Beyond Boundaries Podcast

On this episode, Rob sits down with Class of 2025 Beyond Boundaries Program [https://beyondboundaries.wustl.edu/] student Loren Lacruz [https://www.linkedin.com/in/loren-lacruz-68a632204/] who intends to double major in Psychology and Political Science in the College of Arts & Sciences [https://artsci.wustl.edu/]at WashU. Rob and Loren discuss LOTS of things including Loren's "big question" that got her into Beyond Boundaries and how that question has evolved, her internship as a paralegal last summer in NYC with Cravath, Swaine & Moore [https://www.cravath.com/], her work as a Podcast Operations Intern with Bryon Pierson [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryon-pierson-jr-839148a6/] and his company EDUrain [https://www.edurain.org/] that addresses challenges with off-campus housing and financial education for students, her workstudy roles in Psychological & Brain Sciences [https://psych.wustl.edu/] and Admissions [https://law.wustl.edu/admissions/] for the WashU School of Law, and her new podcast True Shh available on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/6OJvFgnVnempTPwa36tPzC], Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/true-shh/id1630552121], and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoYpCjFxfgCVHrMWsfUskWA]. Click the link that's right for you and give a listen! And don't miss this episode full of wisdom for all students!

On this episode, Rob sits down with Professor, Author, and Chair of the Washington University in St. Louis English [https://english.wustl.edu/] Department Abram Van Engen [https://www.abramvanengen.com/] and Koch Professor of Practice for Family Enterprise and Director of the Koch Center [https://olin.wustl.edu/EN-US/Faculty-Research/research-centers/family-business/Pages/default.aspx] for Family Business Peter Boumgarden [https://boumgarden.com/]. Professor Boumgarden is also the Academic Director of the Center for Experiential Learning [https://olin.wustl.edu/EN-US/partners-resources/Center-for-Experiential-Learning/Pages/default.aspx] at the Olin Business School [https://olin.wustl.edu/EN-US/Pages/default.aspx] at WashU. Together, these two WashU faculty members teach a popular Beyond Boundaries Program [https://beyondboundaries.wustl.edu/] course called Morality & Markets [https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.wustl.edu/dist/c/2883/files/2016/05/Morality-and-Markets-13ov54x.pdf] offered next Spring. They join the pod to discuss their work at WashU, how they connected, and the reasons behind choosing to teach a course that questions combining business and literature can open in unique ways. The course uses great books, classics of film and modern television, and the tools of modern psychology and business strategy to think critically about what is entailed in living a moral life in the midst of the modern market. Don't miss this episode and be sure to enroll in this GREAT class next Spring!

On this episode, Rob interviews self-proclaimed "Scholar Kid" Bianca Rodriguez Pagano [https://www.linkedin.com/in/biancarpagano/], a student in the Class of 2025 cohort of the Beyond Boundaries Program [https://beyondboundaries.wustl.edu/]. Bianca talks about her history as an "ABC" A Better Chance [https://www.abetterchance.org/] Scholar, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Scholars [https://www.oprahfoundation.org/owls] and the Herrendorf Family Foundation [https://www.herrendorf.org/] and her role as a proud member of the John B. Ervin Scholars Program [https://students.wustl.edu/ervin-scholars-program/] at WashU. We talk about her major in marketing at the Olin School of Business [https://olin.wustl.edu/EN-US/academic-programs/bs-business-administration/academics/Pages/majors.aspx] and minors in the Business of Social Impact [https://olin.wustl.edu/docs/BSBA/BSBA-Minor-Business-Social-Impact.pdf] and Design at the Sam Fox School [https://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/academics/college-of-art/minors/design] as well as her family's love of dogs and their volunteer work with No Dogs Left Behind [https://nodogsleftbehind.com/] in New York City. Don't miss this episode!

On this episode, Rob sits down with Sparkle Whitaker [https://sparkletoao.com/my-work-impact], a recent Class of 2022 Washington University in St. Louis alum with majors in Fashion Design [https://www.instagram.com/wustlfashion/] and Sociology [https://sociology.wustl.edu/]. Sparkle talks in depth about her Creative Collaborations [https://beyondboundaries.wustl.edu/resources/creative-collaborations/] project that she did with classmate Danielle Branch, her involvement in student groups from being a costume designer for Black Anthology [https://blackanthology.wustl.edu/] to Design for America [https://grouporganizer.wustl.edu/organization/dfa] to the Sam Fox School Black Students Network [https://grouporganizer.wustl.edu/organization/sfsblackstudentsnetwork] she founded at WashU. We talk about her next steps post-graduation including her own professional label: The Onyx Label [https://www.theonyxlabel.com/] and how she had a pair of fashion shows in St. Louis (Made to Model [https://source.wustl.edu/2021/11/adaptive-measures/]) and Chicago within a 24hr period last Spring. And big shout out as well to her grandmother Rosie who taught Sparkle how to sew at age six. Don't miss hearing some sparkling wisdom from Sparkle Whitaker on this episode!

On this episode, Rob chats with another pair of Washington University in St. Louis students who have received a Creative Collaborations [https://beyondboundaries.wustl.edu/resources/creative-collaborations/] grant for a project related to writing and crafting a children's book that will help multicultural families explain the cancer diagnosis of a loved one to a child. The students are Beyond Boundaries Program [https://beyondboundaries.wustl.edu/] student Christine Nguyen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinedtnguyen/] and Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts [https://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/] student athlete and Ghostlights [https://ghostlights.wustl.edu/cast/] cast member Mary Kate Charles. We chat about how they met in the Catholic Student Center (CSC) [https://www.washucsc.org/], study in the Interdisciplinary Project in the Humanities [https://iph.wustl.edu/], and the non-profit that Christine founded called Limitless Foundation [http://be-limitless.org/] dedicated to providing support for cancer patients and treatment centers. We also talk about Mary Kate's art and Christine's magical cheap-flight algorithm which has made her a world traveler in recent years. She documents her journeys in her travel blog Sightseeing with Stine [https://www.facebook.com/sightseeingwithstine/]. A terrific episode featuring two extraordinary students. Check it out!