Fresh from the Hill: Inside Stories of Noteworthy Cornellians

In the sixth of the CLAA Series for the Fresh from the Hill Podcast, CLAA board members interview the 2023 MacArthur ‘genius grant’ recipient, Manuel Muñoz, MFA ‘98.

In his writing, Muñoz draws on his roots growing up in a Mexican-American family of farmworkers in California’s Central Valley to explore the impacts of racial politics and limited economic opportunities in this region. He tells the stories of a wide spectrum of people, including mothers and sons, U.S.-born citizens and immigrants, young gay men and teenage parents.

Manuel details how his academic work at Harvard lead to him teaching young minds in Boston and how that experience led him to pursue a Master of Fine Arts at Cornell. Manuel details how mentors like Helena Maria Viramontes shaped his love for writing and his appetite for short stories.

Muñoz, who is professor of English at the University of Arizona, has published three story collections, “Zigzagger” (2003), “The Faith Healer of Olive Avenue” (2007), and “The Consequences” (2022), as well as the novel “What You See in the Dark” (2011). He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1994.

Plug into this episode as our hosts connect the landscape of topics with one of the luminaries in the novelist world!

We're taking a little break from our regularly scheduled series to feature the winners of the 2023 Robert S. Harrison '76 Recent Alumni Volunteer Award, which celebrates the service of a new generation of alumni volunteers and honoring Harrison’s long-standing commitment to Cornell. Harrison served as a student trustee from 1975 to 1976, launching what would become nearly five decades of service to the university.

Tune into this special episode hosted by Cornell Association of Class Officers (CACO) president Julie Vultaggio '02 and learn about the winners -- their backgrounds, what inspires them to volunteer for Cornell and what advice they have for recent alumni looking to stay connected post-graduation.

The 2023 Robert S. Harrison '76 Recent Alumni Volunteer Award Winners:

• Vernice Arahan ’14
• Julia Buffinton ’14
• Kamillah Knight ’13, MPA ’15, MBA ’22
• Olivia Moore Nicoletti ’12
• Kai Lin Tan ’15

Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson '97 takes on our fifth episode of the CLAA series. Mary Carmen charts her path from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico and how it took a chance bet for her to apply to Cornell. She talks about the community she built with folks like Kety during Summer/Fall of 1993 with COSEP as well as some of the struggles she had with English as she was making the transition in the first couple years of school. She then speaks to her drive as a young chemical engineer whose turn in Marketing shifted and elevated her career to where she is at today as Chief Marketing officer of Pandora.

Eduardo Peñalver is our next esteemed guest for the fourth episode of the CLAA series. During the discussion, Eduardo tracks his early life from a farm town in the Pacific Northwest, to being thrust as the leader of the Day Hall Takeover. He speaks to some of the awkwardness of being the point person to the Takeover, while receiving a Rhodes scholarship (wow!) just a few days later. He then moves into how he transitioned a successful law career into academia, including some time at Cornell as a professor and dean, before heading into his current role as President of Seattle University. Please join us for this lively conversation.

Kety Esquivel '97 headlines the third episode of the CLAA series as we dive into the Day Hall Takeover. During the discussion, Kety discusses her path to Cornell and sets the scene as a young first-year student entering Cornell in the Summer/Fall of 1993 with COSEP. She then explores the celebration of several exhibits focused on Latino culture and the devastation in seeing the Revalaciones/Revelations Exhibits by Daniel J. Martinez defaced with discriminatory remarks and how the students turned that anger into action. Kety closes the discussion out with reflections on the successes and the room we still have to go, today.

Ana Pinczuk headlines the second episode of the CLAA series and is the first Board of Trustees member interviewed. Ana is currently the Chief Operating Officer at Dexterity, Inc. and serves on the boards of Aptiv and SentinelOne. Throughout her career, Ana has worked for AT&T, Cisco Systems, Veritas Technologies, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Ana discusses her path to Cornell which started from her upbringing in Argentina as she and her family fled to the United States due to a coup d’etat in her native country. Ms. Pinczuk shares with the group how that experience and the impact it had on her family provided her with the needed grit and perspective to excel in Ithaca. Ana holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and she also holds degrees from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Carnegie Mellon University.

