and we'd go to the memorials. It's just a really, really heavy feeling. So I don't know if there's any difference in the last 10 years or 20 years of my life in the way that I carry that history with me. But I think that I utilize it. I said in the book that I think that I have a larger chip on my shoulder than my father does from those incidents. I'm reminded that he could have lashed out with righteous anger, but he chose to believe in what Lincoln calls the better angels of our nature. As I'm as I go through this maturation process, I try to let go of some of that. Unburden myself is probably the better term of some of that. Not quite hate that I have, but resentment that I have and live a freer life. It's just difficult. Megan Hayes: So it's certainly no secret that you're considered a rising star in the Democratic party. And I'd like to ask you about your experience in reaching across the aisle to effect change within an established political system. I would imagine that this work takes time and patience. Is that frustrating or was that frustrating for you? Or was it rewarding or maybe some of both? Bakari Sellers: No, it wasn't frustrating. I mean, I think that when you get into politics, you have to have some element...first of all, you can't be an introvert. That's not the job, not the career path for you. But there was some feeling of reward even from building the relationships. I'm someone who always am reminded that the most valuable currency we have is relationships. It's superior to the dollar. The dollar's a close second, but it's relationships that are the most valuable. And you learn how to meet people where they are, and you learn how to build those relationships which help you become effective when you're trying to legislate. When you're a young black Democrat, and you're a young black Democrat in South Carolina, you are compelled to find ways in which you can find some common ground to be successful. So it's a necessity. Bakari Sellers: When I first got elected in 2006 and which was pre-Barack Obama, you had very small Republican majorities. By the time I left in 2014, you had super majorities where they didn't need you for anything. So if there was any frustration, it was probably that frustration, because it's easy to be bipartisan and go and get four votes. It's a different animal to go get 34 votes. Megan Hayes: Right. Yeah. Obviously that was a learning experience for you. And it sounds like you were pretty patient going into it, but do you feel like you have more patience now or less patience? Bakari Sellers: I definitely have more patience than I did then. I wasn't someone who believed in incrementalism, but I understand the value thereof. I'm not ready to, you know. What's the quote? I always screw it up, but you don't want to throw out. So anyway, I can't ... Megan Hayes: Never let the perfection be the enemy of the good. Bakari Sellers: There you go. You got it. Anyway, I've learned that incrementalism, if we're going in the right direction, will get you there eventually. And that helps me with my resolve to continue to try to fight to get things done. Megan Hayes: So what surprised you most entering the South Carolina Legislature as a young politician? Bakari Sellers: How worthless a lot of politicians are. I really thought that there was this uniformity in service. Because, I mean, you literally have to choose to do it and put your name on a ballot, and then go out and run an election and have people vote for you. It's a cumbersome process to get there. And there were a lot of people who were there just to be there. Democrats and Republicans, black and white. I could never wrap my head around the fact that you were just there to be there. I always laugh and joke with folk and say, when I first got elected, I would look up at the ceiling. I'd be like, I cannot to leave I'm here. And then after about a month, I'd be like, I can't believe you're here. I can't believe you're here. So that was probably my biggest disappointment was just the absence of public service oriented people. Megan Hayes: Do you think that was from a sense of complacency or entitlement or where do think it came from? Bakari Sellers: All of the above. And the fact that we don't pay our elected officials enough, which is a random unpopular view. I mean, in South Carolina, our salary was $10,600 a year. I mean, it still is. I mean, you pay for what you get in a lot of places. It's hard too. That's why ... Not disparaging the professions, but many times we got retired folk, trial lawyers like myself, people who could afford to do it because you can't have someone who is a teacher or someone who is a plant worker or someone who is a fireman do that and then come serve in this part-time job, which is really a full-time job for $10,600 a year. Just it's not feasible. Megan Hayes: Do you think the political landscape is more or less divisive than it was in 1968 when your father was arrested? Bakari Sellers: That's an interesting question. I didn't think you were going to go back to '68. I thought you were going to go to 2006 when I got elected. The answer is the answer is ... The answer is ... I don't know the answer to that. Is it more or less divisive? It's about the same, which is a tragedy, I think. I think that we began to rip at t

    18 min

  4. 01/14/2022

    034 Monique Johnson on beating the survival odds, succeeding beyond expectations, and channeling her power to help others

