Future Talks by Future Institute

During Episode XVII, the new Future Institute Executive Director. Sam Davis. meets with Dan Green, Future Institute Board President. They speak about Future Institute's new initiatives, goals, and Dan's experience with Future Institute. Dan Green is the President of the Future Institute Board. He serves as an Executive Director of FIRST Robotics, overseeing the entire Illinois FIRST Robotics events and initiatives.

Future Talks is a podcast organized and hosted by Future Institute, a non-profit organization committed to growing student success and building a better society. 

During Episode XVI, Nichole Pientka sat down with Kandann Coleman, Associate Regional Director of State Government Affairs at Everytown for Gun Safety, and spoke about how she successfully managed the post-college transition and chose her career path. Kandann is also a 2013 graduate from Horizon Science Academy - Toledo, which is one of the 12 Concept high schools Future Institute's programs support. She gives credit to her personal drive, her community, and her parents for their support in her personal and professional development.

Future Institute understands that the transition from high school to college is a big deal, so Iara Aldape had a follow-up conversation with Mariam Fadiga who is graduating later this month. They first spoke in November 2021 when Mariam was starting the Future Legacies program and this episode reflects on how much she's learned in six months. Mariam talks about how she feels more prepared for college now and how her meetings with her junior mentor, Aishat, helped her discover her new career path. 

As the end of the academic year approaches, college seniors like Ethan Schreiber have a lot to reflect on as well as look forward to. Nichole Pientka, FLI Program Officer, sat down with Ethan to discuss his road to completing his bachelor's degree and what his future looks like when he graduates in May 2022. Ethan has been participating in the Future Leaders Initiative (FLI) Program for three years and was actively involved in mentoring high school seniors. Ethan will be graduating with a degree in Applied Math and minoring in Computer Science. He expressed hope for traveling for his career, especially to East Asia, and gave advice to first-generation college students like himself. 

Dr. Viner has four decades of experience applying the clinical and research knowledge of psychiatry and psychoanalysis to the challenge of creating meaningful and pragmatically effective treatment programs. Mr. Cengiz Karatas, Executive Director of Future Institute, spoke with Dr. Viner about the Yellowbrick Foundation and the mental health issues and challenges emerging adults are facing today. Dr. Viner is also a new member of the Future Institute Board of Directors.

Mr. Trevor Ramos is a Certified College Planning Specialist and presented a workshop on Paying for College to 35 high school seniors in the Future Legacies program. Ms. Iara Aldape interviewed Mr. Ramos about his experience presenting the workshop, about which he said he was impressed with the students' understanding and questions related to paying for college. Mr. Ramos also spoke about why he supports organizations like Future Institute.

Future Institute is starting out 2022 with gratitude for having two phenomenal interns during the Fall 2021 semester! Sara Dietrich, Communications Assistant Intern, and Chris Sessions, Development Assistant Intern are both seniors in college, graduating in Spring 2022. Chris and Sara sat down with host Nichole Pientka, FLI Program Officer and Sara's internship supervisor, to discuss their experiences at Future Institute and their future career plans.

In the season of giving, Mr. Cengiz Karatas sat down with a long-time sponsor of Future Institute, Ms. Margaret Wong. Ms. Wong is an award-winning practicing immigration lawer and founder and managing partner of Margaret W. Wong & Associates, LLC. Born in Hong Kong, Ms. Wong spoke about her own experience as an immigrant and a community leader for others seeking to start a life in the United States. She also details why she supports Future Institute and its mission for student success

To begin the Future Legacies program for the year on a high note, Ms. Iara Kirchner spoke with Mariam Fadiga, an incoming program participant and high school senior, about her goals prior to and after graduation. Ms. Fadiga enjoys helping her community and being involved as much as possible and she hopes to enroll in a four-year college next year.

To start off the 2021-2022 school year, Ms. Nichole Pientka welcomes Mr. Abenazer Mekete, college senior and participant in the Future Leaders Initiative (FLI) Program, on the podcast. Mr. Mekete speaks about his internship with Microsoft over the summer and the importance in gaining experience and job skills during college.

During the seventh episode of the Future Talks Podcast, Lisa Meredith and Cengiz Karatas talk about preparing the future generations for success by paying it forward. Ms. Meredith, Regional Director at ProVisors, elaborates on the merits of mentorship as well as establishing partnerships between businesses and colleges to further develop the best skills in students for their careers. As a Board member at Future Institute and Chair of the Fundraising Committee, Ms. Meredith works tirelessly to pay her own success forward.

In the August 2021 episode, Mr. Cengiz Karatas discusses business and community leadership with David Nissen, CPA/ABV, CVA, CEO/President of PKF Mueller. Mr. Nissen speaks about PKF Mueller's successes, community involvement, vision, and diversity. His advice to business and community leaders is to embrace the change and adapt to what the pandemic has brought the world. Mr. Nissen also encourages the younger generation to work hard and have a good work ethic in order to succeed in life. PKF Mueller supports Future Institute and our students' futures both financially and by volunteering time.

In the July 2021 episode, Ms. Nichole Pientka has a conversation with Christina Wagener, Precious Taiwo's mentor in the FLI Program who was on a previous episode. Christina speaks about not having much support as a first-generation college student and why being a mentor to those who are in a similar situation is important. Her recommendation to others who want to mentor is to be available and flexible for their mentees. Christina looks forward to continuing to mentor Precious as she transfers to a four-year university to pursue her nursing degree.

In the June 2021 episode, Ms. Iara Aldape speaks with Jesus Barragan, a high school graduate and a participant in the Future Legacies program. Jesus talks about his struggles in the beginning of his senior year in high school and how he has overcome many of his anxieties about college with the help of a mentor and workshops provided by the program.

In the May 2021 episode, Cengiz Karatas discusses community leadership with Philip Krone. Mr. Krone is the President Productive Strategies, Inc. and a long-time supporter of Future Institute and Concept Schools. In addition to supporting Future Institute as a sponsor, Mr. Krone has also volunteered to be a mentor for one of the participants in the Future Leaders Initiative (FLI) Program.

We are excited to post the second episode of Future Institute's Future Talks segment! Future Talks is a monthly podcast organized and hosted by Future Institute, a non-profit organization committed to growing student success and building a better society. Each month you will hear from one of our stakeholders: graduates & program participants, board members, sponsors & supporters, and community members.

In the April episode, Ms. Nichole Pientka speaks with Ms. Precious Taiwo, a college student and participant in the Future Leaders Initiative (FLI) Program. Ms. Taiwo gives insight into her experience as a first-generation college student, how the FLI Program has helped her transition into college, and about her career aspirations.

Welcome to the first episode of Future Institute's new and improved Future Talks segment! Future Talks is a monthly podcast organized and hosted by Future Institute, a non-profit organization committed to growing student success and building a better society. Each month you will hear from one of our stakeholders: graduates & program participants, board members, sponsors & supporters, and community members. 

In this debut episode, Ms. Iara Aldape interviews Mr. Cengiz Karatas, Executive Director of Future Institute. Mr. Karatas spoke about what Future Institute does, its origins, and goals for the future.