How long have Latinos been at Cornell? Is there a story to tell about the LatinX community at this Ivy League University and its involvement in grassroots activism and the Board of Trustees? How has the Latine community contributed to Cornell’s commitment to any person, any study over the University’s 158 years? Join Cornell Latino Alumni Association at large board members Joseph De Los Santos MHA '19 and Freddy Terrazas Escamilla MHA '19 and Vice President Kety Esquivel '97 as they discuss the upcoming CLAA Series on the Fresh from Hill Cornell podcast. Over this limited series the trio interview key Latino/Latina alumni and Board of Trustees members while discussing key events in CLAA history at Cornell.  

Put your earbuds in and join us for this first episode where Kety, Joseph, and Freddy walk through their background, their decision to attend Cornell, and the impact that the university has had on their lives and careers. We welcome all students, alumni, family and friends of the university to hear how CLAA has had an impact on Cornell since some of the first classes graduated from the University. 

We've all likely heard the story. A Cornell senior saves a man from a New York City subway. But have you heard his story? Well today is your chance. Hear from Bryce Demopoulos about stepping up and giving back and the importance of taking advantage of everything Cornell has to offer - both inside and outside your major.

"It's the small moments that add up. It's the small moments that I'm going to miss a lot after I leave."

Episode recorded March 21, 2023.

The 2023 Alumni Trustee Election is officially OPEN so what better time to learn about what it means to be an alumni elected trustee and why YOU should vote?!

Wonder how someone who aspired to be an English professor eventually became a successful woman in comedy? Listen in to find out!

Alison Leiby '06 has covered the gamut in comedy. From standup to TV writing for shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Broad City, to her one woman show Oh God, a Show About Abortion, Alison Leiby '06 has some advice about carving your path in an industry you never considered. "When you're an undergrad, you shouldn't know what you want to do," says Alison. "Just try the things. Try and do them. Take the classes that are interesting to you... And for me, it was I always loved standup and I always loved comedy. And then finally one day I was like nothing else is making me happy, I may as well try it. And I did. And it worked."

A quick heads up for our listeners. Alison speaks briefly about her own experience with abortion in this episode. If you need to avoid listening to that discussion, we recommend you skip the 23 minute and 45 second mark through to 31 minute and 45 second mark.

A Hotelie in Paris starring on a Bravo TV Show Real Girlfriends In Paris and also running her own business? Yes, you heard us correctly. Adja Toure ’18 is a sparkling example of how to let a Cornell degree and fulfilling experiences along the way guide and garnish post-grad life.

While soaking up her time in the Hotel School, Adja also worked her way up the ladder on the Slope Day planning committee, and got to perform with the Cornell University Chorus in places like Guatemala and Mexico before graduating a semester early.

Embarking on e-commerce positions and entrepreneurship endeavors while navigating friendships AND the entertainment industry are all enticing points of this episode.

You don’t want to miss hearing about her professor-stunning chocolate mousse either!

From her beginnings as a Rawlings Presidential Research Scholar, to joining a lab in CALS, to dancing on the dance team Urban Blaze, Alexis Wilson ’19 seemingly did it all as a Cornell student. Not only that, Alexis was also an instrumental member of Cornell’s Intergroup Dialogue Project. 

Since her time at Cornell, she's completed an honors thesis related to environmental science that later got published in a journal, and is now pursuing a PhD at Stanford. In this episode of Fresh from the Hill, Alexis speaks on the many ways that Cornell gave her opportunities to branch out into new interests and areas of exploration on top of solidifying others already formed in her life. 

Listen in on this inspiring and sentimental chat between host Sydney Mann ’18 and Alexis, a pair who moved from having a mentoring relationship to a vibrant friendship.

