Episodes

  • Scholar stories: Celebrating 50 years of the Morehead-Cain Summer Enrichment Program

    Scholar stories: Celebrating 50 years of the Morehead-Cain Summer Enrichment Program

    · Catalyze

    As Morehead-Cain celebrates 50 years of the Summer Enrichment Program, we asked scholars to share a few of their highlights from the past year. This episode is hosted by Allyson Horst ’27 of the Scholar Media Team.

    First up, we hear from Sahil Kapadia ’28 about his Outdoor Leadership expedition trekking around Lake Superior, followed by Carolina Hoyt ’28 and her expedition in the Talkeetna Mountains of Alaska. Next, Amanda Jesuca ’27 shares about making surprising connections during her Civic Collaboration summer working at Policy Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio.

    Charles Konkolics ’26 and Stella Smolowitz ’26 take us to snow-capped mountains in New Zealand on their Global Perspective, where they stumble upon some unexpected creatures along the way.

    Finally, we hear about the Professional Experience summer from Owen Gast ’25, who worked at Chicago Public Schools, and Jake Rose ’26, who designed 3D-printed prosthetics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

    You can hear more stories like these in Morehead-Cain’s forthcoming Year in Review, releasing later this December.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • Where the University is headed, with UNC–Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts

    Where the University is headed, with UNC–Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts

    · Catalyze

    Lee Roberts, the thirteenth chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, sat down with scholar host Allyson Horst ’26 to share his vision for Carolina under his leadership. The two discuss the University’s strategic priorities, with a focus on the areas of artificial intelligence, enrollment growth, investments in applied sciences, a physical master plan, the launch of the School of Civic Life and Leadership, and athletics. Roberts also responds to theUNC System’s DEI policy and rollout, recent campus protests, and his perspective on free speech at a leading public university.

    Roberts was elected chancellor by the UNC Board of Governors on August 9, 2024. He succeeded previous Catalyze guest Kevin Guskiewicz. The immediate past chancellor was appointed president of Michigan State University.

    Before recording this episode, the chancellor spoke with scholars at a Food for Thought event at the Morehead-Cain Foundation on September 27.

    Modeled after the City Club of Cleveland, Food for Thought provides a central meeting place for members of diverse beliefs and opinions to participate in free and open discussions. The breakfast and conversation series is an initiative of Team Cleveland members from the 2022 Morehead-Cain Civic Collaboration program.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

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  • Meet John Rose, Morehead-Cain’s faculty director for Dialogue and Discourse

    Meet John Rose, Morehead-Cain’s faculty director for Dialogue and Discourse

    · Catalyze

    Dr. John Rose joined the Morehead-Cain community this fall as faculty director for Dialogue and Discourse. The initiative is designed to enhance scholars’ ability to listen, discuss, and engage in contemporary issues.

    Rose speaks with Catalyze co-host Stella Smolowitz ’26 about his approach to facilitating “charity-centric” dialogue with college students, the connection for him between theology and civic leadership, and advice for navigating political conversations ahead of the November election.

    Rose came to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from Duke University, where he was the associate director of the Civil Discourse Project and an instructor in the Kenan Institute for Ethics. At Duke, he also taught courses in happiness and human flourishing, Christian ethics, conservatism, and political polarization. His research focuses on virtue ethics and Christian theology.

    In addition to his work with Morehead-Cain, Rose will serve as professor of the practice at the School of Civic Life and Leadership at Carolina.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • The Catalyze podcast: So you’re thinking of taking a gap year, with Sachi Akmal ’28

    The Catalyze podcast: So you’re thinking of taking a gap year, with Sachi Akmal ’28

    · Catalyze

    Sachi Akmal ’28 visited campus during a break in her International Gap Year to speak with Catalyze host Allyson Horst ’27.

    So far, Sachi has traveled to ten countries over the span of nine months. From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with fellow incoming scholars to exploring Italian monasteries, Sachi shares some of the highlights from her time abroad. She also touches on some of the more challenging aspects of a gap year, such as coping with loneliness and navigating unfamiliar environments.

    Sachi will join the scholar community at UNC–Chapel Hill this fall as a public policy major.

    If you enjoyed this conversation, you can check out our previous gap year episodes, which include studying climate change in the Himalayas and interning at a children’s hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.

