To shed some light on professions that consistently utilize art and creativity, our next podcast guest is Kristen Onesti, Owner and Senior Graphic Designer at KO Design Group. With over 20 years of experience, Kristen illustrates her journey to finding a career that allowed her to integrate artistic and technical concepts. While working for high-profile law firms and retail industries, she learned how to create print communications, web designs, and marketing campaigns for a diverse client base. Being a part of a competitive and fast-paced field, she expands on the importance of releasing fresh and unique content, and the overall tactics she uses in order to stand out and appeal to potential clients. Give this podcast a listen if you’re interested in learning more about the ways Kristen tackles creative challenges to deliver distinctive and interesting work for her clients.

Kristen Onesti of KO Design Group

In part one of our two part miniseries featuring Cara Chicago, Savanah sits down with Jesse Teverbaugh to discuss his life-changing involvement with the non-profit. From student to Director of Student and Alumni Affairs, Teverbaugh walks us through his life experiences which led him Cara Chicago. For over 15 years, Jesse has helped Cara students regain their confidence and find their spark to ensure a better life. A former student of Illinois State University, Jesse has been featured in The Reader as a Chicagoan to know and was chosen as the 2011 National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) Unsung Hero. Jesse’s civic engagement includes service as the President of the Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce and 40+ years as a member of Omega PSI PHI Fraternity.

Jesse Teverbaugh of Cara Chicago

In the conclusion of our two part miniseries featuring Cara Chicago, Nathan Ciulla sits down with Maria Kim, the nonprofit’s President and CEO. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a double major in Comparative Literature and French she found herself climbing the ranks at an insurance company for over a decade. Inspired by her mother, a nurse for over 50 years, Kim wanted to continue dedicating her life to service but in a new sector. She found herself at Cara Chicago, where she is guiding people to discover opportunities of employment and helping them rebuild their hope. Kim holds an MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. Kim has served as a fellow for both Leadership Greater Chicago and American Marshall. She was a part of TEDxMidwest Emerging Leader as well as Bank of America Neighborhood Builder, and recently also served on Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s transition team.

Maria Kim of Cara Chicago

On this episode of the podcast, Nathan Ciulla sits down with Michael Edwards, President and CEO of the Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA), an organization that aims to revitalize Chicago’s Loop to perpetuate the growth and development of its businesses and investments. As a native of Buffalo, New York, he attended Canisius College in his hometown where he received a BA in political science and history. After graduation, he went to  the University of Pittsburgh where he earned a MA in Public Administration. He was also the former CEO and President of Downtown Spokane Partnership, and former president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. Being constantly on the move, he found himself working in multiple cities in the US, aiming to improve their downtown areas through fun and creative communal activities, and by developing structural plans in order to create an organized, interconnected, and secure community. Working with CLA, he hopes to have people “think of the Loop beyond 9 to 5.”

Michael Edwards of Chicago Loop Alliance

Kicking off Teachers Appreciation Month, Savannah Rountree sits down with Dr. Edward Podsiadlik, author of Anecdotes and Afterthoughts: Literature as a Teacher’s Curriculum, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Podsiadlik recalls his passion for education beginning as a page for the Chicago Public Library and its Preschool Storytime program, to working over a decade for CPS and teaching future educators in higher education. Being a native of Chicago, Dr. Podsiadlik holds a B.A. in Elementary Education from St. Xavier University, and has obtained M.A. degrees in English Literature and Writing from Purdue University, and Educational Administration from St. Xavier University.  He later received a Ph.D. in Curriculum Studies from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Podsiadlik has been featured in several professional journals for his admiral teaching scholarship, and has spoken about his teaching values at countless professional presentations. Be on the lookout, because this December, his second book. Grieving as a Teacher’s Curriculum: Relevant Prose and Postscripts will be hitting a bookshelf near you!

Dr. Edward Podsiadlik of UIC

Continuing Teachers Appreciation Month, Savannah Rountree sits down with Gerardo Rodriguez, a 5th and 6th grade science teacher at Darwin Elementary. Raised in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood in Chicago, Rodriguez attended Chicago Public School from elementary to high school. During his junior year of high school, Rodriguez found himself aiding other students and realizing he had a passion for teaching others about science and math. Graduating from the University of Illinois at Chicago, he majored in Urban Education and was mentored by Dr. Edward Podsiadlik, one of Bridging Chicago’s previous guests! He took his newly gained experience and knowledge from his time at UIC to develop his teaching style and overall approach. As a second year teacher, he implements mediation and peace circles to his classroom, and is also a mentor for the Darwin Robotics Club.