Themes of environmental justice, interconnectedness, mutual support, diversity, and building community are all over this episode for you to enjoy and learn from. 

A professor. A writer. A Dean. A reader. An advisor. A humanist. Dr. Glenn Altschuler is the embodiment of an academic. Learn about his life and what propelled him to not “be the Jewish boy who never went north of 125th St.” in this compelling conversation with Sydney Mann '18.

Get an insider's view of a storied five decade Cornell career,  with anecdotes of connection and relationships, and the importance of formal and personal education in life.

“I just think that I was so blessed to spend my career interacting with Cornell undergraduates. I wouldn't have given it up for anything.”

It's time for a new series of Fresh from the Hill (finally!)

The name of our new host may be familiar to you - that's because she was a guest on the podcast back in 2021! Get to know her better by revisiting that episode today (Check Your Privilege - original air date 8/18/21) and stay tuned for brand new episodes in the upcoming weeks with Sydney hosting. 

Revisit this spooky episode from 2021 with Cornell's de facto historian Corey Ryan Earle '07.

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From Halloween pranks to campus hauntings - tune in for tales of murder, mayhem, creepy classes and unsolved mysteries of Cornell’s spookier past from unofficial university historian Corey Ryan Earle ’07.

Dana Lerner '14 is currently the co-producer of the revival of COMPANY. COMPANY was recently nominated for nine Tony Awards and won five, including best revival of a musical. As a producer, Dana was nominated and won best revival of a musical. Revisit this episode from 2019 to get an exclusive look behind the scenes of Broadway.
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Dana M. Lerner '14 is a Tony-nominated theater producer and entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Red Pelican Creative, LLC a social media consulting and management agency providing strategic advice and management consulting on social media, brand enhancement and development primarily in the live entertainment space .

In this episode of Fresh from the Hill, Dana sits down with host Aaron Kominos-Smith '04 to chat about what life as a theater major at Cornell was like, how to get into the business side of theater, how Hamilton is changing the game in ticketing and subscription models, what it takes to be a Broadway producer, and how she got involved with the Tony-nominated show Indecent. Also hear about the numerous ways Dana stays involved with Cornell in her very limited free time!

101.3 WKZB is Fall Church's only radio station. On Interview Hour, hosts Lauren and Peter interview the fascinating residents of Falls Church. Interview Hour is a completely fictional, improvised podcast, performed by Lauren Morrell and Peter Narby.

In "Prance Therapy" (original air date 4/11/21), Lauren Morrell interviews Falls Church's hand washing timer, and then a psychotherapist with a deeply emotional approach to his sessions.

Cornell alumnus Peter Narby '12 co-created this podcast, alongside Lauren Morrell.

"Innovation and Insurance with Shruti Kothari," first aired November 8, 2021.

Nakin Bhandari MHA '18, Freddy Terrazas Escamilla MHA '19, and Joseph De Los Santos MHA '19 sit down live in San Diego to bring in the sixth episode of BYOB: The Healthcare Podcast. The team speaks to Shruti Kothari on Innovation and Insurance, Shruti is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Blue Shield of California.

Shruti shares a great perspective on what early careerists should think of when they are looking to pursue a new opportunity, start a new organization/company, and what she learned from working in the Venture Capital space. Additionally, Shruti shares how striking statistics in early seed funding compounded by events that affected the entire nation, moved her to elevate the voices of women of color and call attention to the staggeringly low number of executives who are women of color.

"Why failing more should be your goal with Susan Danziger, Founder of Eutopia Holdings," first aired May 24, 2021. 

Susan Danziger launched her first business to solve a problem, and hasn’t stopped since! From making books accessible on your commute to combating the climate crisis with Wally Farms, Susan is a serial Entreprenista and investor with a deep drive to positively impact her community. You’re about to hear the lessons she learned building her businesses, key tips for raising capital, and more.

