Alverno Voice

This month’s podcast is our final episode for the Alverno Voice series! In the podcast, Kristin Belkofer ’08 ’14 shares her journey to art therapy, and discusses how she took the initiative to start her own clinic, Clara Healing Institute, dedicated to clinical and body wellness.

Samantha Sanchez ‘16 talks about her journey climbing the ladder at CORE El Centro, a nonprofit organization providing natural healing services for families on a sliding fee scale. Her passion for giving back and helping others has led her to achieve her most recent role as Director of Development, where she works to better the community’s mental, physical, and spiritual health.

On this month's episode of Alverno Voice, we had the absolute pleasure of welcoming Holly Garcia '12. Graduating from Alverno with a BA in Psychology, Holly's experience led her to gain a strong passion for using her writing skills to advocate for healthy and proactive thinking on topics like body acceptance, mental health, and more. Listen as Holly explains her journey to her own self-worth and how she strives to help others come to terms with their own. 

This month we had the pleasure of welcoming Gita Brown '06. An Alverno alum with a B.M. in Music Therapy, in addition to already having a B.M. and M.M. in Clarinet Performance. Gita Brown is a spiritual activist, yoga and music educator, and writer. A columnist for Integral Yoga Magazine, Gita's writing has also been featured in the Boston Globe Magazine, Meditation Magazine, and many other publications. Currently, Gita is living at Three Dog Farm where she offers classes in individualized Integral Yoga, Yoga for the Special Child, and classical clarinet and is also a Seminarian in the Integral Yoga Ministry -- an interfaith tradition that is focused on providing selfless service and promoting interfaith understanding. Listen as Gita walks us through her journey to her self-discovery and combines her passions to live a full and rich life. 

This month we had the pleasure of welcoming Betty Hill '17. An Alverno alum with a B.A. in Community Leadership and Development with an emphasis in Grant Writing and Fundraising, and Nonprofit Leadership and Management. Currently, Betty is continuing her work as the founder of the Power Gurlz community organization, where her passion for empowering young girls and mentoring the community pushes her to organize community programs, events, and small group mentoring opportunities. Similarly, she is also a member of Milwaukee TEMPO supporting emerging female leaders, and is also the Director of Youth Development and Strategic Partnerships for MENTOR Greater Milwaukee where the mission is to increase mentoring relationships by increasing the capacity of existing mentoring organizations. 

On this month’s episode of Alverno Voice, we welcomed Carolyn Dragon! An Alverno alum from the class of ’84 and current CEO of TENWOMENSTRONG. During our discussion, Carolyn expresses the impact of her Alverno experience on her life and how she strives to have a business that prepares women to be their most authentic, creative, and expressive selves.

On this month’s episode of the Alverno Voice, we had the pleasure of welcoming JoAnna Bautch. An Alverno alum from the class of 2017, co-founder of Latinas Con Fuerza at Alverno, and current Movement Politics Director at Citizen Action of Wisconsin. During this episode, listen to JoAnna talk about her Alverno experience and the impact politics has had on her personal and professional endeavors.

On this month’s episode of Alverno Voice, we are joined by Lawanda Chambers. An Alverno Alum from the class of 2020 and current mental health practitioner, community developer, instructor, and future politician. Listen as Lawanda helps to break the stigmas of mental health and share how her Alverno experience influenced her entrepreneurial and community efforts towards bringing attention to one’s mental health in underserved communities and beyond.

As Alverno celebrates the 50th anniversary of the internship program, we welcome two Alverno alums from the class of 2017 who have had the opportunity to move up in the company they originally interned in as undergrads. On this month’s episode, we welcomed Teresita Becerra, current Senior Financial Analyst at Fiserv, and Sarah Jerez, a Community Involvement and Engagement Specialist at Johnson Controls. Listen to Teresita and Sarah talk about their internship experiences and how their Alverno education and experiences helped them climb the ladder within their companies.

On this month’s episode of Alverno Voice, we are joined by Aimee Gironimi ’04, ’07, who is an entrepreneur and current voice-over artist, with training in a variety of styles. During our discussion, Aimee tells her story of being a non-traditional student who took a leap of faith after working in the non-profit and corporate realm for over 23 years – and has never been happier.

On this month’s episode of Alverno Voice, we are joined by Holly McCoy from the classes of 2010 and 2015. Holly is the executive director of Literacy Services of Wisconsin. Her work focuses on breaking the stigmas surrounding adult education and bringing access to literacy services to the Greater Milwaukee community for people of all ages. During our conversation, Holly dives into the impact of her non-traditional educational experience, and the drive to follow her passions of supporting adult education and literacy, organizational development, and workforce development.

Welcome to Alverno Voice! In this month’s episode, we meet Bevin Christie. An Alum from the classes, 2007 and 2013, who has evolved into a passionate social entrepreneur and educator. Since majoring in communication, management, and technology, Bevin has climbed the ladder to being program manager for News 414 Project of Wisconsin after already founding her own company, Pivot RR LLC. In this episode, Bevin goes in-depth about her non-traditional experience at Alverno and its influence on her life, the benefits of having majored in communication, management, and technology, and her contribution to reimagining education.

Time to ignite your path!