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Episode # 20The Episode Description / "The Big Picture""As the Iran conflict chokes the Strait of Hormuz and global sea lanes fall into chaos, the American economy has one remaining lifeline: the Texas-Mexico Corridor. But in 2026, that lifeline is under fire.In this high-stakes episode, join Mohsen Omar and Dr. Michael S. Yoder as they navigate a perfect storm: the Trump Administration’s aggressive posture toward the USMCA review, the looming political heat of the 2026 Midterm Elections, and the unprecedented logistical 'stress test' of hosting a World Cup on a continent at a crossroads.Dr. Michael S. YoderBrief BiographyMichael S. Yoder, Ph.D. is a geographer who received his doctorate at Louisiana State University in 1994 and his masters at The University of South Carolina in 1989. His early research addressed changing agricultural land-use patterns and related policy in the South Carolina Piedmont, Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, and the Mexican State of Yucatán. He is presently a Research Fellow in the Department of Geography and the Environment at The University of Texas at Austin. From 2008 to 2017 he was Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Central Arkansas, where he served as Director of the Master of Science in Community and Economic Development between 2010 and 2017. Most recently, he has researched industrial and transport geography in Northern Mexico and Texas, agricultural transportation, and economic development in small cities of Arkansas and South Texas. He is author of the book Geographical Scale and Economic Development: Lessons Learned from Texas and Mexico (Springer 2023).

Tom Patterson is Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is author of the recently published How America Lost Its Mind, which looks at the problem of misinformation. Earlier books include Out of Order, which examined the media’s political role and received the American Political Science Association’s Graber Award as the best book of the decade in political communication. Another is The Unseeing Eye, which looked at television’s impact on politics and was named by the American Association for Public Opinion Research as one of the leading books on public opinion of the past half century. A Minnesota native, he earned his PhD at the University of Minnesota, where he studied after serving in the US Army Special Forces in Vietnam.

Episode # 18Bio - Professor Judith Norman Judith Norman has been engaged with community organizing for 20 years. She has worked with movements for economic justice, anti-militarization,educational justice, decarceration, and the liberation of Palestine. The latter is closest to her heart, and she has worked with Jewish Voice for Peace and San Antonio for Justice in Palestine. She is a Murchison DistinguishedProfessor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Trinity University. The opinions she expresses are her own, and do not represent her employer or any of the organizations with which she is affiliated***********************************************************************************************************Bio – Professor Katherine GillenKatherine Gillen is Professor of English at Texas A&M University–San Antonio. She is the author of Chaste Value: Economic Crisis, Female Chastity, and the Production of Social Difference on Shakespeare’s Stage (EUP, 2017) and several essays on race, gender, and economics in early modern drama and Shakespeare appropriation. She is working on a monograph tentatively titled Shakespeare’s Racial Classicism: Whiteness, Slavery, and Humanism, which examines Shakespeare’s use of classical sources within the context of emerging racial capitalism. With Kathryn Vomero Santos and Adrianna M. Santos, she co-founded the Borderlands Shakespeare Colectiva, which has received funding from the Mellon Foundation and the NEH.

Professor Michael S. Yoder: A discussion and reflection on US-Mexico relations, especially trade . USMCA as an update of NAFTA in 2018, and the pending review of USMCA in 2026. The Trump Presidency.Dr. Michael S. YoderBrief BiographyMichael S. Yoder, Ph.D. is a geographer who received his doctorate at Louisiana State University in 1994 and his masters at The University of South Carolina in 1989. His early research addressed changing agricultural land-use patterns and related policy in the South Carolina Piedmont, Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, and the Mexican State of Yucatán. He is presently a Research Fellow in the Department of Geography and the Environment at The University of Texas at Austin. From 2008 to 2017 he was Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Central Arkansas, where he served as Director of the Master of Science in Community and Economic Development between 2010 and 2017. Most recently, he has researched industrial and transport geography in Northern Mexico and Texas, agricultural transportation, and economic development in small cities of Arkansas and South Texas. He is author of the book Geographical Scale and Economic Development: Lessons Learned from Texas and Mexico (Springer 2023).

The topic: Interview with Professor Robert Yowell.  Discussion about: The Presidential Election in 2024.” The Guest: Professor Robert Yowell was born in the suburbs of Los Angeles during the twentieth century. Although Robert started his college education at Texas A&M University, his road to a bachelor's degree was long and winding, eventually concluding at Whittier College where he earned a liberal arts degree majoring in political science with a psychology minor.  Dr. Yowell studied in Washington, DC where he earned a Master of Arts in Legislative Affairs from The George Washington University.  Robert returned to college again as a political science Ph.D. candidate at The University of Kansas, finishing his adventure with a dissertation on the effect of Ross Perot's presidential runs on U.S. House elections.  Dr. Yowell moved to the San Antonio area in summer of 2006 to be one of the inaugural full-time faculty embers at Northeast Lakeview College.

