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Community and the Secret to Uncovering your Strengths in College

UST alumnus, Calvin Nguyen is an avid admirer of the Celt community and shares his insights on how he found success.

In this episode of BOLD, he sits down with host Edgardo Giron, and chats about his legacy at UST. He describes his journey, in dropping pre-med and beginning a Masters in Theology, and explains how he expanded his community involvement by participating in many organizations such as Presidential Ambassadors, FSA, Orientation Leading, Campus Ministry, and the Festival of St. Thomas. As his time at UST comes to a close, he hopes to continue using and developing his skills in the community development field.

Learn more about Calvin Winning Mr. UST.

 

AI as a Tool w/ John Rocha

Artificial Intelligence can be a valuable tool ... if seen as just that.

In this interview, John Rocha, Head of School at Ozark Catholic Academy in Arkansas, sits down with Dr. Richard Ludwick, president of University of Saint Thomas, to discuss John's role at Ozark Academy. A University of Saint Thomas alumnus in Master in Liberal Arts program, John and Richard talk about the Catholic intellectual tradition and how the wonder of history and classical arts infuse education. Even with the advances in artificial intelligence, they discuss how AI is a tool to be utilized without replacing the basics tenets of education.

This interview took place at the Duc In Altum Summit in October 2023 at Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. Duc In Altum Schools Collaborative, an association of Catholic schools striving for a faith-centered culture, offers an annual summit for professional development for Catholic school and diocesan leaders.

Learn more about John.

Learn more about Richard.

Education, Pharmaceuticals and the Joy of Giving Back

Ahmed AlRawi has lived a whirlwind of a life. He left his home country in Iraq, attended medical school in Jordan, and he and his family immigrated to Houston, where he had to start all over again.

In this episode of BOLD, Ahmed shares that story with Host Isabel Garcia. He talks about how University of St. Thomas played an important role in his growth in the US and ultimately led him to where he is today, launching Alsedra Pharmacy with his mother and brother. He also shares why he is so passionate about his work as president of the UST Alumni Board.

Learn more about the UST Alumni Board.

A Woman who Means Business

UST alumna and Director of Corporate Relations, Mallory Peterson received the Houston Business Journal Award for "Women who Mean Business" in 2023.

In this episode of BOLD, she sits down with Host Isabel Garcia to discuss the process of applying for awards and the importance of advocating for yourself in the workplace. She also talks about her experience as a founding member of the UST Women’s Volleyball team.

Finally, Mallory spotlights the Rising Stars program and its far-reaching impact. In the remote segment, she has a conversation with Co-host and Rising Stars Student Destiny Meeks.

Learn more about Mallory and Rising Stars.

See Mallory's feature story about her award in the UST Newsroom.

See Mallory being honored by Leadership Houston.

Learn more about UST Women's Volleyball.

Passing Torches and Breaking Records

After setting multiple school records, when Anthony Medina graduated from the University of St. Thomas-Houston, he set out to achieve his dream of becoming a basketball coach. Now he is back at UST as the head coach leading the team to multiple victories.

In this episode of BOLD, we interviewed Coach Medina, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Region Coach of the Year! He talks about his own basketball experience here at UST and walks us through his journey from student to coach. Also, watch the whole video to find out who he selected to be on his UST Dream Team.

Learn more about Anthony Medina and the men's basketball team.

Coach Anthony Medina

Mentioned Calen Anderson in Episode:
The Royal Treatment w/ Calen Anderson & Kailee Mann | BOLD

Anthony Medina Guest Stars on BOLD

Takeaways

  1. Coach Medina is hilarious yet humble.
  2. The experience is what is important, not winning or losing.
  3. There is a lot more to basketball than Xs and Os.

Reflections

  1. Reflect on a time that you had expectations but they were not met because of outside circumstances. How can you use that experience for other situations in the future?
  2. How do you use all of the different experiences that you have had in order to give you a unique perspective?
  3. When there is "background noise" how do you make sure that it doesn't interfere with the work?

Bound for Success

Also listen wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of BOLD, we talk to Gloria Bounds, a two-time UST alumna and Manager in Corporate Community Relations for Centerpoint Energy. At UST, she studied communications, international studies and received her MBA in Finance.

She shares her UST experience, learning about service and diversity, and tells us how it prepared her for the work she does today. She also talks about her involvement with Latin Women's Initiative, the importance of community and how it influences her whole life.

Gloria and her husband, Jesse, were honorary chairs for the 2022 Two Saints and A Taco Tasting, which is an alumni-sponsored event that raises money for student scholarships.

 

Takeaways

  1. Diversity and service, what she learned at UST, allows her to succeed in her job.
  2. Gratitude for your past experiences will serve you well in the future.
  3. UST prepared Gloria not only to be successful in her job but also in her personal life.

Reflections

  1. How can you instill service in your everyday life?
  2. If you are a student, think about reaching out to alumni for career questions.
  3. If you are a UST alumni, what are ways that you can give back to your alma mater?

 

Links:

Latin Women's Initiative 

UST Alumni Association

UST Cameron School of Business

UST Center for International Studies

UST Communication Department 

UST Campus Initiatives 

 

How Two Alumni Met, Got Married and Serve Their Community

Jesse and Gloria Bounds met after college at a University of St. Thomas-Houston alumni event. From there, they hit it off and started a wonderful relationship. In this video, they share how they met, what they love about each other, the challenges of parenthood and why they choose to serve the community together.

The Bounds were honorary chairs of the 2022 Two Saints and A Taco Tasting event that raises money for student scholarships.

 

Links:

Two Beloved Celt Couples Serve as Honorary Chairs of 2022 Two Saints and a Taco Tasting Event Set for Fall | UST News

UST Alumni

Callusing the Mind

Also listen wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of BOLD, Isabel Garcia talks to Naadir Mehta, a UST Alum and a two-time colon cancer survivor. Mehta shares his story, the struggles of going through chemotherapy and how important his faith was during that journey. He talks about the importance of mentality and how it has carried over to the other aspects of his life.

Takeaways

  1. Mentality is everything.
  2. Don't lose your faith in difficult situations.
  3. If you think that you can do it, then you can do it!

Reflections

  1. When you go through a hard time, what is your mentality?
  2. Think of a time you were given a second chance and how it felt.
  3. What are some ways that you can challenge yourself to improve your mentality?

Supporting our Rising Stars

Also listen wherever you get your podcasts.

In this episode of BOLD, Isabel Garcia talks to Dan Garcia, a UST Alum and Director of the Rising Stars Program. Garcia talks about his experience as a first generation college student at UST and why he thinks this job will be his last! Finally they talk about the Rising Stars Program and how this program is changing students' lives.

Learn more about Rising Stars.

A Legacy of Public Service

Service is a muscle that needs to be exercised often. Judson W. Robinson III, President and CEO of the Houston Area Urban League knows this well. He comes from a family of public servants and understands the importance and impact service can have on the community.

In this episode of For Such a Time as This, Larry and Judson discuss the role of the Urban League in Houston. They talk about Judson's family legacy of service and they also talk about the importance of finding new strategies to help draw awareness within their communities.

Houston Area Urban League

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