Making Human Resources Human: Sinaya Surla on Inclusive Excellence, Firsts, and Future-Ready Workplaces

Beyond the Byline: Student Journalism, Solidarity, and the Fight for Structural Equity

In this bonus episode of The North Star, guest host Chloe Caldwell sits down with Isaiah Johnson, Oberlin College & Conservatory Center for DEI Innovation & Leadership Changemakers fellow, Opinions Editor of the Oberlin Review, and co-founder of Oberlin's chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America. Isaiah reflects on what it means to be an agent of change from the inside — navigating the tensions between conviction and compromise, platforming community voices through student journalism, and building solidarity in spaces like the Third World Social Justice Co-op (TWIC). From the ethics of what to publish to the lessons of the 2024 election cycle, Isaiah offers a candid look at how young leaders learn to hold power responsibly — staying connected to the communities they represent, resisting arrogance, and understanding that lasting change is built on relationships, information, and a willingness to show up even when the path forward is complicated. 🔗 Find out more about Dr. JeffriAnne Wilder. [https://www.jeffrianne.com/]🌐 Follow the Center on social media: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/oberlin-college-center-for-dei-innovation-leadership/?viewAsMember=true] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574266356804] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oberlindeiinnovation/] 🌎 Visit Oberlin College's website. [https://www.oberlin.edu/] Podcast Produced by: Paradigm Media Group

Legacy In Action

In this special episode of The North Star, the mic gets turned around as Executive Director JeffriAnne Wilder, Ph.D., takes the guest seat, interviewed by Changemakers fellow Chloe Caldwell. JeffriAnne reflects on what it means to carry Oberlin's almost 200-year legacy of inclusion into the present, pushing back on resting on historical laurels and asking what the college is doing right now to honor that legacy. She opens up about the tensions she's navigated between motherhood and academia, the importance of disrupting hierarchy to build true belonging, and why she believes Oberlin's legacy comes most alive through its students. Candid and wide-ranging, the conversation closes with a rallying call to the next generation: trust your gut, don't wait until you feel ready, and know that leadership isn't a title reserved for a certain age. It's something happening all around us, every single day.  🔗 Find out more about Dr. JeffriAnne Wilder. [https://www.jeffrianne.com/]🌐 Follow the Center on social media: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/oberlin-college-center-for-dei-innovation-leadership/?viewAsMember=true] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574266356804] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oberlindeiinnovation/] 🌎 Visit Oberlin College's website. [https://www.oberlin.edu/] Podcast Produced by: Paradigm Media Group

Leading with Purpose: Libraries, Equity, and Community Power

In this episode, we speak with Eboni A. Johnson, STEM Librarian and Head of the Science Library at Oberlin College and President of Oberlin City Council, about her unexpected journey from a reluctant prospective student to a leader shaping both campus and community. Eboni reflects on how mentorship, representation, and access to information have defined her path, and how libraries serve as powerful sites for equity and social justice. She also shares her entry into local government, her work advancing housing access and Oberlin’s nationally recognized Social Equity Plan, and what it means to lead with integrity. Grounded in the belief to “do your best and do right by people,” this conversation highlights how leadership can emerge in unexpected ways and how it can create lasting impact. 🔗 Find out more about Dr. JeffriAnne Wilder. [https://www.jeffrianne.com/]🌎Visit Oberlin College's website. [https://www.oberlin.edu/]Podcast Produced by: Paradigm Media Group 🔗 Find out more about Dr. JeffriAnne Wilder. [https://www.jeffrianne.com/]🌐 Follow the Center on social media: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/oberlin-college-center-for-dei-innovation-leadership/?viewAsMember=true] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574266356804] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oberlindeiinnovation/] 🌎 Visit Oberlin College's website. [https://www.oberlin.edu/] Podcast Produced by: Paradigm Media Group

Gen Z, Activism, and Burnout: How One Student Is Redefining Leadership and Home

In this special Season 3 episode of The North Star, JeffriAnne Wilder PhD welcomes third-year student and Changemakers Fellow Chloe Caldwell, the first student guest and future host of the new Gen Z Edit, to share how Oberlin College has become her “second home” 2,000 miles from Montana. Chloe reflects on choosing Oberlin College for its conservatory and history of progress, the community she found through music, friendship, and leadership, and how the Changemakers Fellowship reshaped her understanding of leadership from status to service. She also discusses her investigative podcast work on town–gown dynamics, why empathy and genuine dialogue are the most pressing needs in both Oberlin and the broader U.S., and how Gen Z’s political coming-of-age amid social media, polarization, and COVID has fueled both urgency for change and a deep insistence on well-being and balance. 🔗 Find out more about Dr. JeffriAnne Wilder. [https://www.jeffrianne.com/]🌐 Follow the Center on social media: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/oberlin-college-center-for-dei-innovation-leadership/?viewAsMember=true] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574266356804] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oberlindeiinnovation/] 🌎 Visit Oberlin College's website. [https://www.oberlin.edu/] Podcast Produced by: Paradigm Media Group

Making Human Resources Human: Sinaya Surla on Inclusive Excellence, Firsts, and Future-Ready Workplaces

In this Season 3 episode of The North Star, Dr. JeffriAnne Wilder talks with Sinaya Surla—Oberlin College’s inaugural Human Resources Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion—about what it means to make HR truly human. Sinaya reflects on her journey from Multicultural Resource Center staff member to policy shaper, sharing how seven-generations thinking, employee resource groups, and clearer conflict-resolution pathways are helping center staff voice, equity, and belonging across campus. She also lifts up her doctoral research on writing retreats for women of color and the power of doing “less” as a strategy for sustaining long-term social justice work at Oberlin and beyond. 🔗 Find out more about Dr. JeffriAnne Wilder. [https://www.jeffrianne.com/]🌐 Follow the Center on social media: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/oberlin-college-center-for-dei-innovation-leadership/?viewAsMember=true] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574266356804] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/oberlindeiinnovation/] 🌎 Visit Oberlin College's website. [https://www.oberlin.edu/] Podcast Produced by: Paradigm Media Group