    Morehead-Cain recipients are invited to consider taking a funded gap year between graduating high school and coming to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • Patton McDowell ’89 of PMA Nonprofit Leadership on the strategies that empower change makers in philanthropy

    Patton McDowell ’89 of PMA Nonprofit Leadership on the strategies that empower change makers in philanthropy

    · Catalyze

    Patton McDowell ’89 is the founder and president of PMA Nonprofit Leadership. The firm provides philanthropic and organizational consulting services. Patton is also the host of the podcast Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, a career development series focused on philanthropy.

    Patton shares with Catalyze host Charles McCain ’27 how interning at Special Olympics International as a Morehead-Cain Scholar launched his career in nonprofits. The alumnus also tackles key challenges facing organizations today, from fundraising dilemmas to strategic vision and effective board governance.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • Nandini Kanthi ’27, CEO and co-founder of Sensible, on increasing women’s access to cervical screenings

    Nandini Kanthi ’27, CEO and co-founder of Sensible, on increasing women’s access to cervical screenings

    · Catalyze

    Nandini Kanthi ’27 is the CEO and co-founder of Sensible, a startup that provides an affordable menstrual hygiene product that screens for cervical diseases. The diagnostic device uses naturally discharging menstrual blood.

    The scholar shares with Catalyze host Allyson Horst ’27 about her entrepreneurship journey, from competing on a high school debate team to filing for a patent. Nandini is studying public policy and neuroscience at UNC–Chapel Hill.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • Meet some of the new scholars through the Morehead-Cain Sophomore Selection Initiative

    Meet some of the new scholars through the Morehead-Cain Sophomore Selection Initiative

    · Catalyze

    Morehead-Cain launched the Sophomore Selection initiative in fall 2023 to identify current sophomores at Carolina who have demonstrated exceptional scholarship, leadership, and character. Fifteen students joined the Program as members of the Morehead-Cain Class of 2026.

    Four members of the class joined Catalyze co-host Allyson Horst ’27 to share about the moment they received the good news, their campus involvements, and what they’re looking forward to in the Program. Learn more about the initiative.

    Today’s guests: Christopher Jaime Arraya ’26, Kassandra Ciriza-Monreal ’26, Mary Esposito ’26, and Daniel Simon ’26.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • Kevin Guskiewicz, UNC–Chapel Hill Chancellor Emeritus, on his legacy at Carolina

    Kevin Guskiewicz, UNC–Chapel Hill Chancellor Emeritus, on his legacy at Carolina

    · Catalyze

    Today’s guest is Kevin Guskiewicz, the twelfth chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Food for Thought speaker at Morehead-Cain. The chancellor emeritus spoke with Catalyze as his final engagement on campus before moving to East Lansing, Michigan, to serve as president of Michigan State University.

    Guskiewicz shares with scholar host Benny Klein ’24 insights on the current landscape of public higher education in North Carolina, how he uses roadmaps as a leadership tool, and some of the highlights from his tenure at the University.

    Guskiewicz received his bachelor’s of science from West Chester University of Pennsylvania, his master’s in exercise physiology and athletic training from the University of Pittsburgh School of Education, and his doctorate in sports medicine from the University of Virginia.

    Before recording this episode, the outgoing chancellor spoke at the most well-attended Food for Thought event to date at the Morehead-Cain Foundation on February 2.

    Modeled after the City Club of Cleveland, Food for Thought provides a central meeting place for members of diverse beliefs and opinions to participate in free and open discussions. The breakfast and conversation series is an initiative of Team Cleveland members from the 2022 Morehead-Cain Civic Collaboration program.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • Josh Lee ’04 releases Lucha: A Wrestling Tale

    Josh Lee ’04 releases Lucha: A Wrestling Tale

    · Catalyze

    Most Morehead-Cain Alumni know Josh Lee ’04 as the co-founder of Green Top Farms, a farm-to-table catering and food service company based in New York City. But after the work day, you’ll find the entrepreneur in the South Bronx coaching girls how to wrestle.

    Josh is the founder of the Taft High School women’s wrestling team, one of the first of its kind in the city. A new film by Nike’s Waffle Iron Entertainment chronicles the team’s path to championship over the course of two years.

    Centering on the experiences of four team members, Lucha: A Wrestling Tale is a story of resilience, transformation, and victory. From family struggles to homelessness and immigration, the film gives an inside look at how the girls have found connection and success through wrestling. The docufilm was directed by Marco Ricci and produced in association with Noble Heart Films.

    Lucha premiered at DOC NYC, the largest film festival in the country, and received two awards. The film will be viewed during Discovery Weekend for Morehead-Cain recipients.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • Peter Hans, president of the University of North Carolina system, on the sustainability of affordable public education

    Peter Hans, president of the University of North Carolina system, on the sustainability of affordable public education

    · Catalyze

    Today’s guest is Peter Hans, president of the University of North Carolina system and a Food for Thought speaker at Morehead-Cain.