Gerardo Rodriguez of Darwin Elementary School

We conclude Teachers Appreciation Month with a professor who uses both Hip Hop music and theory as an invitation for her students to think of the world around them more critically. Nathan Ciulla sits down with Dr. Lisa Calvente to discuss how growing up during the birth of Hip Hop inspired her to become a professor and a performance artist. She double majored in philosophy and sociology at City University of New York, Brooklyn College (CUNY), where she took the theory and critical analytics and intersected with Hip Hop music to better analyze culture and society. She would use the tools gained at CUNY and spread them through the world of the New York Hip Hop scene and as a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Capel Hill, where she received both her M.A. and PhD. After graduation, not only did she begin to teach at various universities, but continued using Hip Hop and philosophy understandings in the classroom, and in countless journal articles and essays. Dr. Calvente also published a book in 2016 called Imprints of Revolution: Visual Representations of Resistance, and has directed many plays around the topic of mass incarceration.

Dr. Lisa Calvente of DePaul University

Our next Bridging Chicago Podcast episode features Lucas De Jong, a student-athlete and biology major that turned into a marketing guru who knows the value of following your passions, even when the path doesn’t seem clear at the time. An east coast native, college brought Lucas to Chicago, a place he now considers home. From sitting in on major surgical procedures, to being the Senior Director of CRM, Marketing Automation, and Data Analytics at Plan B Advertising, Lucas’ story is sure to inspire you to follow your own passions! 
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After sitting in on a broad range of medical internships and weighing the risks and rewards of a medical career, Lucas decided to pursue other passions, including the science of marketing. Beginning his marketing career at Northwestern University, Lucas began to see ways that he can make marketing more efficient and earned his master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications.  Lucas worked with Midwestern Career College and Dwell Earth prior to beginning his current position as the Director of CRM, Marketing Automation and Data Analytics for Plan B Advertising. Listen to this episode to hear all about how Lucas’ experience has helped him make marketing a better experience for all!

Lucas De Jong of Plan B Advertising

As a mother, personal trainer, and a director in a non-profit organization, Ayesha Akhtar believes that everything you do in life is a stepping stone for something greater. Being the Director of Education at the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago, Ayesha’s story is sure to move you, as she is a strong advocate for societal collaboration, and the idea of working together to achieve the greater good. Initially pursuing a career in accounting, Ayesha had an epiphany after reading the book “The Alchemist”, and realized she had instead been longing for more a fulfilling career that made a larger societal impact. Following her moral compass, she began working towards a path that was focused on making a difference by improving the health of communities through education and advocacy. Tune in to hear how Ayesha brings together her background in business with her degree in public health, to help empower and educate individuals to build healthier lives.
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Since 2011, Ayesha has been an educator with the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the welfare of people with epilepsy. The Foundation provides free case management, education and advocacy services to people living with epilepsy, including their families and support system. As the Director of Education, she manages seizure first aid training for schools and communities in 43 counties of Illinois. She has presented to schools, social service agencies, law firms, and the Chicago Police Department. She recently worked on the successful passing of the Seizure Smart School Act, which was signed into law in July 2019, and makes this first aid training mandatory in all public schools in Illinois.

Ayesha Akhtar of the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago

The son of an immigrant family, Ani Rangarajan, learned the value of hard work at a very young age. Ani grew up in the Chicago suburbs and decided to stay local, attending Northwestern University and studying industrial engineering. After graduating and beginning his career with Accenture, Ani and his business partner, Matt Weirich, noticed how difficult the process of finding a new home was for most people, especially for those who were moving to a new city. They decided to step into that void and created Realync, a mobile platform to help connect properties to potential renters. Listen to hear what drives Ani as an entrepreneur and how Realync is changing the game for property seekers.

Ani Rangarajan of Realync

The Bridging Chicago Podcast allows our guests to demonstrate their skills and experience, share their business objectives and perspectives, and engage with listeners. Our goal is to connect our listening community with business leaders in and around the Chicago area by discussing how our guests got to their current positions.