PODCAST · society
Formative: Conversations on Who We Became
by Conversations Magazine
A Jesuit college judges itself on who our students become and ‘Formative’ is an interview podcast about those lives and stories. It features intimate conversations with notable alums – from arts and culture, public service, business, philanthropy, sports, education, science, and so on – from Jesuit colleges across the country. Host Michael Serazio, associate professor of communication at Boston College, asks questions about who and what shaped their life journeys, influenced their successes, and guided them through callings, causes, challenges, and careers. An official podcast of Conversations Magazine and the National Seminar on Jesuit Higher Education, ‘Formative’ is about the impact our graduates have had and how they might inspire future generations of young people to set the world on fire.
Episodes
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Formative 16: The business of talking your way out of crisis (with Roshini Rajkumar, Boston College ‘93)
The path to a successful broadcast journalism career doesn’t usually start in law school. But that’s where Roshini Rajkumar, Boston College class of 1993, started hers. Rajkumar combined a genetic penchant for the cinematic arts with a passion for justice and sticking up for the little guy on her...
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Formative 15: From childhood sports fan to pro team president (with Mark Lamping, Rockhurst University ‘80)
When Mark Lamping, Rockhurst University class of 1980, was camping out for World Series tickets in the 4th grade, he wouldn’t have dared to dream of running the team one day. Ironically lucky for him, a 1994 strike and cancelled season found those same St. Louis Cardinals in need of the longtime...
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Formative 14: In politics, may the best argument win (with Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Marquette University ‘67)
Kathleen Hall Jamieson has an enlightenment faith in “eloquentia perfecta” – faith in reason, faith in facts, faith in public debate and civil discourse. Sometimes – and especially these days – that faith might feel in short supply. But that faith took Jamieson from Marquette University, class of...
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Formative 13: A career-long view from the American embassy (with Harry Thomas, Holy Cross ‘78)
When Harry Thomas, College of the Holy Cross class of 1978, first took the foreign service exam, the kid from Queens couldn’t speak another language and had never been outside the country. Over three decades later, he’d served as ambassador to Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Zimbabwe, along with…
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Formative 12: When an endangered child can’t come home (with Darcy Olsen, Georgetown ‘93)
It was a newborn infant sleeping in a homeless shelter in a government office building that changed Darcy Olsen’s life. The Georgetown University class of 1993 alum had thought she knew her purpose, both personally and professionally, serving as CEO of the Goldwater Institute think tank and...
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Formative 11: What’s eating away at our local food systems (with Erika Polmar, St. Louis University ‘89)
You don’t have to tell Erika Polmar, St. Louis University, class of 1989, that “we are what we eat.” Her reverence for local food systems has been lifelong. It inspired her Oregon-based farm-dinner series, Plate + Pitchfork, to educate eaters about the people and places that their sustenance...
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Formative 10: Steeling the judicial ramparts on the last line of democracy (with Benes Aldana, Seattle University ‘91)
When it comes to the faith and health of the American judiciary, no one would likely describe this as “the best of times.” Judges faces personal threats; courts are seen as politicized; and public opinion slumps, in tandem with civic education. But that’s the challenge that faces the last line of...
