Humans of Minerva

From the crazy summer in San Francisco to a deep dive into self-exploration and personality switch, Dasha shared what major life events and people defined who she is right now. Prepare for no censors and a lot of off-topic meanders because 'Dasha's on a mic, and she bringin' the heat'. Give it a listen to this episode of HOM to find out where this line refers to!

Asuka is an event planner & organizational culture designer from Japan. She is passionate about crafting intentional experiences and meaningful dialogue to create a world that embraces differences. Asuka shares her experiences overcoming an eating disorder, which inspired her to be the change she wanted to see: spark collaborations through designing a compassionate culture.

What does it mean to be Jaidar? Kyrgyz for "joy", Jaidar is destined to bring happiness, and he shares the story of finding joy for everyone, but most importantly, himself. Let's see how to make "life is hard" into "life is"

Alexander is a guy who wants to do great things by solving some of the world's most important porblems. He dropped out of Minerva and is starting a new startup working on problems in energy. Reach him at @alexanderwu2000 on instagram

Eating stinky tofu midway through Taipei runs, wearing barefoot shoes at the Buenos Aires marathon, or suffering in the final miles of the Mount Fuji marathon. 5 Minervans chat with our host Jonathan about their running experiences in the rotation cities.

David L. Marcus is known (mostly by himself) for his sense of humor. He traversed five continents as a journalist, author and education consultant, then became Minerva University’s Chief Communications Officer. As a newspaper bureau chief, Marcus lived for a decade in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, covering education, immigration and the environment. His team won a Pulitzer Prize for International R...

Aboozar Hadavand is a professor of computational sciences at Minerva. He is an economist by training and loves statistics, mystery books, woodworking, and dad jokes.

Lui has truly lived several lives — from advocating for sex workers in Kolkata to road-tripping across Argentina for annual "women's encounters." Before all that, she tried her hand at advertising, but soon realized there were better protagonists than soap. She treasures her friends and thrives most when rallying alongside them to champion causes that move them.

Melissa Morgenstern is a third culture kid who is excited to work with other global nomads and adventure seekers. She has spent 5 long and wonderful years at Minerva and looks forward to spending even more years there down the line. Melissa is passionate about personal finance, reading, playing the saxophone, and getting alone time whenever she can.

Ba Thien (M24), a German-born Vietnamese dinosaur enthusiast, dreams of building Jurassic Park—minus the part where humans get eaten. Growing up with books like Rich Dad Poor Dad, he went from selling candy in his high school locker to selling bubble tea in Germany, now venturing into the AI startup space.

Emin is a geopolitics geek, chess enthusiast, and aspiring global security consultant. Driven by a passion for cultural immersion and seeking discomfort, he traveled the world finding many new homes and families that embraced him. His friends know him as the guy who knows everyone because of his exceptionally extroverted nature.

Adam Ajroudi, a Tunisian global citizen, photographer, and poet, navigates the world with an insatiable curiosity. He is majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Interdisciplinary Digital Practices. Adam's life purpose is bringing our world closer through meaningful cultural exchange programs online and in person.

Zhi Zhi wanted to be a lawyer her whole life, until she discovered art history and literature. She is a full-time Arts and Humanities major, a part-time art gallery assistant, and a weekend content creator. Growing up in Malaysia, she would never have imagined falling in love with the art world.

Dilan likes living as if she is constantly breaking the fourth wall in a movie. If you were watching her life you would see a control freak who is mostly overcaffeinated, maybe slightly tipsy but most certainly full of passion and humor. What is the point of it, after all, if you cannot turn life into a story?

Nick is a writer, educator, and explorer of complexity in law and politics. He grew up moving up and down the East Coast of the United States but today considers himself a die-hard New Englander and Boston sports fan. He loves reading, running, and learning from students and his career has taken him to London, Belfast, Dublin, and Jerusalem, studying conflict and diplomacy. Recently, he has taken...

Rayyan (Master's) considers himself a professional couch surfer. Having grown up and traveled the world, he’s learned to appreciate the beauty in our global diversity. He’s super biased toward innovative institutions, attending both Quest University and Minerva. He’s now exploring how AI can impact decision-making sustainability; he’s often found debating life over a long meal or napping in an air...

Bentley (M24) is a Chinese Canadian who spent his teenage years getting lost in the sauce of hustle culture. After experiencing a quarter-life crisis accelerated by COVID-19, he chose to leave behind his safe career path at his old university to join Minerva.

In this episode, we explore the power of transformational experiences with **Hannah Newman** and **Mike Wang**. Hannah has devoted her career to creating life-changing experiences, from leading international education programs and shaping Minerva’s first-year student experience to developing innovative healthcare education systems at Guild. For her, working at Minerva was a rare opportunity to ali...

Mandy Nguyen is a Bay Area-born artist and the daughter of Vietnamese refugees. She's currently a podcast producer and science journalist at Vox but feels most herself when she is dancing, gardening, and exploring the great outdoors.

Robert Karl, a historian with a passion for foraging—whether it's for wild food or hidden stories—specializes in modern Latin America and the Caribbean. His book “Forgotten Peace” is a debate starter on Colombia’s peace process, both in the US and Colombia. When a Minerva student first met him in person, they immediately said, “You’re just as tall as I imagined!” (6’1" inches/210 cm)

As a multi-cultural, forever curious, dog and book-loving person, Daria loves to spend her time in the clouds. There she tends to find inspiration for a future painting or short story. When with people or dogs she loves a good hike, bookshop stroll, or museum trip.

Levy Odera was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. He enjoys equipping youth with knowledge, skills, and experiences for doing meaningful development work that improves human wellbeing. He does so at Minerva University and in an organization that he founded known as Systems Acumen for Youth-Led Development Solutions (SAYDS). He loves spending time with his family, playing soccer, and coaching child...

Hanaka claims herself as a M22 when she wants to be that cool kid and M23 when she wants to give off wholesome vibes. She's a Japanese girl who's currently stuck in San Jose, pursuing her best grandma life with no IG, no clubbing, and no makeup. Find her on Messenger OR hanaka.saito@uni.minerva.edu

Tawo was put on Earth to make words move like butterflies and earthquakes. She is dynamic and so bright - carrying a deep joy that comes from loving God and people. She has a bad habit of romanticizing everything and starting failing streaks of vegetarianism. She is the funniest person she knows.

Braydon Rutherford comes from a little flat in the heart of Pinetown, South Africa. Every week, he would wash cars with his friends in this block of flats to be able to buy a pizza at the end of the week, where they would sit around and share stories, eating the fruits of their labour. This formed his love for storytelling, and he wishes to share stories of his humble travels with you, dear listen...