    Monique Johnson's drive, dedication and joy are undeniable. Born with diastrophic dysplasia dwarfism and scoliosis, doctors predicted she would not live past the age of 6. Now 36, with a business degree and a law degree, Johnson is a successful entrepreneur and artist who touches the lives around the world with her incredible tale of perseverance and her gifts of humor, painting and motivational speaking. Overcoming obstacles each day, she says she doesn't mind being defined by what she can't do, because it opens them up to seeing what she can do, and the possibilities within themselves. Monique Johnson joins Megan Hayes on this all new Sound Affect.   Transcript Megan Hayes: Monique Johnson is an artist, attorney, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker known for her gifts of humor, intelligence, business acumen, and the ability to inspire others. Born with diastrophic dysplasia dwarfism, one of the rarest forms of the condition, Monique Johnson was also born with scoliosis, which caused curvature of the spine. Doctors anticipated that her spine curvature would collapse her lungs and her heart, and predicted she would not live past the age of six. Megan Hayes: At an early age, Johnson realized overcoming obstacles of her own, gave her the power to, not only live, but succeed beyond anyone's expectations. Now, the co-founder of Made 2 Soar, LLC, she capitalizes on her sense of humor, combining straightforward pragmatism with a drive and enthusiasm for inspiring others to advocate for those with disabilities, speak in support of education and diversity initiatives, and develop creative and innovative lectures, speeches, and trainings for corporate entities, educational institutions, and athletics groups and organizations. Megan Hayes: While Johnson stands at two feet in stature, she fills a room with her presence and has been called gigantically tall in her wisdom and insight. Her incredible tale of perseverance and her gifts of humor, painting, and motivational speaking are profoundly empowering to others. Her work and her powerful example have led to being featured on news platforms, ranging from local to national, including Fox and CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. She holds an undergraduate degree in marketing from North Carolina A&T University, and a juris doctorate from Elon University. Megan Hayes: Monique Johnson, welcome to Sound Effect. Monique Johnson: Thank you very much. It's a pleasure being here. Megan Hayes: We're so glad to have you on our campus. Monique Johnson: I'm excited. Megan Hayes: What a great way to start 2022. Monique Johnson: Absolutely. Megan Hayes: Can you start by giving our audience just a little bit of background about you and your journey to being a successful entrepreneur and advocate, who inspires and empowers others? Monique Johnson: Yeah, absolutely. It started from when I was just a young child. I knew that I was destined for greatness. A lot of that had to do with the influence that I had from my family members, particularly the women in my family. I come from a long line of powerful African American women, who really did not allow me to sulk in my condition, but really highlighted what my skills and just different attributes that would really help me to succeed. They really highlighted that, and really inspired me, and empowered me to continue on. And so, that started from a young age and just continued to multiply with my self-esteem, with my outlook on life, and who I am. And I just took their vision and what they stood for, and ran with it. Megan Hayes: So, you've talked about how doctors told you that you would not live past the age of six. And each night, you went to sleep afraid that you wouldn't wake up the next day. How has that shaped your worldview? Monique Johnson: Oh, my goodness. Unfortunately, much of my childhood, especially at night, was me dealing with fear. And I wish that I could go back and just reassure myself that, "Hey, Mo, I understand that that's what the medical professionals have stated. But you've got a long life to live. And there's no need to be afraid." I wish I could go back and just speak to my younger self, to say that. I am thankful that they say, "Joy cometh in the morning." So, every day that I would wake up, especially past the age of six, I knew that it was just another opportunity for me to live life. After my sixth birthday, something clicked to say, "You know what? Maybe medical professionals got it wrong. And I'm hoping that they've gotten it wrong." And now that I'm about to turn 36 years old, I think that they've got it wrong. But I've used that experience to help shape me to be someone who is fearless today. And to not only just be fearless, but to count every day as a blessing. And to live life to the fullest every single day. Megan Hayes: It's almost like the fear that you experienced then, is something that, not only you overcame it, but you're using it in a way to motivate yourself and others beyond that point now. Monique Johnson: Absolutely. It's the fuel that really projects me to just different goals that I want to accomplish. And I'm happy, honestly, that I had that experience. I can say that now, looking at it from this vantage point. But I think all things work together for my good. So, yeah. Megan Hayes: So, can you talk about some of your educational and career choices? You chose marketing as an undergraduate degree, then you got a law degree. What influenced those decisions? Monique Johnson: So, I knew early on, that I wanted to be someone of power, someone who could influence others. And so, I knew that I wanted to become an attorney. Part of that was, because, one thing that I knew that I could do, there were many things that I couldn't physically do, but God had really blessed me with the ability to articulate clearly. And growing up with four other siblings who happen to be female, we argued all of the time. And so, I developed the skills necessary to prove my point. And I said, "Well, hey, if I put these things together and marry my personality with my skills, I could help to speak out for other people, who may not have a voice or may not know how to use their voice." Monique Johnson: And so, I knew that I wanted to attend North Carolina's A&T State University. And, originally, I was going to major in political science, but the Dean over at A&T, over business, said, "Hey, listen, we see your 4.0 GPA. If you come over here, we'll give you a full ride." And I couldn't put my way wheelchair in a fast enough speed over there. And I decided to do so. And so, that's why I majored in business. But it has helped me to become the entrepreneur that I am now. And I married my business degree with my law degree. And, hey, it was just a perfect combination for me to do things with excellence in business. Megan Hayes: And now, you're an entrepreneur. So, how did you get to that step? How did you get to the step of starting a business, knowing that that's what you were going to do- Monique Johnson: Yes. Megan Hayes: ... and then do it? Monique Johnson: Yeah. Originally, I didn't think that I would be a business owner, to be honest with you. My whole goal was to graduate law school and just hit the courtroom. But it was upon graduating, that the news picked up my story. And then from there, I received the invitations from all across the country to come, and to speak, and to inspire. And I didn't think that that would be my thing, until it was an elementary school... I'm sorry. A high school, that I went to visit. And I was able to see how my story impacted those young people. And there was a teacher, who called me after speaking to an ROTC class. And she said, "You know what?" She said, "There was a young student there, who heard your story. And he had not submitted any other assignments. He had not participated in class. But after hearing you, he decided that he was going to better himself." Monique Johnson: And so, just hearing that, I said, "You know what? I think that my story is not just for me, it's for everyone who will hear." And so, I decided to shift. Instead of advocating for individuals with disabilities and advocating for others who may not have a voice in the courtroom, why don't I do so from the stage? And why don't I do so from in front of the classroom? And that's when my passion decided to magnify. And I started Made 2 Soar, and I've been encouraging others to soar ever since. Megan Hayes: So, can you talk about one of your most memorable experiences, either in advocacy work or the inspirational work that you're doing now? Monique Johnson: Oh, my goodness. There's so many. I would say, there's so many I could bring up. For me, what's been the most impactful... Actually, I will. I was able to speak at a huge corporation, to be the keynote speaker. Afterwards, I was wondering, "Did I really pierce the hearts of those out in the audience?" Because I don't know about you, but anything that I do, that's important to me, I do a self-assessment immediately afterwards. Monique Johnson: So, as I was rolling off of the stage, there was a long line of individuals, who wanted to shake my hand and just say hello. And there was a businessman, who stood taller than me. And he looked down at me. And I remember seeing him through my speech and it didn't seem like anything was registering. He had this stone cold stance. But here he was, at the front of the line, wanting to greet me. And he looked down at me with tears in his eyes and he said, "Listen." He said, "I've got the corporation, I've got the position, I've got the finances, the money, I've got the cars. I've got everything," he said, "But there's something that you have, that I don't have. And that's joy." He's like, "Where do you find your joy? How have you tapped into that?" And he, literally, had tears in his eyes. Megan Hayes: Wow. Monique Johnson: And I realized, at that point, that it was that sc