    On this episode, President Hans shares about how growing up in rural North Carolina has informed his work, his experiences as president of the North Carolina Community College System, and his perspective on the future of affordable public education in the state.

    Hans received his bachelor’s in political science from UNC–Chapel Hill and a master’s of liberal arts in extension studies from Harvard.

    The president served as the first Food for Thought speaker of the spring semester. He spoke with Allyson Horst ’27 of the Scholar Media Team after his talk with scholars at the Foundation.

    Modeled after the City Club of Cleveland, Food for Thought provides a central meeting place for members of diverse beliefs and opinions to participate in free and open discussions. The breakfast and conversation series is an initiative of Team Cleveland members from the 2022 Morehead-Cain Civic Collaboration program.

    Episode art by Aayas Joshi ’26, Scholar Media Team

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • SEVEN Talk, by Kartik Tyagi ’23: “Haste and Hustle”

    SEVEN Talk, by Kartik Tyagi ’23: “Haste and Hustle”

    · Catalyze

    Today’s episode is a recording of a SEVEN Talk from the 2022 Alumni Forum. This talk, given by Kartik Tyagi ’23, is entitled, “Haste and Hustle.” Kartik was the senior class president at UNC–Chapel Hill.

    You can watch all of the SEVEN Talks on our YouTube channel.

    Morea bout Kartik

    Born and raised in Cary, North Carolina, Kartik Tyagi ’23 received his BSPH in Health Policy and Management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

    As a senior Morehead-Cain Scholar, Kartik served as International President at HOSA-Future Health Professionals, an international career and technical student organization serving over 250,000 middle school, secondary, and postsecondary/collegiate members and 2.7 million alumni.

    Kartik’s passion for service and advocacy—through uplifting and empowering the voices of others – is what has propelled both his work and his drive, be it through engagements that have enabled him to embody his leadership journey or build his professional passions in the public health policy, healthcare reform, and public service sectors.

    Kartik is thankful to have had the opportunity to develop these passions in supporting work as a Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Intern within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians’ America Needs More Family DoctorsCollective Impact Initiative, and as an Alumni Policy Ambassador for NAF: Be Future Ready, a national organization aiming to transform the outlook of secondary education. Kartik also served his peers as the senior class president at UNC–Chapel Hill and as a member of the board of directors of the General Alumni Association at Carolina.

    In an increasingly polarizing world, Kartik aims to utilize the unifying capability of both health and leadership as a guiding light into the 21st century, optimistically and intentionally, to secure a more accessible, equitable, and inclusive field of healthcare.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • Welcoming sophomores as new scholars, celebrating educators, and what’s ahead in 2024, with Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford

    Welcoming sophomores as new scholars, celebrating educators, and what’s ahead in 2024, with Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford

    · Catalyze

    Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford sat down with scholar co-host Benny Klein ’24 to share about an initiative that welcomed more than a dozen sophomores from UNC–Chapel Hill into the Program last fall, recent efforts to celebrate and support educators in North Carolina and beyond, and what’s ahead for the Morehead-Cain Foundation in 2024.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • From the class of 1985 to 2020: Quick takes with five Morehead-Cain Alumnae leading in consulting, tech, nonprofits, and government

    From the class of 1985 to 2020: Quick takes with five Morehead-Cain Alumnae leading in consulting, tech, nonprofits, and government

    · Catalyze

    Navigating leadership transitions. Tackling education inequities. Finding inspiration within cancel culture.

    Five Morehead-Cain alumnae share with Benny Klein ’24 about their entrepreneurship journeys from the worlds of consulting, tech, nonprofits, and government.

    The group shares their role models, most impactful Morehead-Cain summers from college, and what’s keeping them motivated at the moment.

    Today’s guests:

    Jane Sommers-Kelly ’85, founder of JSK Leadership (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)Chesca Colloredo-Mansfeld ’87, co-founder and strategic advisor for MiracleFeet (Chapel Hill)Caroline Lowery ’16, product and customer insights manager at Amazon (Seattle, Washington)Cecilia Polanco ’16, director of community growth and outreach for Pupusas for Education and CEO of So Good Pupusas (Durham, North Carolina)Pavani Peri ’20, co-founder and COO of Acta Solutions (Chapel Hill)

    The group spoke with scholars at the Morehead-Cain Foundation on September 30, 2023.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • SEVEN Talk, by Tai Huynh ’20: “80 Days Around the Mustache”

    SEVEN Talk, by Tai Huynh ’20: “80 Days Around the Mustache”

    · Catalyze

    Today’s episode is a recording of a SEVEN Talk from the 2022 Alumni Forum. This talk, given by Tai Huynh ’20, is entitled, “80 Days Around the Mustache.” Tai is a Chapel Hill Town Council Member and the co-founder and CEO of Acta Solutions LLC.