"Gwen Whiting of The Laundress – Innovation, Big Risks, and Thinking Outside the Box," first aired March 23, 2020.

Success as an Entreprenista involves innovation, taking big risks, and thinking outside the box. In the case of Gwen Whiting '98, Founder of The Laundress, a successful line of eco-friendly laundry and home products, it’s all of these. Inspired with an idea while working in the fashion industry at Ralph Lauren and trying to maintain her wardrobe while using the local laundromat, Gwen teamed up with her friend who had a complimentary skillset to create a solution. Gwen joins Socialfy co-founder Stephanie Cartin for a conversation about building her business and career, and describes her journey to success including how Gwen and her partner found money early on, from business loans to throwing for-profit parties, launching an e-commerce website over 15 years ago when Amazon was still a bookseller, the challenges of building an ecommerce brand and generating buzz in the pre-social media era, how The Laundress got  ahead of the market in creating detergents free of petroleum products (long before the trend of green eco-friendly products,) why the co-founders made a risky decision to fund the business by amassing considerable credit card debt rather than taking VC money, the process of selling the brand to Unilever, and why having the right lawyer and a team behind you during such a pivotal time mattered so much.

A second revisited episode from the Wall of Wonder series for Women's History Month. 

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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?”

Featuring Matthew Zucker '92. Episode #55. "Hike Your Own Hike." First aired Oct 21, 2021

What’s the rush with hiking? What's the difference between a walk and a hike? This episode Mat Zucker ’92 talks to Sean O’Dwyer, who runs Mountain-Hiking.com, a popular blog for Catskills, Hudson Highlands, Adirondacks and beyond. You’ll hear what Sean loves about mountain hiking, where to go (including Cornell Mountain!), advice for bears, a warning about radios, how to be a good citizen on a mountain, and why Reese’s Pieces should sponsor him. Shout-outs to family Cornellians including Brian Fuhr ’93, Andrea Fuhr Saporito ’96, Alex Saporito ’97, and Rebecca Barnett ’17.

Thanks for listening to Cidiot, the award-winning podcast about moving from the city to the Hudson Valley. Visit Cidiot.com to join the mailing list for updates, rate and review the show, shop the Cidiot store, read the blog, and find links to social feeds, destinations and resources in the area.

In celebration of Groundhog's Day, we thought we'd revisit our VERY FIRST full-length episode of Fresh from the Hill. First aired October 31, 2018. Enjoy!
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At age 24 Svante Myrick won a mayoral race to become the youngest mayor in Ithaca's history and the first mayor of African American heritage. In this exclusive interview, host Alex Zalben '99 and Svante will chat about Svante's childhood, the first time he visited Cornell ("I thought I had stumbled on something magic, and I was right"), the opioid crisis in Ithaca and his plan to combat it, his learnings from President Barack Obama, his advice to young people getting into politics, and much more.

We've got a fun series in store for you over the next few months! Tune in to learn what's coming down the pike.

UPDATE: Since this episode aired, Enongo earned her PhD from Cornell in 2019 making her a triple red!

And because we've been on a music theme lately, we thought it was a good time to rebroadcast this episode from the very early days of the podcast. Hope you enjoy!

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Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo '08, MA '15 aka Sammus is an Ithaca-raised, Philadelphia-based rap artist, producer, and PhD student in the Department of Science & Technology Studies at Cornell University. Through her music she has spent the past several years cultivating a strong following of activists, hip hop heads, punks, and self-identified nerds and geeks, among others.

Enongo will talk about growing up in Ithaca and the different lenses she's seen Ithaca through, and how she never felt like she had to choose between her "Ithaca-ness" and "Cornell-ness." You'll also hear about her musical influences, her heroes, what role video games play in her music, sexism in the music industry, and what we can expect from her next project coming out in 2019. Not only that, Enongo is currently pursuing her PhD from Cornell (triple red!) and is exploring the politics of studios and community studios in low-income areas and how there's a need for studios in the public space.

