73 episodes
The People of Penn State Penn State Alumni Association
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- Education
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4.9 • 14 Ratings
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On each episode of The People of Penn State, you’ll hear Penn Staters talking about what they are passionate about, and you can feel the pride and the power of the Penn State network. You can find the podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your podcast platform of choice. You can also check out the video version on YouTube. Subscribe and give us a rating on whatever platform you use. Ratings and reviews help others find these great stories. WE ARE!
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Episode 60 — Swimming Across The English Channel With Jeannie Zappe '87
Fancy a swim? How about a swim across the entire English Channel? 🤯🏊
On today's podcast, we chat with Jeannie Zappe '87, Speaker and Coach at Eternal Optimist LLC, and open water distance swimmer!
Jeannie's personal feats include swimming around Manhattan at 53, crossing the English Channel at 55, and joining the elite ranks of the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming at 56 by completing a Catalina Channel crossing.
A transformative speaker and eternal optimist, Jeannie has also excelled in leadership roles in higher education IT before pursuing her true calling as a swim coach in 2010. Harnessing her lifelong passion, she's coached young talents to elite national athletes and iron men/women.
Connect with Jeanne on Facebook and LinkedIn!
Watch the video version of our conversation with Jeannie on YouTube.
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Timestamps for our conversation with Jeannie:
0:00 — Intro
1:44 — Becoming a Penn Stater
7:45 — Initial career goal of being a swimming coach
9:20 — Ad Read - Alumni Association Membership
10:15 — What it was like to swim the English Channel
16:40 — The Triple Crown of open water swimming
23:45 — Techniques and strategies for distance swimming
33:05 — Jeanne's work with Eternal Optimist LLC
41:30 — Lightning Round Q&A -
Episode 59 — Serving In The U.S. Army's Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps With Lieutenant Colonel Robert Michaels
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Michaels '02, '05 Dickinson Law, has served in the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps since January 2006.
During his time as an Army lawyer, he has served in military units all over the world. In addition to service in Iraq, South Korea, and Europe, he most recently returned to the United States after serving for two years as the first-ever U.S. Army Exchange Officer to the Republic of Poland. During that assignment, he was the Operational Law Attorney to the General Commander of the Polish Armed Forces.
Watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube.
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Timestamps for our conversation with Lieutenant Colonel Michaels:
0:00 — Intro
1:46 — Becoming a Penn Stater
7:20 — A strong family connection to the U.S. Military
16:00 — Lieutenant Colonel Michaels' attempt to become Penn State student body president
16:55 — Experiences in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps
22:10 — Time as a JAG Officer with the Polish Armed Forces
32:24 — Lightning Round Q&A
41:34 — Outro -
Episode 58 — Autism and Neurodiversity Advocacy With Sarah Kernion '06
Misconceptions of autism and the frequency in which people are excluded, threaten access to the vital information, resources and support autistic people and their families need.
Sarah Kernion '06, a distinguished global speaker and neurodiversity advocate, is first and foremost a mother of three children, two of which have non-speaking autism.
Through her work, she fosters a supportive community around the ‘inchstones’ vs milestones mentality of parents and neurodiversity, advocating for greater acceptance and valuing of the contributions of neurodivergent individuals in society.
In 2023, Sarah officially launched Saturday’s Story, LLC, alongside a charity, Milly & Mack’s Marchers, Corps, supporting children with autism and their schooling and related services.
Connect with Sarah on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Subscribe to The People of Penn State on your podcast platform of choice.
Watch the video version of this episode.
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Timestamps for our conversation with Sarah
0:00 — Intro
1:48 — Sarah's Penn State story
9:40 — What is neurodiversity?
10:55 — Personal connections to autism and neurodiversity
22:00 — Recognizing signs of autism
31:16 — How Sarah became an advocate for neurodiversity
38:45 — Milly & Mack’s Marchers
40:19 — Lightning Round Q&A
50:42 — Outro -
Episode 57 — How To Improve Workplace Culture With Rebecca Friese '93
From Fortune 500 giants to burgeoning startups, Rebecca Friese '93 navigates outdated practices in the workplace, fostering the capacity for impactful cultural changes.
