SPU Voices Sharing Stories of Successful Alumni and Faculty
Seattle Pacific University has a variety of programs aimed at helping students plan their future careers, ranging from the mentor programs through the Center for Applied Learning to the career development services provided by the Center for Career and Calling to a new approach through the podcast, SPU Voices.
SPU Voices is a podcast made by the Alumni, Parent, and Family Relations office to provide another form of this ongoing commitment.
“The best part of our job in Alumni, Parent, and Family Relations is sharing stories of alumni, faculty, and students who are using their time and talents to serve others and accomplish amazing things,” said Amanda Stubbert, the host of SPU Voices and director of Alumni at SPU.
“The podcast offers another and more intimate way to do that.”
Stubbert continued by stating how one of the benefits of podcasts is that they allow people to be anywhere in the world and still be able to listen.
The appeal of podcasts is what makes it possible to share poignant stories about the development of the careers of alumni and professors. This gives current students insight applicable to their current career goals.
“I think that the best thing this podcast can do for current students is show them that life stories don’t usually go the direction that you think it will when you were in your early 20’s,” the producer of SPU Voices Kyle Brown said.
Brown said that even those who have no career goals will be able to be successful because of their SPU education providing them the tools to have a lucrative career.
This certainly was the case with former alumni recently on the podcast, Laurra McGregor.
She, like many who have been on the podcast, has had an extensive career since graduating from SPU. What stands out though is that although she had no intentions to join the family business, in the end, she was drawn back to it now taking part in running Peterson Cheese.
SPU Voices also seeks to, according to Stubbert, foster understanding within the SPU community.
“Every time we sit down and share who we are with another human being, we get a bit more of the whole picture of humanity,” Stubbert said. “We hope to create these moments as a community and spark further conversation.”
This can be seen in the story of Stephen Newby, professor of music and the director of the Center for Worship and the Gospel Choir.
In his episode of the podcast, he talked about being raised in Detroit formed, and how it influenced his work as a professor. He sought to be a better teacher than those he had in his youth.
His upbringing in Detroit also impacted his perceived race and his use of music as a performer to bring about racial reconciliation.
This perspective encapsulates how the SPU Voices podcast hopes to spur a conversation within our community about who we are and why hearing these stories from alum and faculty is necessary towards building a students future career and life.
It is through both McGregor and Newby’s stories that SPU Voices’ goal of connecting generations can hopefully be realized.
“The world is changing and the marketplace is adapting at an unprecedented rate,” Stubbert said.
“We need each generation to see how much they can learn from each other.”
SPU Voices can be listened to at https://spu.edu/alumni/podcast or on podcast streaming services like Apple Podcasts.