Burg's Eye View

One of the Community Engagement team's projects during the fall term was to clean grave stones at the Conococheague Institute. Communications intern Bube Osaji '22 took our podcast mic on the move to find out more about the team and their work in the community.

Kyle Lininger '02, vice president of clinical integration at Intermountain Centers, Arizona's largest not-for-profit health and human services, discusses how he works to help people across the state of Arizona who are experiencing behavioral excesses.

This podcast is an interview with Molly Zemek '94 featuring the school's theme of "Health and Wellness." Currently a certified life coach and podcaster, Molly is a former professional chef and certified sommelier with a passion for good food. Don't miss this discussion as Dean of Curricular Innovation John David Bennett P '12, '19, '23 talks to Molly about food, wellness, and her Mercersburg exper...

Julie Sommer '90 is an attorney in Seattle, WA, and serves on the board of the Drake Group, which defends academic integrity in higher education from the corrosive aspects of commercialized college sports. Hear Julie's story of her impressive swimming career at the University of Texas and her recent work on name, image, and likeness legislation and litigation in the world of college athletics. Pod...

Ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes at Mercersburg? Listen in as Chelsea Seaby Bruno '21, Clara Getty '21, and Mel Cort '23 share details about their experience interning in Mercersburg's Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications this spring.

Caity Barnes '06 serves as the head of people at Zipline, whose mission is to provide every person on Earth with instant access to vital medical supplies. How do they do this? Via drones. This month's "Making a Difference" podcast shares about the work of Zipline, as well as Caity's role in this rapidly growing company.

What is Mercersburg's new Latinx/Hispanic Student Union? Spring Communications intern Mel Cort '23 recently sat down with Monique Garcia '22, treasurer of the LHSU, and Matthew Tavarez '22, secretary of the LHSU, to learn about the group's founding and their goals as a student union.

In honor of Earth Day, communications intern Clara Getty '21 sat down with some of the leaders of Mercersburg's Green Team (Dylan Gantt '21, Addie Geitner '21, Clark Bayer '22, and faculty member Will Willis) to talk about the team's 20th anniversary and their environmental initiatives on campus and in the community. Go, Green Team!

Maryland Poet Laureate Grace Cavalieri gave the annual Ammerman Family Lecture in a virtual school meeting April 12.

Dean Hosgood '98, vice president of Mercersburg's Board of Regents, gave the keynote address at Mercersburg's virtual Cum Laude Convocation on April 9, 2021, when 26 members of the Class of 2021 were inducted into the school's chapter of the Cum Laude Society chapter.

Seth Hodges '19 is a government and economics student at the College of William & Mary, and he recently launched "The No Politics Podcast" (listen on Audible or Spotify) with the goal of finding out how much we have in common. His podcast aims at helping listeners learn about ideas that can bring America together, while avoiding the language that divides us. Listen to his conversation with John Da...

Harrison Brink '11 is an assistant golf professional at Willow Oaks Country Club in Richmond, VA. He's an athlete and sport enthusiast who is passionate about the game of golf and serving for the good of great humanity. Harrison connected with Azian through the Mercersburg Intensive course Mercersburg "StoryCorps"—Making a Difference. Learn more about all the Intensive offerings at www.mercersburg...

Travis Youngs '06 is a life-long athlete who excelled in track & field at Mercersburg (he holds the indoor track record for the triple jump). After Mercersburg, he attained his corrective exercise certification through NASM to help injured athletes, and he received trainer certifications in USA Weightlifting, CrossFit level 1, and TRX, which led him to become a trainer at CrossFit Delaware Valley....

Austin Young '06, a recruitment professional with Shopify, is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion and strives to create communities of impact. He volunteers for KaBOOM! in Camden, NJ, and supports the Children's Scholarship Fund of Philadelphia. He speaks with current senior Tom Scheers about his experience as a Black man at Mercersburg and in America. Austin connected with Tom throu...

Irving-Marshall Week is coming! What does that mean? How will it be different this year as a result of COVID-19 and how will it be the same? Whether you are a student or an alum, on campus or virtual, how can you be a part of the excitement? Listen in as communications intern Chelsea Seaby Bruno '21 interviews Ryan Bland '21, president of the John Marshall Literary Society, and Madi Norris '21, pr...

This month's Making a Difference podcast features Peggy Northrop '72, who is one of Mercersburg's earliest female graduates and a champion of women's stories. Peggy is chief executive officer of Watermark, the San Francisco Bay Area's premier membership organization for executive women. Prior to joining Watermark, Peggy served as international editor-in-chief for "Reader's Digest," editor-in-chief...

Pam Aquino '06 is an executive assistant at SalesForce and a professional non-profit volunteer. She speaks with Alvaro Luruena Marquez '24 about her Mercersburg experience; her life in New York as a volunteer for Breakthrough Collaborative, Step Up, and TutorMate; and how she views what it means to make a difference. Pam and Alvaro connected through the Mercersburg Intensive course Mercersburg "St...

John Martinko '97 is president and managing director of Drexel Hamilton. He speaks with Tom Flanagan '21 about his post-graduate year at Mercersburg, how this prepared him for attending West Point, his service in the United States Army, and how he makes a difference in the lives of disabled service veterans. John and Tom connected through the Mercersburg Intensive course Mercersburg "StoryCorps"—M...

Melody Gomez '13 is a medical student at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons. She speaks with Abby Hann '23 about the start of her medical career, working in hospitals as a medical student during a global pandemic, and how she views what it means to make a difference. Melody and Abby connected through the Mercersburg Intensive course Mercersburg "StoryCorps"—Making a D...

What's it been like to produce the "Virtual 'Burg" newsletter? What will happen to "Virtual 'Burg" after spring break? Listen in as Ebube Onwusika '21 and Barry Sato '23, two of the students behind these newsletters, talk about connecting with their fellow students through each issue. And check out a recent issue of "Virtual 'Burg" at http://bit.ly/virtualburg.

February's 'Burg's Eye View podcast features Rob Porcarelli '87, who is a career-long advocate for workplace fairness. Rob is chief legal counsel for Syndio, an HR analytics company that promotes equal pay and employment fairness. Rob previously served as the VP assistant general counsel at Starbucks, where he helped the coffee giant launch a program to employ and support thousands of United State...

In their own words, hear about the experiences of three students who participated in Mercersburg "StoryCorps"—Making a Difference, a Mercersburg Intensive course. This course was an "open exploration of a topic" of the importance of oral history in preserving human connection, as well as introducing the value of listening, developing empathy, and establishing meaningful connections between student...

Charles Koontz '92 is the director of strategy for Ørsted, named the most sustainable company in the world. Charles speaks with upper-middler Ellie Jornlin '22 about his life after Mercersburg and advice for young people as they pursue their paths. Charles and Ellie connected through the Mercersburg Intensive course Mercersburg "StoryCorps"—Making a Difference. Learn more about all the Intensive o...

Will Scott '04 is a senior risk manager at Tricon International with extensive knowledge of oil, natural gas, power, petrochemical, dry bulk, and distillates trading. He speaks with Foday Bangura '22 about his postgraduate experience at Mercersburg, attending Dickinson College, and how he views what it means to make a difference. Will and Foday connected through the Mercersburg Intensive course Me...

This week's homily comes from Romans 12:3-5. Join Rev. Will Whitmore, school minister and a hymn from James Brinson, school carillonneur and organist each week during the virtual winter term.