Dr. Nerita Hughes | President, Bay College

Dr. Nerita Hughes | President, Bay College

In this episode of the Champions Coffee Podcast, host Ben Hallett, Co-Founder & CEO of Vygo, sits down with Dr. Nerita Hughes, President of Bay College. Discover Dr. Hughes’ perspective on leading student success in a rural community college environment and what it truly takes to create meaningful outcomes beyond graduation. Drawing on her background in business, workforce development, and higher education leadership, Dr. Hughes shares how Bay College is aligning academic programs with workforce needs, building structured student pathways, and preparing students for long-term career success. The conversation also explores the evolving role of technology and AI in education, the importance of holistic student support, and why community colleges remain powerful engines of opportunity and economic mobility. At the heart of it all is Dr. Hughes’ belief that student success is about more than earning a credential it’s about removing barriers, fostering engagement, and helping learners achieve their goals. A thoughtful conversation on leadership, innovation, and the transformative impact of community colleges.

Tréon D. McClendon | University of Missouri–Kansas City

In this special live episode of the Champions Coffee Podcast, recorded at the 2025 NASPA Student Success Conference in Denver, host Ben Hallett sits down with Tréon D. McClendon, Assistant Vice Provost of Retention Initiatives at the University of Missouri–Kansas City. A national award-winning educator and first-generation college graduate, Trayon leads one of the most comprehensive student success portfolios at UMKC spanning academic advising, career services, student support, supplemental instruction, and new student orientation. He shares compelling stories from the classroom that underscore the importance of flexibility, self-awareness, and responsibility in student-facing roles. Whether adapting an icebreaker to ensure accessibility or taking a chance on a student who simply needed belief and opportunity, Trayon demonstrates how small moments of intentionality can have lasting impact.

Colette Slaviero | UNSW

In this episode of the Champions Coffee Podcast, Vygo Co-Founder & Co-CEO Joel Di Trapani sits down with Colette Slaviero, a student engagement leader at UNSW, to unpack what it really takes to scale peer mentoring in a modern university. Joel and Colette explore what makes UNSW’s model distinctive. Rather than operating as a single centralised program, peer mentoring at UNSW has grown organically through student clubs and societies resulting in nearly 50 unique programs, many created and led by students themselves. From Women in Aviation to cross-faculty Digital Society initiatives and niche interest-based communities, the ecosystem reflects the diversity of student identity and ambition. The episode closes with a powerful reflection on modern student life. In a world where students feel pressure to be “career-ready” before they graduate, Colette offers a different perspective: university should also be enjoyed. Beyond internships, leadership roles, and résumés, there is value in learning for its own sake and embracing the unique, fleeting experience of being a student.

Natalie Oostergo | UniSQ

In this episode of the Champions Coffee Podcast by Vygo, host Joel Di Trapani, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Vygo, sits down with Natalie Oostergo, Associate Director of Student Success Advising at UniSQ, to explore what it truly means to deliver student-centred support at scale. Joel and Natalie unpack how student success is measured beyond simple pass rates. From short-term engagement indicators to long-term retention and progression outcomes, Natalie explains how her team reaches nearly 84% of the student cohort each year, combining relational advising with sophisticated data analysis to identify students who may need support before they ask for it. The conversation closes with a powerful reminder for students: it’s normal to feel both excitement and nerves at the start of university, and the key is to engage early, lean into orientation, and set yourself up for success from day one.

Dr. Alison Buckley | SUNY Ulster

In this episode of the Champions Coffee Podcast, Vygo Co-Founder & Co-CEO Ben Hallett sits down with Dr. Alison Buckley, President of SUNY Ulster, to explore community college leadership, student-centred design, and what it truly takes to help students not just access college—but finish. Ben and Alison discuss what makes SUNY Ulster distinctive from its unique role serving both rural communities and the city of Kingston, New York, to its deep-rooted connection with local residents who view the college as a life-changing institution. Alison shares how accessibility, visibility, and listening to students directly shape her day-to-day presidency, from open-door conversations to addressing food insecurity in real time. A powerful thread throughout the conversation centers on student success by design, not luck. Alison reflects on a former student whose journey was altered through timely intervention, financial support, and consistent human connection and how that experience shaped her belief that institutions must intentionally build systems that surround every student with support. This episode is a thoughtful and grounded exploration of leadership rooted in empathy, community, and the belief that higher education works best when students are truly seen, supported, and believed in.