Jazz musician and historian Colin Hancock ’19 is an old soul. As a young kid, he was drawn to the sound of early jazz, gravitating towards the likes of Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet and other others of the pre-bop era. Since then, he’s built his musical career around playing and recording in that style of music. In fact, he owns and operates the only acoustic studio that cuts 78 rpm flat records in THE WORLD. Yes, you read that right.

Hear about how Colin has carved out his own niche in the music world and how his research and work ultimately led to his album notes Grammy nomination.

From a young age, Kobina Ansah '08 was a budding entrepreneur, even before he knew what entrepreneurship really was. As a teenager he mowed neighbors lawns to earn extra spending cash. In college, he and his friends started a full service B&B for busy Cornell weekends (Air BnB eat your heart out!); "I remember feeling this great sense of satisfaction by identifying a client, identifying their needs, serving that need, and getting compensated for that." 

Furthermore, entrepreneurship is in Kobina's blood. His grandmother started one of the first daycare programs in Ghana, West Africa (visited by the Queen of England!), and his mother created Alta Spa in Ithaca, a place he and his brother worked and really helped conceptualize from the ground up.

Alex Kresovich '08 is a Billboard #1 and RIAA-Platinum certified music producer, songwriter, and composer from Ithaca, New York who's best known for his work with Panic! at the Disco, Cee Lo Green, Niykee Heaton, MAX, Hoodie Allen, Snow Tha Product, Chris Webby, and Jocelyn Alice.

But when the music business took a toll on his own well being, he took take a break from the producing world to explore how music can affect mental health. Alex is now pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he is studying the influence of popular music which references anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts on the mental health attitudes and behaviors of U.S. youth, and all that relates back to how he used music as a young person to regulate his own depression and anxiety.

Hear this candid and vulnerable conversation about the less glamorous sides of the music business, why it's so important to talk about mental health, and if something isn't working for you, it's ok to change paths. Oh yeah and you'll hear some fun stories, including that time he danced with Rhianna. 

"The main appeal of music to me as a young person was, it was this place I could go to escape.”

From Halloween pranks to campus hauntings - tune in for tales of murder, mayhem, creepy classes and unsolved mysteries of Cornell’s spookier past from unofficial university historian Corey Ryan Earle ’07.

Since last episode was all about the criminal justice system, we thought it appropriate to follow it up with this episode from season 1. Featuring Darnell Epps, a recent grad who, after spending almost two decades in prison turned his life around and earned his degree from Cornell. Originally aired June 26, 2019. Enjoy!

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From the Brooklyn housing projects, to private Catholic School, to a near 17-year incarceration at Five Points Correctional Facility, to Cornell University, Darnell Epps '19 is not your typical Cornell Senior.

Hear Darnell's fascinating and inspirational story about taking the wrong path in life, lessons learned, and coming out the other side.

“One thing that struck me deep was seeing the pain… When I walked in the courtroom and I would see a packed courtroom and I would see families on both sides, feeling pain. I would see the tears in my mother’s eyes, the embarrassment that I caused her, the shame that I brought. She was a New York City Police Officer, but yet had to explain to her colleagues that her two sons were incarcerated for murder. And she was at trial every day. She stuck by me. She came up on the visit practically every month to see Darrell and I. It was that. It was witnessing that. It was seeing that. That really brought me face-to-face with the need to ultimately become a responsible adult and to break out of this way of thinking that seemed to dominate my teenage years.”

The journey post-film school is not an easy one. And that’s why Dawn Kamoche ’07 recommends you think long and hard before deciding it’s the route for you. Her experience was not smooth sailing, as is the plight of many aspiring filmmakers. After graduating in 2007, it was HARD for anyone to find a job, let alone someone going into the ever-competitive film industry; “Go to an Ivy League they said. You’ll get a good job, your future will be set. And it wasn’t.”