    26 min

  5. 12/15/2021

    033 Baker Perry and Panuru Sherpa on installing the highest weather station in the world.

    Host Megan Hayes welcomes Dr. Baker Perry, a high altitude climber and higher education professional who along with a team sponsored by Rolex and National Geographic installed the world's highest weather station on top of Mount Everest. On this SoundAffect he is joined my Panuru Sherpa who helped lead the team. Transcript Megan Hayes: Well, it's been a long time since we've been able to record a SoundAffect podcast and I am so very, very pleased to be returning with climate scientist Dr. Baker Perry, who is a professor in App State's Department of Geography and Planning, and his colleague, Panuru Sherpa. Megan Hayes: In 2019, as part of the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Expedition to Mount Everest, Baker Perry and Panuru Sherpa were part of an expedition team that braved record crowding, temperatures of nearly negative 22 degrees fahrenheit and icing that compromised their oxygen intake to install the two highest operating automated weather stations in the world on Mount Everest. Megan Hayes: In 2021, the global COVID pandemic prevented many members of the expedition team from returning to Everest weather station maintenance. Sherpas in the village of Phortse, who make nearly every Everest expedition possible, were able to service the weather stations which are providing scientists with an unprecedented level of weather data that will improve weather forecasting across the globe. Megan Hayes: Today I'm joined by Dr. Baker Perry and Panuru Sherpa to talk about the project, their expeditions and their partnership. Baker Perry and Panuru Sherpa, welcome to SoundAffect. Panuru Sherpa: Thank you. Baker Perry: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here. Megan Hayes: Oh, we're so glad to have you. Baker, let's start. If you could tell me a little bit about yourself and how you came to be interested in climate science. Baker Perry: Well, I had some unique experiences as a child. I lived in the Andes of Bolivia and Peru, and as high as 13,000 feet and we would take outings up higher than that. So I had this natural fascination. And for some reason too, as a kid I read a lot of books about Everest. And I didn't really expect necessarily to be back on Everest, but as a result of the National Geographic expedition and my relationship with the director Paul Mayewski, I had the opportunity to go. Baker Perry: And so clearly these early experiences were very formative in my own childhood. And there were some memorable snow events in the Southern Appalachians too that I can point to, in 1987 and 1993, the big blizzard, and I think those experiences were very important in my career path. Megan Hayes: So how did you end up on an expedition to Mount Everest? Baker Perry: Right. So this particular expedition, the opportunity to join it came through an existing relationship, collaboration with Dr. Paul Mayewski from the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine. We had collaborated on a project in the Andes together. And then he was invited to head up the expedition to Everest and knew that I had experience working with weather stations in the Andes and invited me to come along. Baker Perry: And again I had not necessarily been planning to go to the Himalayas for research. I'd been there once before in 1999 when I was a graduate student, but this was an opportunity that came up and of course I was very excited to be a part of it. And it was through that opportunity that I developed the relationship here with Panuru and the other Sherpas in the communities there in Nepal. Megan Hayes: So Panuru, I understand you grew up in Phortse, the Sherpa village in the Himalayas which is home to the Khumbu Climbing Center. Did I say that correctly? Panuru Sherpa: Yes. Megan Hayes: I understand this village and your climbing center has more Everest summiters than anywhere on Earth. Talk about your childhood responsibilities in Phortse. Panuru Sherpa: Yeah. So when I was younger, I started school at 3 years old. After 3 years I had to look out for my family, my father, mother's yak and nak, looking after them in the mountains. Panuru Sherpa: I like trekking and that time, first time I worked as a trekking porter. I carried 30 kilo bags, carrying for the trekking. My job was to set up tents and pack them up. 1988 was my first expedition to Mount Everest, in September and October. First time I climbed the South Col route., which is very steep. So I continued to climb in mountain and trek in mountain. Baker Perry: So how old were you the first time you went up above base camp? Up through the icefall. How old were you? Panuru Sherpa: That time I was 17 years old. Before, I had no climbing training, did not know how to use rope or use crampons, harness, nothing. Just I trek, I went to base camp and my big brother's name is [Passan Goltsen Sherpa 00:05:14]. He taught me how to use crampons, how to use rope. They