Rebecca is a seasoned change management leader dedicated to transforming organizations. On a mission to enhance workplaces, she champions innovative, engaging, and forward-thinking environments.
As the author of "The Good Culture: A Leader’s Guide to Creating a Workplace That Doesn’t Suck," Rebecca is also the Co-Founder of FLYN, Co-lead at the Samudra Next Generation Leadership Trust, and the Founder of the 12@12 Women’s Network.
Connect with Rebecca on Instagram, LinkedIn, and X (also @flynconsulting).
Watch the video version of our podcast with Rebecca on our YouTube page.
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Timestamps for our conversation with Rebecca:
0:00 — Intro
2:15 — Becoming a Penn Stater
8:30 — Rebecca's initial career path
14:20 — Independent film production and acting
17:40 — Consulting/coaching
20:57 — Igniting change in the workplace through inspiration
26:00 — Rebecca's book: "The Good Culture: A Leader’s Guide to Creating a Workplace That Doesn’t Suck"
34:34 — Lightning Round Q&A
39:25 — Outro -
Episode 56 — Performing On Broadway With Jasmine Forsberg '21
Jasmine Forsberg '21 is an emerging star of Broadway...and she's a Penn Stater!
Forsberg is currently performing in the hit Broadway musical "Six" after touring the country for over a year in the First National Tour. Last summer, Jasmine made her Broadway debut in the all-Filipino cast of "Here Lies Love."
In addition to her successes on stage, Jasmine starred in the 2021 Hallmark movie "One December Night," which featured her singing her own original music.
A talented songwriter, Jasmine's music is also featured in "Results Will Vary," a 45-minute musical sketch comedy show that prepares incoming students for life at Penn State and is performed during each New Student Orientation program at Penn State University Park.
Connect with Jasmine on her website or Instagram.
Watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube.
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Timestamps for our conversation with Jasmine:
0:00 — Intro
2:00 — Becoming a Penn Stater
7:00 — Developing a passion for stage acting
9:50 — Jasmine's career journey
14:15 — Being a part of the first all-Filipino cast on Broadway
18:45 — Playing Jane Seymour in "Six"
27:45 — Starring in a Hallmark movie
32:00 — How Jasmine has left a legacy at Penn State
36:30 — Lessons learned in the Penn State Musical Theatre program
39:15 — Lightning Round Q&A
44:15 — Outro -
Episode 55 — Documenting Life At Penn State In Photos With Pat Little '77
From early days with the Daily Collegian to time spent with the Centre Daily Times and the Associated Press, photographer Pat Little '77 has chronicled life at Penn State for fifty years.
Some of Pat's most famous photos include a lion cub...sitting atop the famous Nittany Lion shrine, President Bill Clinton eating Berkey Creamery ice cream, and the return of the team busses to State College after Penn State football's 1983 Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia.
He takes us through the stories behind these iconic photos and more on this episode of The People of Penn State Podcast.
You can see Pat's tremendous work on his Facebook page. Also be sure to check out the Penn Stater magazine's feature on Pat from the March/2024 issue.
Timestamps for our conversation with Pat:
0:00 — Intro
1:07 — Growing up in State College and becoming a Penn Stater
3:05 — Joining the Daily Collegian
7:55 — Pat's book "Penn State Then and Now," which chronicles Penn State's history in images
18:27 — The story behind Pat's photo of a lion cub sitting on top of the Nittany Lion Shrine
20:04 — Capturing a famous photo of Bill Clinton at Berkey Creamery
25:10 — Meeting Neil Armstrong
28:37 — Joe Paterno stories
32:45 — Pat's journey as an artist
38:05 — Being featured in the Penn Stater magazine
43:00 — Lightning Round Q&A
45:03 — Outro
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Learn more about the Penn State Alumni Association: alumni.psu.edu.
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Customer Reviews
Great Start!
Couldn’t have picked a better first guest to get this Podcast started! Enjoyed hearing from Jake, and learning about his incredible story. And the Ability Athletic Program that PSU has to assist student-athletes with a handicap.
We Are!
Great content
I love the content of these podcasts but I think the sound quality could be improved. The interviewer sounds like he is very far from the microphone and interviewees come across much louder and clearer. It makes it extremely difficult to listen on air pods due to the sound variation.
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