Panelist include the following: Dr.’s Yowell, Holmquist, Wortham (retired), Fred Williams (author, guest lecturer, adjunct), Amy Lewis (Librarian), Allan Anguiano (administration) and Rogelio (Roger) Guardiola (student). This event was Moderated by: Mohsen K. Omar

Judith Norman has been engaged with community organizing for 20 years. She has worked with movements for economic justice, anti-militarization, educational justice, decarceration, and the liberation of Palestine. The latter is closest to her heart, and she has worked with Jewish Voice for Peace and San Antonio for Justice in Palestine. She is a Murchison Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Trinity University. The opinions she expresses are her own, and do not represent her employer or any of the organizations with which she is affiliated

Tom Patterson is Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is author of the recently published How America Lost Its Mind, which looks at the problem of misinformation. Earlier books include Out of Order, which examined the media’s political role and received the American Political Science Association’s Graber Award as the best book of the decade in political communication. Another is The Unseeing Eye, which looked at television’s impact on politics and was named by the American Association for Public Opinion Research as one of the leading books on public opinion of the past half century. A Minnesota native, he earned his PhD at the University of Minnesota, where he studied after serving in the US Army Special Forces in Vietnam.

Ms. Peggy Burford Chavez has worked in higher education for about 25 years and is the Career Experience Team Leader at Northeast Lakeview College.  She holds a Master of Arts degree in Counseling and a Master of Science degree in Sociology.  Her background in higher education is rooted in academic advising and career counseling, but she has also taught courses in Student Development and Sociology.  She has worked at various institutional types, such as community colleges, large universities, and small private universities.   In her current position, Mrs. Chavez oversees the Career Engaged Learning Office (CELO) at Northeast Lakeview College, which assists students with career exploration, career experience, and career readiness.  In her personal time, Mrs. Chavez enjoys traveling to island getaways and tropical beaches throughout Mexico and the Caribbean.  

Dr. Mark Sadler has a PhD in Philosophy. He is a native Texan and US Air Force vet. His specialty areas are Ancient philosophy, Metaphysics, Religion and Philosophy of Mind. For the last 20 years he has had an elevated interest in Philosophy of Law and in Film studies.

Judith Norman has been engaged with community organizing for 20 years. She has worked with movements for economic justice, anti-militarization, educational justice, decarceration, and the liberation of Palestine. The latter is closest to her heart, and she has worked with Jewish Voice for Peace and San Antonio for Justice in Palestine. She  is a Murchison Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Trinity University. The opinions she expresses are her own, and do not represent her employer or any of the organizations with which she is affiliated

Angie Brazeal Hager is a Professor of English and an EDUC 1300 faculty member at NLC.  She is from St. Louis, MO, and is an alumnus of UTSA, where she earned a BA in English, MA in English, a Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing, and a Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Administration.  During her English course work, Ms. Hager was particularly interested in modernist literature and her own creative writing (poetry and short stories).  At NLC, Ms. Hager teaches ENGL 1301, 1302,2322, 2323, 2327, and 2328, in addition to EDUC 1300.  She began her career at St. Philip’s College where she served as a writing tutor; she has been teaching at the college level since 2004.  In her free time, Ms. Hager loves to read, watch baseball, attend concerts and music festivals, and spend time hiking, camping, and kayaking.  She is involved with the young adult ministry at her church and serves as a faculty leader for Alamo Colleges Study Abroad.  Ms. Hager’s main goal as a college professor (beyond teaching students to appreciate literature and become mature writers and researchers) is to know her students well enough to encourage, assist, and empower them while they are at NLC and as they continue into their university studies and careers.

Professor Durant from Texas A&M University - San Antonio. Durant Frantzen is Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice and Department Chair at Texas A&M-San Antonio. He received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (1995) and Master of Science in Criminal Justice (2000) from Texas State University, and his PhD in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University (2006). His research interests focus on topics such as domestic violence, community corrections, and specialty courts. Dr. Frantzen has been a consultant to Bexar County Commissioner's Court on 3 federal grants dealing with specialty court programs and offender treatment initiatives. He has published three books - The Death Penalty: Constitutional Issues, Commentaries, and Case Briefs (Anderson Publishing, 2014), Everyday Ethics for the Criminal Justice Professional (Carolina Academic Press, 2023), and Texas's Criminal Justice System (Carolina Academic Press, 2018). His research has also appeared in various journals such as Criminal Justice Review, International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Violence and Victims, and Criminal Justice Studies.

