One Big Question

Josh Luber: Entrepreneur, Business Founder, Collector

Josh Luber is an entrepreneur and the co-founder of StockX, the world’s first “Stock Market of Things.” As an avid “sneakerhead,” Josh initially came up with the idea for StockX as a way to bring transparency and efficiency to the burgeoning resale sneaker market. In over four years as CEO, Josh transformed his nascent concept into a thriving marketplace for shoes, luxury items, streetwear, and much more. After StockX, Josh co-founded and served as the chief vision officer of trading card and collectibles company Fanatics Collectibles, and founded zerocool, the company’s pop culture, art, and entertainment brand. Most recently, he founded the collectible toy brand ghostwrite, which is rolling out its distinctive vision for the designer toy market. In this episode, Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves [https://president.emory.edu/] talks with Josh about what it takes to transform hobbies into successful businesses and how his experiences at Emory—where he earned three degrees—shaped his career.

Mikaila Ulmer: CEO and Emory Woodruff Scholar

Mikaila Ulmer is an entrepreneur and the founder of Me & The Bees Lemonade [https://www.meandthebees.com], which sells its distinctive beverages across the nation. Mikaila started the thriving company when she was four years old in Austin, Texas, donating a portion of the profits from her lemonade sales to organizations dedicated to saving bees. At nine years old, Mikaila appeared on the TV show Shark Tank, securing a coveted investment deal and propelling her brand into the spotlight. She is a renowned public speaker, the author of the book “Bee Fearless, Dream Like a Kid,” and the founder of the bee-saving nonprofit the Healthy Hive Foundation. She is also a Robert W. Woodruff Scholar in her third year at Emory University, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in international studies and economics. In this episode, Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves [https://president.emory.edu/] talks with Mikaila about her experiences as a young entrepreneur and the art of balancing a growing business with her college studies. Related Links * Me & The Bees [https://www.meandthebees.com/] * Healthy Hive Foundation [https://www.healthyhivefoundation.org] Related Articles * How to cultivate a hive mentality [https://www.fastcompany.com/video/how-to-cultivate-a-hive-mentality/tcFfysnn](Fast Company, 8/31/23) * Climate Change Is Ratcheting Up the Pressure on Bees [https://www.ucdavis.edu/climate/blog/bees-face-many-challenges-and-climate-change-ratcheting-pressure] (UC Davis, 10/14/22)

Dr. Christina Gavegnano: Professor, Drug Discovery Innovator

Dr. Christina Gavegnano is an Assistant Professor in the Emory School of Medicine and a Visiting Associate Professor in the Emory College of Arts and Sciences. As an Emory graduate student, Dr. Gavegnano made a discovery that is now contributing to a potential cure for HIV-1. During the pandemic, Dr. Gavegnano developed a first-line COVID-19 treatment. When the royalty money came in, she decided to use it, along with her own savings, to fund the Gavegnano Drug Discovery Program (GDDP), a lab at Emory just for undergraduate students. The GDDP gives students hands-on research experience and a chance to participate in laboratory discovery, human trial design, and real-time collaborations with the FDA and pharmaceutical companies.  In this episode, recorded in fall 2024, Emory University President Gregory L. Fenves [https://president.emory.edu/] talks with Dr. Gavegnano about her life-saving research and how she is supporting a new generation of drug discoverers

A Conversation with Kevin Young

Kevin Young has authored 12 books of poetry and is the Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture.  He is an acclaimed poet, who produces era-defining work that is moving, lyrical, and often deeply innovative, with bold juxtapositions and unexpected deconstructions of form and style. He is poetry editor of The New Yorker, where he hosts the Poetry Podcast.  From 2005 to 2016, Young was curator of Emory's Raymond Danowski Poetry Library. He also served as Emory's curator of literary collections, making tremendous contributions in growing the collections at Emory's Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library.  In this episode, Emory President Gregory L. Fenves talks with Young about his multifaceted career and the life-changing power of museums.  Related Media  * "Poet Kevin Young Transforms Memories, Grief into Beauty" [https://www.ajc.com/life/arts-culture/poet-kevin-young-transforms-memories-grief-into-beauty/KLNSKT2V25CZBDSQHDDGMGTZME/] (Atlanta Journal Constitution, 9/27/21)  * "Lyrical Leadership: Kevin Young, a Poet Is Now Running the African American Museum" [https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/kevin-young-african-american-museum-director/2021/05/19/ca925a04-b754-11eb-96b9-e949d5397de9_story.html](Washington Post, 5/20/21)  * Video: Kevin Young Poetry Reading [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCnN6XB4VAk] (Emory University, 2019)  Related Resources  * Kevin Young Bio [https://nmaahc.si.edu/about/leadership]  * New Yorker Poetry Podcast  [https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/poetry] * National Museum of African American History and Culture  [https://nmaahc.si.edu/]

A Conversation with Ada Limón

Ada Limón is United States Poet Laureate and the author of six books of poetry, which have earned her many prestigious awards, including the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her poetry vividly explores the majesty of the natural world, the frailty of human memory and relationships, the destruction wrought by modern society, love, joy, humor, pain, awe, and numerous ethereal qualities with startling lyrical strength. As poet laureate, she has engaged in many projects and events to support poetic expression including a collaboration with NASA and the Library of Congress that will send a new poem 1.8 billion miles to the Jupiter system via the Europa Clipper spacecraft. In this episode, Emory President  Gregory L. Fenves  talks with Limón about the mystery and majesty of poetry, her experiences as poet laureate, and the importance of human artistic expression in the age of AI. Related links: * "U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón reading at Emory University" [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHwv-JtJ_lk] (YouTube, 2/28/23) * "'12th Night Revel' hosts guest poet laureate Ada Limón, celebrates power of poetry" [https://emorywheel.com/12th-night-revel-hosts-guest-poet-laureate-ada-limon-celebrates-power-of-poetry/] (Emory Wheel, 2/21/23) * "Jumping fences with U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón" [https://news.emory.edu/stories/2023/02/er_ada_limon_recap_15-02-2023/story.html] (Emory News, 2/15/23) * "24th Poet Laureate Ada Limón explores human connection at Emory reading" [https://emorywheel.com/24th-poet-laureate-ada-limon-explores-human-connection-at-emory-reading/] (Emory Wheel, 2/25/23) * Ada Limon [https://www.adalimon.net/] (official web site)