Humans of Minerva

Our host Jules catches up with Minervans during the summer break by randomly calling them. Tune in to hear about the exciting things that Minervans were up to this summer - from hiking the width of England, being a summer tutor at Yale University, to working at a web3 start-up in Nigeria.

Meet Jeong Hwan (formerly M26), a Seoul-born daydreamer who believes in the power of spontaneous brain sparks. When not daydreaming, he is most likely headbanging to his favorite Miami Horror or Passion Pit songs, cycling next to Hangang River, or strolling around the city with his camera and tripod.

Lucille is an editor for the HOM podcast and is a Colorado-raised dirtbag who prefers sleeping outside to most anything else. She is a height-pursuer, starting from circus tricks to rock climbing and aspiring mountaineering. You can usually find her close to the soil searching for magnificent plants and fungi.

Hohen, Li-Lian, and Cyrus from M22 sit down to discuss what life is like a year after graduating from Minerva. How do they make friends? What does their support systems look like? What are the challenging things about being a Minerva graduate? What have they learned?

Growing up in Mexico, Natalia was incredibly close to her sisters, with whom she probably spent equal time laughing and arguing. To this day, she keeps in mind all the qualities she learned from them as she tackles new challenges away from home: most recently, a Master's in psychology.

Grigory (M25) is an aviation enthusiast. You might know that already, but what you probably didn’t know that giraffes are his favorite animals. Living in action is the way he approaches life. Whether running half-marathons, speaking four languages, or filmmaking under the rain, Grigory is passionately curious about the world around him.

David Levi, Minerva University's Civic Engagement and Partnerships Manager, found a place at MU because he never felt bound by national or cultural boundaries. With California, Mexico, Germany, China and Kazakhstan all being places he's called home, he's only two rotations away from a real Minerva experience! Luckily, though, he's already learned a lot, including how to ski, how to...

"Intellectual yet horny", "Timezone nightmare", "Feels like home". Love at Minerva can look like many things. Join Ben as he chats with Marlette (M20). Kira (M21), and Dilan (M26) about love and relationships at Minerva.

Emma's (M24) story began in Adelaide, South Australia. Since her days of working as a clown and decorating cakes, she has since become fascinated by tattoos and memoir writing. She believes that always present between the lines and throughout the chapters of her life is the power of art to nurture human connection and - as Robin George Collingwood (1938) theorises - enable one's emotional...

You’d have a tough time finding a story as complex and touching as Elysia’s (M26). On one hand, she’s an award-winning musician, open-water swimmer, and an apsiring YouTuber. But on the other hand, she’s had to overcome a nearly-fatal car accident, an eating disorder, and the challenges of Minerva life.

It's been one year since we started Humans of Minerva! Join us in this special episode to learn about how this initiative came to be, our wins and challenges, and where its going. Want to join our team? Fill out our interest form here: https://forms.gle/N65PnqiHX6dSKQA86

Bella is a non-binary Chicagoan with a love of D&D, crows, and their husband, who she met at a Minerva elevation event. Tune in to hear his thoughts on love, relationships, and soulmates.

Join Jack (M22) as he discusses some juicy hot topics like what he's doing in the real estate market with Stan Davis, why he's obsessed with bubbles, and a little bit about how he grew up which he has never publicly spoken to anyone about. Jack will also talk about working in tech, panther chameleons & more.

Jan Bartkowiak (M25), a 2-hour long reject from Minerva, has grown up in Poland, and loves start-ups, history, and mental arithmetic. A long-time advocate of both throwing himself into the unknown and ancient wisdom, Jan aims to rethink how some of the fundamental industries, like education, operate. Jan also loves chow chows, LEGO, and never turns down a fairy debate.

Jason Lindo serves as Global Director for Student Life at Minerva University. He specializes in approaches to global learning, as well as student development through the lens of experiential learning and socio-cultural theoretical approaches. He earned his Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership focusing in International Education. As a scholar-practitioner, Dr. Lindo is impassioned a...

Ambitious to say the least, Chloe (M22) never backs out from anything - unless it’s an outdoor hike. Her double major in business and computer science speaks volumes on how she takes on every opportunity to learn and grow. She aims to bridge finance and social impact through her current work on analyzing charities. Never in one place, just always moving forward. Find her on instagram @chloe_gabrie...

PART 2: We've released 50 episodes and we don't want to be strangers! Our team has expanded so much over the past year and we think it's time to share who WE are as humans behind the curtain of the podcast. There's no time for small talk - time to jump right in and get DEEP. Leo (host), Jules (host), and Lucille (editor) will be playing a version of We're Not Really Strangers and sharing some exci...

We've released 50 episodes and we don't want to be strangers! Our team has expanded so much over the past year and we think it's time to share who WE are as humans behind the curtain of the podcast. There's no time for small talk - time to jump right in and get DEEP. We'll be playing a version of We're Not Really Strangers and sharing some exciting Humans of Minerva updates!

Enes (M26) is a wanna-be thinker who cannot decide between CS, acting, philosophy or music. Trying to pass time by being a contrarian and arguing with passion. Despite having a broken spine and experiencing the back pain of an 80-year-old, he is still as adventurous as ever.

From the tender age of 10, Liberty was empowered to make big life decisions. As a kid, (and then at Minerva), she moved countries and schools frequently. Now as a graduate, she's digesting the impact of impermanence, and the paradox of choice, as well as nervously finding her feet in a new career.

L (M22) spent her childhood hoping for a visit from a Camp Half-Blood satyr but eventually grew tired of waiting. When not working or writing, she climbs mountains, tries new things, and (inevitably) gets lost. Her time at Minerva taught her that failure is a side effect of living.

Nikesh (M20) is a software engineer at an SF-based fintech company. He grew up in three different cities in Nepal before coming to Minerva. He recently started living a nomadic life, hopping between cities around the U.S. He enjoys watching/playing football, programming, solving puzzles, riding motorbikes, cooking and hiking.

Jon Wilkins is a theoretical evolutionary biologist and poet. After years of being buffeted around the intellectual ocean, he has washed up on the welcoming shores of Minerva, where he spends his time assembling metaphorical radios out of even metaphoricaler coconuts.

After the first semester of his second year in Seoul, Pelle (M25!) decided to take a gap year. The former M24 is currently volunteering for the climate justice movement - back home in the Netherlands. Pelle loves to share his enthusiasm about trees and mushrooms with high school students whom he teaches about biology and sustainability.

Svitlana (M22) grew up in Ukraine and embraced unknowns by participating in the US exchange program when she was 15. Following that, one of her greatest learning experiences was hitchhiking 10,000 km throughout Europe and having open conversations with drivers and couchsurfers. This taught her empathy and active listening, which Svitlana now actively uses while pursuing her passion of becoming a g...