Professor Tom Patterson is Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is author of the recently published How America Lost Its Mind, which looks at the problem of misinformation. Earlier books include Out of Order, which examined the media’s political role and received the American Political Science Association’s Graber Award as the best book of the decade in political communication. Another is The Unseeing Eye, which looked at television’s impact on politics and was named by the American Association for Public Opinion Research as one of the leading books on public opinion of the past half century. A Minnesota native, he earned his PhD at the University of Minnesota, where he studied after serving in the US Army Special Forces in Vietnam.

“Cristela Garcia is the Director of Student Advocacy Center at Northeast Lakeview College where she provides disability support, basic needs and mental health services.  As a social justice advocate, Cristela has worked to develop and implement initiatives to address gaps in service accessibility for vulnerable populations.” “ Faye Hallford is the Personal Counselor at Northeast Lakeview College.  She does individual counseling with students enrolled in the Alamo Colleges.  She is completing her eleventh year on the campus.” “Ursella Castaneda is the senior coordinator of the student advocacy center. She is a licensed master social worker and she provides services to students who are experiencing basic needs insecurity. Ursella has a passion for working with college students and aspires to eliminate barriers that students' are experiencing to see they are successful”

The topic: Interview with Professor Robert Yowell.  Discussion about: “The Presidency & the 2024 Presidential Election.” The Guest: Professor Robert Yowell was born in the suburbs of Los Angeles during the twentieth century. Although Robert started his college education at Texas A&M University, his road to a bachelor's degree was long and winding, eventually concluding at Whittier College where he earned a liberal arts degree majoring in political science with a psychology minor.  Dr. Yowell studied in Washington, DC where he earned a Master of Arts in Legislative Affairs from The George Washington University.  Robert returned to college again as a political science Ph.D. candidate at The University of Kansas, finishing his adventure with a dissertation on the effect of Ross Perot's presidential runs on U.S. House elections.  Dr. Yowell moved to the San Antonio area in summer of 2006 to be one of the inaugural full-time faculty members at Northeast Lakeview College.

Professor Tom Patterson is Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He is author of the recently published How America Lost Its Mind, which looks at the problem of misinformation. Earlier books include Out of Order, which examined the media’s political role and received the American Political Science Association’s Graber Award as the best book of the decade in political communication. Another is The Unseeing Eye, which looked at television’s impact on politics and was named by the American Association for Public Opinion Research as one of the leading books on public opinion of the past half century. A Minnesota native, he earned his PhD at the University of Minnesota, where he studied after serving in the US Army Special Forces in Vietnam.

Law School Matters: The process of going to Law School. An Interview with Michael Butler: from the Classroom to the Boardroom!  Michael Butler is a graduate of Texas State with a BBA and earned his JD from Saint  Mary’s School of Law. He has been a practicing attorney for 9 years with  a focus in business and commercial law. He currently works as Corporate Counsel for PEC, Inc., the largest electric cooperative in the United States. His hobbies include woodworking,  writing, and video-games. Michael is married to Delissa Perez, a communication instructor at Northeast Lakeview College.

Interviewing Ms. Sharon Nittinger MA. MS. Sharon Nittinger is a graduate of Hope College in Holland, Michigan,  where she earned her B.A. in psychology.  She completed her master’s  degree in psychology at Loyola College in Maryland and obtained her  master’s in management at the University of Maryland.  In addition,  Sharon received a certificate in training from the Human Resource  Development Institute in New Jersey and a certificate in human resources  consulting from Northeastern University in Boston. With a desire to help others become better versions of themselves,  Sharon started Nittinger Seminars.  Combining her experience from the  field of professional development, her knowledge of cognitive psychology  and her application of business concepts, Sharon offers seminars and  classes that mix book knowledge for real-life solutions. Life coaching is another service offered through Nittinger Seminars. Currently, Sharon the Interim Chair for the Business, Communications, Humanities, Psychology, Philosophy, Speech, and Spanish department at Northeast Lakeview College.

Interviewing Ms. Maya Lia-Vila, First year law school @ St. Mary's Univeristy - San Antonio. Tale of her journey from NLC to UT-Austin and then to St. Mary's Law School.

Introduce myself, and convey a brief conception of what I envision this podcast to achieve. Podcast overall theme: Motivational - Educational - Political - Inspirational  Mission: To launch a PODCAST to encapsulate and capture many of the unique ideas and activities at Northeast Lakeview College, and the larger community outside as well. Format: A dialogue; host with one guest or multiple guests…… Frequency: once or twice a month (30 minutes or 45 minutes…. depending of the guest and the subject matter). Proposed Discussion topics: · Law school admission process · Politics and democracy: o Inviting local political figures: mayors, council members, judges o Breaking down complex ideas about our political system: constitutional “Hot Button” issues (example: The Electoral College, Voting Rights) · Interview: NLC family members; administrators, students, staff & faculty (about different programs, organizations and academic accomplishments) · Book of the month (Book of the term Fall/Spring)