But Dawn’s undergrad from Cornell as a double major in Film and Africana Studies, along with a chance encounter with a former professor who believed in one of her scripts, set Dawn up for success as a story teller. She's now an award-winning writer and director, known for projects like Sharp Objects, The Gifted, and Cloak & Dagger.

“Every time a movie gets made in Hollywood, ten million miracles have to happen.” Will Gluck '93 is certainly no stranger to some miracles (and apparently luck as well -- his advice to aspiring filmmakers is to “get very lucky”), but don't let him fool you, all of his success didn't simply fall in his lap. Known for box office hits like Easy A, Friends with Benefits, Annie, and Peter Rabbit, Gluck's grit, determination, and work ethic has earned him a celebrated career in show biz. After all, working in Hollywood is not easy, but “if you know deep down in your soul that you really want to do it, there’s nothing more fun in the world.” 

*If you're sensitive to strong language, please note that there is swearing in this episode.

Through working for companies like NPR, Buzzfeed, Vox, and Stitcher, Camila Salazar ’16 knows podcasting. And she’s also our next host for Fresh from the Hill! Learn how she first got into podcasts (anyone heard of the show Serial?) and how she was able to make a career for herself in the podcasting world; “I saw the potential of the industry.”

*If you're sensitive to strong language, please note that there is swearing in this episode.

In this Cornell Black Alumni Association (CBAA) series, you’ve heard from the organization’s founders and its past presidents. You’ve heard how CBAA has evolved since 1976, both in the great progress made and the unfortunate obstacles we still endure. In this last episode of the series, we chat with CBAA’s current executive board highlighting their pivot to virtual programming in the pandemic and the future of the organization.

This week, we take just a bit of a departure from our normal format. Listen in to this reflective episode as John talks about allyship and the importance of amplifying Black and minoritized voices in everyday life. We invite you to listen, learn, and reflect as we begin to wrap up this incredible series partnership with CBAA.

“As we think about underrepresented groups, marginalized groups, minoritized groups in our community, how do we continue to amplify their stories? To give them space, to give them voice, and allow them to be seen and heard.”

In part two of our CBAA (Cornell Black Alumni Association) roundtable, we hear from six more former presidents. Learn about their individual contributions and their shared goals for the next 45 years of this historic association.

Featuring:
Michael Littlejohn ’79
Lisa Jones ’84
Linda Gadsby ’88
Jonelle Bradshaw de Hernandez ’96
Anika Daniels-Osaze ’96
Ruby Saake ’84

“It was important for me to see us as being part of the fabric of Cornell at all times, not just through our reunions, but coming back to Homecoming and feeling like this was our campus as well.” - Anika Daniels-Osaze '96

In its 45 years of existence, CBAA (Cornell Black Alumni Association) has had 16 presidents. We’ve gathered them together for a couple of lively roundtable discussions. Hear about their experiences at Cornell as students, as alumni, and as trailblazers for the Black community.

These conversations were so incredible, we’ve split them into two episodes.

"It's about connection and care. We care about each other and we look out for each other" - Michelle Brown-Grant '88

Featuring:
Michelle Brown-Grant '88
Regina Little '78
Katrina James '96
Marlon Brownlee '84
Kevin Montgomery '75
Dennis Williams '73
Sandra Black '73

How am I supposed to Adult? We all attended Cornell as a result of our hard work and dedication, but once that diploma is in hand… what’s next? Tiffany Southerland ’06 looked for a syllabus on All The Things: career, relationships, mental health, etc. Now a coach and motivational speaker, she has practical insight and positive perspective to share in the fourth episode of our CBAA series. 

“Am I the one who doesn’t belong here? Did they make a mistake?,” Ahmed Ahmed ’17 wondered after his first semester at Cornell. We’ve all been there, right? But Ahmed’s tenacity and grit led him to greatness as a Cornell undergrad, as a Rhodes Scholar, and now as a medical student at Harvard. Tune in to hear his fascinating story!