had to teach me more in the next days and I had to carry the big ladders, three ladders I carried and I had to bring in the Khumbu Icefall, first time. Baker Perry: First time! How many kilos is that? Panuru Sherpa: One ladder, like 7 to 8 kilos. Baker Perry: So we're talking 21, 22 kilos. So 50 pound plus load going through the Khumbu Icefall. Baker Perry: So, you were chairman of the Khumbu Climbing Center in Phortse 2004 to 2019. Talk about the history of the KCC and the motivation too is to train Sherpas to have more climbing skills, to be safer. Right? Panuru Sherpa: Yes, because the Khumbu Climbing Center gives the people going to mountain, never been mountain and they are first time to climbing and they're interested in climbing and that we give first time for safety, safety margin. And some how to use knot, how to use for climbing gear, the climbing gear name. Everything is basic thing. And then also he have to coming for next year advance, maybe we have more advanced trainings for rescue. Rescue training, save. Baker Perry: Yeah, so I was there in January 2019. There were a few of us from the National Geographic expedition that went early to train with Panuru and the other Sherpa team members and Conrad Anker was there. And so we were there at the same time as the Khumbu Climbing Center class and it was so impressive to see how well it was run and how well it was working. And to see all the people, the young people, coming in for the training. So that was very neat to be a part of that. Megan Hayes: Is that the first time you two met? Baker Perry: That was the first time, yeah January 2019. So we stayed at his lodge at the Phortse Guest House in a very comfortable lodge with a wood stove in the middle of it and very good food and very comfortable. And so that's where we met and I met his wife and some other family, and other Sherpa team members too. Megan Hayes: Yeah, I would imagine having that personal connection is also really helpful when you're climbing together. Baker Perry: It was so helpful for us, I mean especially for Tom and me to have been there, and begun to develop the relationship with especially Panuru and the other Sherpa team members because we didn't have a lot of time together during the expedition because there was so much to do. You all were carrying lots of loads up and down the mountain, and so I think if we hadn't had that time together as part of the KCC course, that it would have been more challenging to communicate and to plan. It may have been harder to have the success that we had without that, without those relationships that we built. Panuru Sherpa: Yeah. Megan Hayes: Yeah, because you had to make some tough decisions when you were on the mountain. Do you mind talking a little bit about what your roles, each of your roles were, on that 2019 expedition and kind of get us into that a little bit Baker? Baker Perry: So I was the co-leader of the meteorology team on the expedition, worked closely with Tom Matthews, my colleague from the UK. And so we were tasked with setting up a network of weather stations, including one in Phortse in, in fact, Panuru's land. He's so generous to let us set up one of the weather stations on one of his agricultural fields where they have grown potatoes and buckwheat. There's not a lot of flat land in the community and this was a great site. And we didn't need a lot of it, just a little, small piece. And he said, "Okay." Baker Perry: And so we set that station up and then we went up to base camp and set up another station at base camp and then at camp 2, South Col. And of course the highest one at the Balcony. And so that was my major responsibility, and of course we had to work very closely together. And maybe you want to talk about what was your responsibility on the 2019 expedition. Panuru Sherpa: Yeah, that times I'm on the expedition, we call Sirdar. Sirdar is a lead guide for Sherpas own group. So I make food, tent and oxygen. Everything to prepare from Kathmandu to base camp. When the group's coming we have to have ready oxygen tank, food and climbing gear, everything we have to have ready for basecamp. Panuru Sherpa: So we make tent. One group, the main group coming, making tent camp everything's ready. We have the tent, dining tent, mess tent, kitchen tent, shower tent, toilet tent. Everything's ready there and then the group's coming there. And then I making plan, like good ceremony puja there.After that I sent Sherpas in Camp 1, Camp 2. And then making load, how oxygen, tent, food, everything we have to separate in the camp 1, 2, 3, 4. Panuru Sherpa: And then my job (was deciding) like which Sherpas going to ice cores, which Sherpas going to the weather stations. And I have to divide that Baker Perry: And this was the largest scientific expedition ever on Mount Everest and so it was a big team. I mean even above base camp, there were seven of us. So three scientists and four media team members and then plus the 15 Sherpa. So just the logistics of moving that many people

