Voices of Santa Clara Podcast

Father Michael Engh is the president of Santa Clara, a position he has held since 2009. He’s on a wide variety of boards and committees both within the university and on several boards across the nation. Fr. Engh started out as a history professor, and spent many years at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. In this episode, we discuss Fr. Engh’s time working at the Dolores Mission in Los A...

In this show, I’m talking to four different students who studied abroad this past fall: Arelí Hernandez, Jahwala Johns, Alyssa Newman and Drew Descourouez. I asked each person why they chose their programs, how they adjusted to the culture, what their day-to-day life looked like and their biggest takeaways from their experience.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Naomi Andrews is a history professor at Santa Clara where she teaches classes on the history of gender, race and human rights. Dr. Andrews got her Bachelors, Masters and Ph. D from UC Santa Cruz in history, and wrote a book, “Socialism’s Muse: Gender in the Intellectual Landscape of French Romantic Socialism” in 2006. I took my Cultures and Ideas course for two quarters with her last year and...

Caryn Beck-Dudley is the dean of the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara. Prior to joining Santa Clara in 2015, she served as dean of College of Business at Florida State University for nine years. In her time at Santa Clara, she has worked to emphasize Santa Clara’s unique position as a Jesuit University in Silicon Valley. She is the first woman dean at Santa Clara, and was previously the fi...

Maya Ackerman is a professor of computer science at Santa Clara and creator of ALYSIA (Automated LYrical Songwriting Application), a software program that creates melodies based on user-inputted lyrics. She also wrote a book about her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, titled, “Running from Giants: The Holocaust through the eyes of a child.” Visit tryalysia.com to test the ALYSIA software for your...

Thomas Plante is one of the most incredible people I have ever met. Dr. Plante’s many titles include Augustin Cardinal Bea S.J. University Professor at Santa Clara, adjunct clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, Licensed Psychologist and owner of his own family vineyard. He has written 22 books, well over 200 journal articles and hundred...

Father Dorian Llwelyn joined Santa Clara as the director of the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education in 2016. Originally from Wales, he has lived in eight different countries and visited over 30 others. He speaks several languages including Spanish, French, Indonesian and colloquial Arabic, and has researched the intersection of faith, culture and nationalism.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/...

Bob Finocchio teaches the Introduction to Business course at Santa Clara and currently serves on the boards of five Silicon Valley companies. Finocchio worked at influential tech companies Rolm and 3Com in the 80’s and 90’s and served as CEO of Informix for two years before beginning the second stage of his career as a professor and start-up director. In this conversation, we cover why Finocchio c...

Bill Mains is the director for leadership and sustainability in the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara, and a well-loved mentor to many students. In this conversation, we cover how Bill made his way to Santa Clara and discovered his passion for leadership education. We get into a few of the programs he has helped run, including the contemplative leadership and conscientious capitalism course...

English professor Simone Billings has taught writing courses at Santa Clara since 1980. Dr. Billings has a fascinating family background and multiple teaching experiences abroad. She has also served on numerous committees at Santa Clara, published dozens of papers and co-authored a writing textbook. In this conversation, we cover Dr. Billings’ Fulbright scholarship running writing workshops in the...

Athena Nguyen is a senior public health and political science double-major. When not doing schoolwork, you can find her working in peer advising for the political science department, spending time with her residents as a community facilitator in the Sanfilippo residence hall, or catching up with friends and professors. In this conversation, we get into how she discovered her passions for political...

Dr. Chad Raphael is a communications professor and former chair of the Communications Department at Santa Clara University. Dr. Raphael has written dozens of publications on a wide variety of topics including politics, environmental ethics, media, education, and communication; and published his most recent book in 2014 called “Deliberation, Democracy, and Civic Forums.” In this broad conversation,...

In this conversation with theater professor Aldo Billingslea, we cover how he fell in love with theater, a difficult struggle with depression in college, his favorite shows he has performed in, and how acting skills transfer to other areas of life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Kathleen Maxwell brings her knack for storytelling and world travel experiences into her work teaching art history and researching Byzantine art at Santa Clara. In this episode, we get into some of her experiences traveling both in the U.S. and abroad, how she discovered her love for art, advice she has for students and the value of learning and working across disciplines. Hosted on Acast. See...

Sarita Stella Tamayo-Moraga has developed a well-deserved affinity from students for her calming presence and joyful laugh. Dr. Tamayo Moraga teaches a variety of religious studies courses and serves as the faculty director for in the McLaughlin-Walsh residence hall. In this conversation, we cover Dr. Tamayo's personal faith journey, her career plans in college, meditation, religious tolerance, he...

Phil Kesten is a professor of physics and the associate vice provost at SCU. In addition to his physics pursuits, he coached rowing as a graduate student at the University of Michigan, served as senior editor for a magazine called “Modern Dad,” and started an educational software business called Docutek. To listen to the full interview, visit voicesofsantaclara.wordpress.com In this conversation,...