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Formative 9: The cartoonist’s pen versus the autocrat’s sword (with Adam Zyglis, Canisius University ‘04)
If the job of journalism is to speak truth to power, newspaper cartoonists do it with a paintbrush in hand and a tongue-in-cheek. This puts them in the crosshairs of thin-skinned dictators abroad and on “the front lines of the first amendment” at home, as Adam Zyglis, Canisius University, class…
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Formative 8: On the front lines of the global refugee crisis (with Michael Gallagher, SJ, Spring Hill College ‘73)
103 million people. That’s the United Nations’ best estimate of how many have been forcibly displaced worldwide – some of the highest recorded waves of migration since World War 2. And for decades now, Father Michael Gallagher of the Society of Jesus and Spring Hill College class of 1973, has…
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Formative 7: The triumphs and trials of women's professional soccer (with Danielle Slaton, Santa Clara University ‘02)
When Danielle Slaton, class of 2002 at Santa Clara University, was selected as the #1 overall draft-pick in the WUSA, both she and top-level women’s soccer were riding high: Slaton captaining the Broncos to a collegiate national championship and, later, West Coast Conference Hall of Fame entry…
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Formative 6: The advance of the city college (with Ricardo Fernandez, Marquette University ‘62)
In a nation today that’s beset by deep, structural inequalities, the ladder of socioeconomic advancement leans heavily on public city colleges like CUNY’s Lehman in the Bronx. And for a quarter-century, Ricardo Fernandez, class of 1962 at Marquette University, steered that ship. The sea was not...
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Formative 5: Mayoral imagination, big-city transformation (with Tom Murphy, John Carroll University ‘67)
When Tom Murphy, class of 1967 at John Carroll University, won the Pittsburgh mayor’s office in the early 1990s, cities in general – and the Steel City in particular – were in rough shape. Pittsburgh had seen its population sawed in half, the byproduct of industrial decline and economic blight.…
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Formative 4: How to cover the Pope (with Delia Gallagher, University of San Francisco '91)
A two-thousand-year-old institution, ensconced in pageantry, and shrouded in secrecy – that’s what Delia Gallagher, class of 1991 at the University of San Francisco, has covered for decades as CNN’s chief Vaticanologist. With a front row seat in the Rome-based press corps, she’s chronicled both…
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Formative 3: Polling for a common good in polarized times (John Zogby, Le Moyne '70)
Public opinion polling is a powerful practice: It legitimizes sentiment, crystallizes reality. It’s irresistible to political journalists. And, for several decades now, John Zogby, class of 1970 at Le Moyne College, has been one of its highest profile practitioners – featured in The New Yorker, a...
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Formative 2: Homeless on the streets of Philadelphia (with Sister Mary Scullion, St. Joseph's University '76)
You can judge a civilization by how it treats its most destitute – those who, in the words of Matthew 25, represent the least fortunate of God’s people. For five decades on the streets of Philadelphia, Sister Mary Scullion, class of 1976 at St. Joseph’s University, has served as a woman for and...
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Formative 1: Lessons from NFL coaches for teaching middle school (with Sean Guthrie, Boston College '01)
Division 1 college sports demands a herculean focus and discipline – to say nothing of trying to make the pros. Sean Guthrie, class of 2001 at Boston College, has that just that drive. It took the former defensive end captain of the Eagles to the grueling crucible of the NFL. And it’s vaulted him...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A Jesuit college judges itself on who our students become and ‘Formative’ is an interview podcast about those lives and stories. It features intimate conversations with notable alums – from arts and culture, public service, business, philanthropy, sports, education, science, and so on – from Jesuit colleges across the country. Host Michael Serazio, associate professor of communication at Boston College, asks questions about who and what shaped their life journeys, influenced their successes, and guided them through callings, causes, challenges, and careers. An official podcast of Conversations Magazine and the National Seminar on Jesuit Higher Education, ‘Formative’ is about the impact our graduates have had and how they might inspire future generations of young people to set the world on fire.
HOSTED BY
Conversations Magazine
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Formative: Conversations on Who We Became have?
Formative: Conversations on Who We Became currently has 16 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Formative: Conversations on Who We Became about?
A Jesuit college judges itself on who our students become and ‘Formative’ is an interview podcast about those lives and stories. It features intimate conversations with notable alums – from arts and culture, public service, business, philanthropy, sports, education, science, and so on – from Jesuit...
How often does Formative: Conversations on Who We Became release new episodes?
Formative: Conversations on Who We Became has 16 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Who hosts Formative: Conversations on Who We Became?
Formative: Conversations on Who We Became is created and hosted by Conversations Magazine.
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