Humans of Minerva

Klara Eriksson (M20) is a history and creativity nerd who recently moved back to her hometown of Stockholm, Sweden after years of self-imposed exile abroad. She is currently trying to figure out what it means to live her ""best life"" while obsessively sewing clothes, singing in operas about eels, and somehow during the down-time completing her masters. This episode was hosted by Ben Chen and edit...

Lucas Tambasco is on a mission to eradicate the sentence "I hate math" alongside the amazing Computational Sciences faculty at Minerva. But Prof. Tambasco's life is not only math, he loves playing guitar, chess, learning languages, and traveling. His favorite part of Minerva? Meeting students and hearing their amazing stories. This episode was hosted by Gabriel Da Silva and Ang Li-Lian.

Mykhailo (M25) was born and raised in Ukraine. By enjoying learning physics, math, and computer science joined a community of the most talented Ukrainians - Ukraine Global Scholars. Data analytics and project management are some of Mykhailo's interests. He also engaged and continues to engage in public activism, especially with a focus on youth. He is waiting for the win in Ukraine against Russia....

Happiness Economist, Minerva Professor, and self described serious hobbyist, Robson Morgan is attempting to be a versatile human, much like a lemon is a versatile fruit. Bonus video of Prof. Morgan as a high school kid skiing + check out his awesome video editing skills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=048TCxOizS4

Mike Magee is President of Minerva University. Mike taught American literature and philosophy for a decade. In 2004, his book, Emancipating Pragmatism, won the Elizabeth Agee Prize in American Studies. He then went on two co-found and lead two successful non-profit organizations committed to improving public education in the U.S.  He moderates seminars for both the Pahara Institute and the As...

Antonia (M20) is a Northern Irish social justice advocate with an LLM in Human Rights Law from Queen's University Belfast and BSc in Social Science from Minerva University who uses her professional skills to pursue progress and systematic change. She's passionate about using her voice to influence legal reform and for human rights advocacy, especially in feminist & global migration-related iss...

Ara (M22) was born and raised in Armenia. When he was 12 he stepped into a new educational center, where he discovered many of his interests and started moving on a path of becoming a computer scientist. Along the way Ara was an exchange student in the Bay Area, participated in EducationUSA programs, and attended many hackathons. This episode was hosted by Julia Ip and edited by Lucille Glassman.

Nicole Levin (M25) is a 24-year-old Israeli. Having curiosity and open-mindedness are two of the defining values that have driven her to experience things outside of her comfort zone and live out of a suitcase for 6 years. Her long-term dream was to become a digital nomad and explore alternative lifestyles. That's something she's gotten to do by joining Minerva. She enjoys talking to strangers, sp...

Ada (M23) is a Nigerian whose sense of adventure brought her to Minerva and ever since then, she has made the world her campus, with about 5 violin teachers in 5 countries. Ada enjoys a good conversation, outdoors and meal-entertainment (learned that from her grandma). Ada is also a big fan of Westlife and can recite the entire album on karaoke night. This episode was hosted by Julia Ip and edited...

Katherine (M24) is a Taiwanese-American born and raised in Los Angeles! Some things that make her life better are vegan foods, playing/making music and art, making random friends everywhere (especially through very transparent and TMI convos), cuddling with animals, and enjoying life with her loved ones! This episode was hosted by (our new and amazing host) Gabriel Da Silva and edited by Lucille G...

Gabriel (M23) grew up in Brazil and had his life turned around by the educational opportunities he has had and because of that loves learning. From swimming lessons on youtube to teaching English in high school he tries to always be on the lookout for ways to grow and when possible facilitate growth for others. His guilty pleasure is reading about dating apps and sometimes getting into them as wel...

Emma (M25) is a 22-year-old Dutch. Independence is one of her most important values, which drove her to direct her own learning and become an education consultant before joining Minerva. Emma is ambitious (and sometimes impatient), loves organizing surprises for friends and is slowly turning into a coffee snob but that's okay. This episode was hosted by Leo Wu and edited by Ang Li-Lian.

Commonly described as a grandma-friend, Grace (M22, NS major) grew up in Minnesota and loves cooking, crafting and spending time outside. She is passionate about spreading appreciation of fungi as essential parts of creating our world and thinking about how we can build resilient, sustainable communities. A fun fact: squirrels hang mushrooms in trees to dry them so they can eat them later. To conn...

Between serving in the Korean military, attending another university, working, and finally ending up at Minerva, Moon’s (M23, SS Major) 5 years since high school has taken him around the world and put him in some unexpected situations. Known for his homestyle Korean cooking and being a teddy-bear-entrepreneur, Moon’s life so far is just as interesting as his name. If you want to get to know Moon m...

Alfonso (M22, CS major) grew up in Mexico and Brazil amidst the Cartel War. One of the most pivotal moments of his life was when he was a full-time missionary, where he discovered his passion for teaching and giving voices to underrepresented groups. Alfonso recently got married mid-Minerva and has since lived by his mother’s advice of taking your shot and giving it your all. To connect with Alfon...

Vlad (M25) has grown up in Estonia, loves freedom, and empowering people. But above all, he is someone always ready to give you a hug

Anna (M24) comes from Shumen, a small town in Bulgaria where she discovered her interest in ice-skating. She is passionate about social entrepreneurship and impact investing. Anna also loves getting lost on islands and is so grateful for the Minerva community!

This is Humans of Minerva: a podcast about the lives, wildest stories, and who Minervans are beyond being a student. We hope you enjoy!