    32 min

  6. 04/01/2020

    032 Nikki Giovanni on holding on and letting go

    A Civil Rights activist and world-renowned poet, Nikki Giovanni's journey led her from Knoxville, TN to the forefront of the late 1960s Black Arts Movement. On the path she fell in love with hospitals and space, befriended gangsters and nuns, and determined that writing is not about keeping score - but it is about making a point.

    27 min
  7. 031 Poet Engineer Richard Blanco on documenting a bridge generation and achieving artistic success without teenage angst or selling out

    06/14/2019

    031 Poet Engineer Richard Blanco on documenting a bridge generation and achieving artistic success without teenage angst or selling out

    Richard Blanco earned his engineering license and MFA in poetry in the same year. Within a short time, he found himself among a group of only five poets who have read their works at a United States presidential inauguration. Through the fame, the newfound career success as a poet, and the book tours and speaking engagements, he keeps it real.

    1 hr
  8. 030 FEMA Administrator Brock Long and App State professor Dr. Shea Tuberty on resiliency

    02/05/2019

    030 FEMA Administrator Brock Long and App State professor Dr. Shea Tuberty on resiliency

    What happens when the FEMA Administrator and a water quality expert and biology professor start talking about resiliency and the effects of climate change? The discussion moves from what it's like being on the front lines of America's worst disasters, to the interplay of environmental, social and economic resiliency, to how Appalachian is cultivating resilient students.

    42 min
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About

SoundAffect is a podcast series of conversations with smart people about stuff that affects our world, and how we affect it.

Information

  • Creator
    Appalachian State University
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2023
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    SoundAffect

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