    You can watch all of the SEVEN Talks on our YouTube channel.

    More about Tai

    Tai Huynh ’20 is a co-founder at Acta Solutions and a sitting member of the Chapel Hill Town Council. Born to Vietnamese refugees, Tai was a real estate agent before attending UNC Chapel-Hill as a first-generation college student. At UNC, he graduated with a bachelor’s in computer science with minors in anthropology and business administration, was a founding member of the UNC Institute of Politics, and was a collegiate boxer. Tai became the first Vietnamese-American elected to public office in North Carolina at 22. As a policymaker, he works to increase access to housing and economic opportunities for underserved families. His GovTech startup powers better customer service in government, and they currently serve over 1.5 million constituents across four states. Tai loves to fish and is still working towards catching a fish in North Carolina.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • A friendship forged in the wilderness: David von Storch ’80

    A friendship forged in the wilderness: David von Storch ’80

    · Catalyze

    Today we have a story from Morehead-Cain Ambassador David von Storch ’80 about how he met his classmate, Andy Spencer ’80. It’s one of resilience, connection, and gratitude.

    It begins in the wilderness.

    The Morehead-Cain Day of Giving is this Friday, November 17. Support the Program by the end of the Day to help us reach our goal of 50 percent alumni giving participation.

    Thank you for supporting the next generation of scholars!

    About Morehead-Cain Ambassadors

    Morehead-Cain Class Ambassadors engage in outreach to their peers on behalf of the Foundation. The group comprises alumni with members representing each graduating class. On the Day of Giving, held every November, alumni remind their classmates to give. As a direct result of ambassadors, around 55 percent of alumni consistently participate.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • SEVEN Talk, by Frank Bruni ’86: “We Are Starfish”

    SEVEN Talk, by Frank Bruni ’86: “We Are Starfish”

    · Catalyze

    Today’s episode is a recording of a SEVEN Talk from the 2022 Alumni Forum. This talk, given by Frank Bruni ’86, is entitled, “We Are Starfish.” Frank is a Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. The alumnus is also author of four New York Times best sellers, including his new memoir The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found.

    You can watch all of the SEVEN Talks on our YouTube channel.

    More about Frank

    Frank Bruni ’86 has been a prominent journalist for more than three decades, including more than twenty-five years at The New York Times, the last ten of them as a nationally renowned op-ed columnist who appeared frequently as a television commentator. (His archive of columns, starting with the most recent, can be found here.) He was also a White House correspondent for the Times, its Rome bureau chief and, for five years, its chief restaurant critic.

    Frank is the author of four New York Times bestsellers, including The Beauty of Dusk, which reached #5 on both the hardcover nonfiction and the combined print and e-book nonfiction lists. In July 2021, he became a professor at Duke University, teaching media-oriented classes in the Sanford School of Public Policy. He continues to write his popular weekly newsletter for the Times (you can sign up here) and to produce occasional essays as one of the newspaper’s Contributing Opinion Writers. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • Ray Sawyer ’13 on re-thinking time management: ‘How do I think about where to invest my energy in the places of maximum impact?’

    Ray Sawyer ’13 on re-thinking time management: ‘How do I think about where to invest my energy in the places of maximum impact?’

    · Catalyze

    Ray Sawyer ’13 is the director of community health partnerships at Well, a health tech and services company co-founded by Dave Werry ’06.

    On this episode of Catalyze, Ray shares about his path from a small, rural North Carolina town to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He touches on his public service project in Uganda as a Morehead-Cain Scholar and the “happy accident” that led him to South Korea on a Fulbright fellowship. The self-designed curriculum he built in South Korea turned the English block into an exploration of dialogue on poetry and pronunciation, sports and segregation, education, and expression. Using these experiences of innovation, he began working at Google and stayed with the company for more than seven years.

    Today, he serves as a coach and consultant for Project Be Better, a startup he founded. Ray describes what kinds of problems he coaches college students through, and shares about re-thinking the concept of time management and what it means to live out holistic wellness.

