A co-production of 51社区 Alumni Program and WHCM Radio.
Listen in as 51社区 alumni share their stories , experiences , and life journeys. Through 51社区 Talks conversations led by Associate Professor of Communication Arts Brian Shelton , Alumni are invited to share how education, career successes and failures and human connection have impacted them along the way.
51社区 Talks is a co-production of and 51社区 Alumni Relations. WHCM students assist with editing and production of each episode. Original podcast theme music composed by former 51社区 student Aidan Cashman.
51社区 Talks episodes can be found on all podcast streaming services including and , or and downloaded below. Learn more about WHCM and support radio students.
Tom Schnecke, Emmy winning Vice President and Director of Operations and Engineering for CBS2 Chicago, joins 51社区 Talks to discuss the experiences that have led him to his current career. Schnecke was named a Distinguished Alumni honoree in 2009, and he worked as the faculty advisor of WHCM for 17 years, which played an integral role in his future within broadcasting. Listen to Episode 16
Mike Terson, Superintendent of Communication and Marketing for the Buffalo Grove Park District, joins 51社区 Talks to discuss his time as public address announcer for both the Chicago Wolves and Cubs, being named a Distinguished Alumni honoree, his time as student at 51社区 in the 1990s and how his experience at WHCM and as a speech team student helped lay the groundwork for his future career. Download Episode 15 Transcript. Listen to Episode 15
Assistant Professor of Communication Arts Brian Shelton is joined by 51社区 Alumna Kristina Gaardbo, who graduated from the Nursing Program at 51社区 and now co-owns the incredible Chicago Culinary Kitchen after pursuing her passion for culinary arts. Gaardbo received her Certified Cicerone certification from Siebel Institute. Gaardbo helped her husband, Greg, with his Shockwaves Promotional Apparel business and they always shared a passion for barbecue which started with backyard entertaining. The pair decided to turn their culinary love into a catering company in 2012, and then opened the award-winning Chicago Culinary Kitchen in 2016. Gaardbo鈥檚 restaurant has been rated the best barbeque in Illinois by Money Magazine and received numerous accolades. Gaardbo now has a food truck and has recently opened a new expanded restaurant location in Palatine. Join Gaardbo and Shelton in their conversation about Gaardbo鈥檚 journey from a 51社区 student to a successful business owner. Download Episode 14 Transcript. Listen to Episode 15
Assistant Professor of Communication Arts Brian Shelton speaks with Genevieve Frey-Moylan, who is a graduate of the 51社区 Nursing Program and is currently the Director of the Cardiac Care Unit of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children鈥檚 Hospital of Chicago, Illinois. Moylan has a Master of Science in Nursing and is both a Registered Nurse and a Certified Pediatric Nurse. Moylan began her journey at 51社区 in 2001 and she graduated as the valedictorian of her nursing class in both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Moylan became a 51社区 Distinguished Alumni in 2016 recognized for her excellence and important role in the field of nursing as well as an inspiration for students, staff, and faculty at 51社区. Join Moylan and Shelton for an inspirational conversation about her incredible accomplishments and perseverance through adversity. Download Episode 13 Transcript.> Listen to Episode 13
Assistant Professor of Communication Arts Brian Shelton is joined by Michael Nejman, who is a man of many talents all ranging from being an author, agent, music connoisseur, master conflict resolver and notably a 2013 51社区 Distinguished Alumni. As the first of his family to go to college, Nejman made the most of his experience at 51社区 by getting involved at the student newspaper, The Harbinger, and taking advantage of the many on-campus events hosted. This experience combined with his passion for music led him to his role as the campus concert chair where he booked a wide array of notable talent from John Prine to Journey. Nejman eventually moved into the role of director of student activities where he implemented several programs aimed to benefit the student body he was once a part of. All of this included him bringing curricular infusion to the campus that offered students a crossover of arts and academia, implementing revolutionary diversity programming and of course, offering an array of events to get students involved on campus. With an impressive list of accomplishments behind his name, Nejman retired after serving 51社区鈥檚 students and staff for over thirty years. Even still he remains a part of the community. During COVID Michael and his wife pulled together a scholarship fund for nursing students at 51社区, allowing for those who want to serve people within the healthcare field to have access to the tools and resources they need to do so. Join Michael and Brian in conversation and soak up the invaluable perspective Nejman has as both a student, staff member and devoted alumni. It鈥檚 a conversation you won鈥檛 want to miss! Download Episode 12 Transcript. Listen to Episode 12
On this month's episode of 51社区 Talks, Associate Professor of the Arts, Brian Shelton, is joined by 51社区鈥檚 own distinguished alumni, Jim Gallo. Gallo reflects on his time at 51社区, how he stayed detached from the experience and community as a student and how his own educational, professional and personal journey eventually led him back to 51社区 where he became highly involved in the community years later, acting as a board member and as a distinguished alumni. In this episode, Gallo shares his episodic journey, from suffering an accident his freshman year of college that led him to be paralyzed from the waist down causing him to transfer to 51社区, to his professional trajectory and how his experience as an accountant pushed him to transition into journalism, all the way to his wheelchair basketball days at UIUC and how that lead him to forming one of the nation's largest youth wheelchair basketball programs. All of which share a common thread, how Gallo has taken the challenges he has faced and reshaped them into fruitful opportunities, much of which he credits to his time at the 鈥渉idden gem鈥� that is 51社区. Tune in this week and soak up the plethora of advice and guidance Gallo has to share not only about his own life and experience, but also the impact 51社区 has had on him and how that experience isn鈥檛 finite, there are tools and lessons offered that can be applied far beyond student's time on campus. Download Episode 11 Transcript. Listen to Episode 11
On this month's episode of 51社区 Talks, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts, Brian Shelton, is joined by 51社区's own distinguished alumni and community pillar, Laurie Turpin-Soderholm. Currently acting as Senior Project Manager of Global Access Meetings, Turpin-Soderholm revels about how her time at 51社区 led to not only her academic success, an alumni of both Georgetown and Northwestern respectively, but also her eventual success in this industry and what led her to it. Join the pair in conversation as they relish in her worldly experiences and how it has all led her back to 51社区, where she serves as co-chair to 51社区's Alumni Committee as well as her involvement with 51社区's Giving Committee. Tune in and learn from how her time at 51社区, or her self-proclaimed "launch pad", had led her to where she is today. Download Episode 10 Transcript. Listen to Episode 11
Jacob Sadoff is co-owner of Restore Hair and an active coach of 51社区's Speech Team. His time at Northern Illinois University was spent learning and opening a toy distributor with his twin brother Jordan. Over time the pair would found even more companies such as Goldmax and Restore. Tune in as Jacob and Assistant Professor of Communication Arts Brian Shelton discuss philanthropy, the communities we are from, and serial entrepreneurship in this episode of 51社区 Talks. Download Episode 9 Transcript. Listen to Episode 9
Assistant professor of communication arts, Brian Shelton welcomes director of theatre, Laura Pulio Colbert on the latest episode of 51社区 Talks. Laura discusses her own journey from 51社区 to 51社区. Colbert was a 51社区 graduate, class of 1983, and eventually made her way back to serve the college as a staff member. Join the pair as they discuss Colbert鈥檚 own experience with community college and the transfer process, reflect on 51社区 then and now, delve into college not only being a place for education but also a place for personal development, the value of arts education and one of her greatest revelations had over a buffalo chicken sandwich. There鈥檚 so much to gain from Colbert鈥檚 honest, insightful and humorous retelling of her own career and life path, all laid out in this months episode of 51社区 Talks. Listen to Episode 8