Random Acts of Knowledge

Selling a house is a major life event. Any seller wants to get the maximum dollar and get it quickly. What some realtors know is that little things can make a difference when it comes to selling a house. Staging the home for sale can be the best way to help prospective buyers picture the property as their home. Realtor and designer Adrianne Cornejo shares some tips and tricks for sellers to keep i...

Ayurveda is an ancient practice with historical roots in India. Practitioners of Ayurveda seek a healthy body and mind by finding an internal balance, following the direction of the natural world. Ashlesha Raut is a Vaidya, or Ayurvedic Doctor.  She discusses the basic principles of Ayurveda and how some of the most basic activities like sleep and diet can lead to an imbalance of holistic health....

A challenge to the Central Illinois ecosystem has been a dwindling number of Monarch butterflies. These migratory creatures play an important role in the ecosystem. Identifying changes in the local habitat is key to the survival of Monarchs.   A large part of restoring the environment for Monarchs to survive is educating the public on the need to cultivate milkweed, a plant that has been demonized...

First generation college students often have undertaken a long journey to achieve their educational goals before they even attend their first day of college classes. Even after they take their first step with beginning a college career, first generation students face unique challenges. Two first generation students discuss how the Heartland Community College Project RISE program helped them gain s...

The path towards women’s voting rights in the United States was long and entangled with other movements including abolition and prohibition. On the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote in the U.S., we take a look at some of the activists who engaged in the long battle for women’s voting rights. Some of these women were even at odds with each othe...

The characters of Marvel Comics have taken over the big screen. But Spiderman, Iron Man and the Hulk began their journey on the page through some savvy business decisions. The impact that Marvel comics has made on popular culture began with some good timing and some smart business and artistic decisions. View the transcript here.

During the COVID-19 pandemic many things taken for granted, like being able to visit a barber or a hair salon, weren't available. For some the availability of professional hair care is something that is often a problem outside of pandemic times.  Ethnicity can play a role in the availability of good hair care.  Not all hair is the same, and depending on where one lives, finding someone that unders...

One in Five American adults experience a mental health problem every year. But not that many seek treatment for mental health problems.  And the reluctance to seek help to maintain mental health is more pronounced in men. Why men are less likely to maintain good mental health practices can have a lot to do with culture, stereotypes and “toxic masculinity.” Social pressures can come even more into...

Both healthcare professionals and patients themselves have to surmount communication hurdles when discussing health issues. A long history of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people has created unspoken barriers in our healthcare system. Dion McNeal, Founder of Hopeful in Victory, discusses the stigmas and the issues that LGBTQ+ patients face, including those like himself who are living with HIV. Vie...

Not everyone one reaches their full potential on their own.  We need a little guidance, sometimes in the form of instruction, or mentoring. And then there is coaching.   Be it an athletics coach, career coach, or life coach, knowing just the right nudges to give can make the difference between success and a lack of success. Academic advisor Julie Navickas  teaches coaching workshops to help coach...

Creativity can sometimes thrive in adversity.  Isolation can lead to deep thought.  But not always. During the Coronavirus pandemic some people are spending more time alone. Others are looking for quiet time. Either way, it’s a new routine, which might be an opportunity for those looking to kick-start some creative writing.   Zeke Jarvis has some tips on tapping into the creative process while she...

As the COVID-19 pandemic threatens our bodies with respiratory illness, the measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus also can take a toll on our mental well-being. The prolonged public response to the pandemic has upended the daily routines of nearly everyone in America. Kids are home from school, adults are either sheltering in place or working at a heightened risk as essential employees...

Traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress plague a number of veterans returning from war zones.  Although progress has been made in how we treat these effects of war, many vets find it hard identify these lingering injuries and aren’t always sure how to seek treatment. This was the case for Richard Casper when he finished his service in Iraq and began to restart his civilian life by going...

Dr. Seshanand Rao is the co-recipient of the 2020 Heartland Community College Distinguished Alumni Award.   When Dr. Rao came to the United States at age 20 he wasn’t on a path to become a medical doctor. His journey to medical school went through the Clinical Nursing Assistant program at Heartland Community College. Dr. Rao discusses his path from the C.N.A. program to becoming an M.D., and how c...

Getting from point “A” to point “B” is a little easier when you have a map.  But there isn’t a GPS to assist when the path is to attaining college degree or a dream job. That’s where setting SMART goals can help.  SMART stands for Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.  Another tool to navigate the steps of those goals is visualization. Continuing Education workshop instructor...

Many parents are finding themselves sheltering in place to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus.  Kids are home from school, preschool and daycare.  Adults are working from home. Child Development Specialist Michelle Ruestman discusses ways parents can keep their kids learning and developing while staying at home.  View the transcript here.

Maintaining a work/life balance is a struggle even under normal circumstances.  But when working from home, focusing on work – and creating time away from work – is a real challenge. With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping more people inside in Spring of 2020, the home space is turning into the workplace, even if we don’t prefer it that way. Success coach and wellness trainer Lisa Summers shares some t...

Living organ donation is one of the most personal choices one can make.  Some become donors to help a loved one. Others make the choice simply because they know that there is a person, somewhere, who might not survive without a volunteer willing to make this donation. In 2019, there was only 1 living donor for every 16 in need of an organ transplant.    Four living donors, each who work at Heartla...

Wilma Copeland lost her sight later in life and worried that she'd never be able to achieve her educational goals. Not only did learning braille allow her to study at college, she is now teaching others sighted and non-sighted in the course Braille: Not Just for the Blind. Wilma talks about how she found her way back to education in this interview with Oumaima Bouhlna. View the transcript here.

Douglass High School in Festus, MO, near St. Louis was the first segregated school in the area to offer the 11th and 12th grades to black students. As Douglass gave African American students an opportunity to complete their secondary education, teachers, attorneys and activists used the legal system to seek equity in the area’s schools and colleges. Dewhitt Bingham looks at the civil rights legacy...

With the art installation MURO, two artists are using their backgrounds living and working as global citizens to re-think the idea of walls and tribes.  The gallery installation physically separates the viewer from the art. The artists, David Dow and Jim Neeley, discuss what it felt like to build a wall and populate the community on the other side. View the transcript here.

Equal access to education has been a struggle that has improved only in fits and starts. Even when schools became integrated there were unaddressed barriers that kept many students separate with only the impression that they were equal. The McLean County History Museum examines the Central Illinois history of equity in their exhibit “Challenges, Choices, and Change: A Community in Conflict.”  Part...

Before the pious begin to fast for Lenten season, Fat Tuesday provides one last chance to indulge. And the pious and less observant both love the foods that are associated with the Louisiana home of Mardi Gras: New Orleans. The Big Easy is a melting pot of European and African cultures. As such, the traditional food of Fat Tuesday have origins from around the world. But you don't have to be in New...

We all love a quick fix. The popularity of fad diets is one example of our desire to see an easy and rapid solution to the perceived problem of weight. Studies show, however, that most diets don't work in the long run. A dietitian weighs in on how to ditch the diet and still be healthy. One surprising suggestion: don't always avoid junk food. View the transcript here.

The workplace is not always a harmonious environment. Not all employees get along. Some issues can be disruptive to individual projects or the whole. Showing up late. Incomplete work. Body odor. From misunderstandings that come from well-meaning co-workers, to recurring performance issues, managers often have to deal with some touchy subjects. How does a manager approach a difficult conversation t...