    As a member of Morehead-Cain’s Black Alumni Working Group (BAWG) and alumni board, Ray shares his aspirations for proactive relationship building among the scholar and alumni communities. The alumnus spoke with co-hosts Stella Smolowitz ’26 and Allyson Horst ’27 of the Scholar Media Team after a coffee chat event with scholars on October 14.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • Leadership lessons from five Morehead-Cain Young Alumni

    Leadership lessons from five Morehead-Cain Young Alumni

    · Catalyze

    A group of Morehead-Cain Young Alumni, all of whom graduated from UNC–Chapel Hill within the last five years, spoke with Catalyze co-host Stella Smolowitz ’26 about leadership lessons gained at Carolina.

    Today’s guests include AndrĂ© Ceccotti ’18, Malik Jabati ’19, Sarah Mackenzie ’20, Ashton Martin ’20, and Andrew Buchanan ’23.

    The alumni have pursued careers in investing (Malik), entrepreneurship (Andrew), and law (André, Sarah, Ashton). In addition to sharing reflections from their leadership positions as Morehead-Cain Scholars, the guests discuss their most impactful mentors at the University and Summer Enrichment Program experiences through the Program.

    Along with Sean Nguyen ’21 and Melanie Godinez-Cedillo ’22, the alumni served on a panel at the Foundation on September 16 about leadership, from managing imposter syndrome to deciding on a career path.
    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • SEVEN Talk, by Bex Frucht ’05: “Free Your Tumbleweed Queen”

    SEVEN Talk, by Bex Frucht ’05: “Free Your Tumbleweed Queen”

    · Catalyze

    Today’s episode is a recording of a SEVEN Talk from the 2022 Alumni Forum. This talk, given by Bex Frucht ’05, is entitled, “Free Your Tumbleweed Queen.” Bex is the program manager for The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.

    You can watch all of the SEVEN Talks on our YouTube channel.

    More about Bex

    Bex Frucht ’05 is a self-ascribed “Tumbleweed Queen” whose eclectic personal and professional journey has taken her from the red carpet to the Rocky Mountains. After a decade of big-city adventures in media, communications, sustainability, freelance writing, and finally anchoring a daily cable TV show and weekly web series—she blew up her urbanite existence to live and work on an 87,000-acre cattle ranch, and has been exploring the intersection of open range and open minds ever since. If it wasn't for that formative backcountry experience with Outward Bound, she might still be stuck in LA traffic.

    Bex loves telling stories almost as much as living them—she's shared escapades onstage for NPR’s “The Moth,” launched a storytelling series to destigmatize and advocate for reproductive justice, and enjoys helping organizations and individuals wrangle their narratives. As a program manager for the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation’s Montana-based philanthropy, she supports innovative nonprofit programming hosted at West Creek Ranch. Bex also moonlights as an environmental educator, amateur cowgirl, karaoke professional, rainbow influencer, and unicorn believer.

    At UNC, she served as senior class vice president and Freshman Camp (now Carolina Kickoff) counselor, and taught a seminar on “The MTV Generation.” She's lucky to call the funky river town of Livingston, Montana, home, where she floats the Yellowstone with her “Mantana” Kyle Joe, chases their muppet dog Zucca and spoons their kitties—Aldo Meowpold and Ralph Waldo Emerpuss the Catservationists.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

  • Skip Griffin, senior associate at Dialogos, on productive discourse: ‘We are much more golden than we’ve been taught to believe’

    Skip Griffin, senior associate at Dialogos, on productive discourse: ‘We are much more golden than we’ve been taught to believe’

    · Catalyze

    Today’s guest is Skip Griffin, a senior associate at Dialogos and an expert on engaging in productive discourse.

    Griffin was a plaintiff in Virginia’s 1964 school desegregation lawsuit; led Harvard’s Black students through the tumult of the late 1960s; and later worked in a range of community leadership roles in public schools, at Northeastern University, and
    at the Boston Globe.

    Griffin received his bachelor’s in government from Harvard and a master’s of education in organizational and social policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

    Dialogos is a management consulting and leadership development firm that seeks to catalyze organizational transformations.

    Griffin served as the first Food for Thought speaker of the fall semester. He spoke with Catalyze co-hosts Stella Smolowitz ’26 and Sarah O’Carroll, Morehead-Cain’s content manager, after his talk at the Foundation.

    Modeled after the City Club of Cleveland, Food for Thought provides a central meeting place for members of diverse beliefs and opinions to participate in free and open discussions. The breakfast and conversation series is an initiative of Team Cleveland members from the 2022 Morehead-Cain Civic Collaboration program.

    Music credits

    The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

    How to listen

    On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

    Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

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