In the season 4 finale of Voices of Western, Hossein is joined by Stephanie Curcio, CEO and Co-founder of NLPatent, a leading AI-based patent search and analytics platform. We talk about Steph's educational journey and her decision to attend law school instead of medical school. Along with learning more about the founder's journey in the early days of a startup, we also gain some insights into the fields of patents and AI. 🚀 Don't miss our 'Hot Takes' section, where Steph and Hossein discuss th...
May 17, 2024•53 min•Season 4Ep. 54
In today’s episode, Gregory is joined by Milan Mammen, a third-year BMSc student and our club president. Listen along as Milan offers her thoughts on Humans of Western, her hobbies, and the rewarding experience of being a student mentor. Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction 06:45 - Milan’s favourite podcast guest 08:19 - Go-to order at the Spoke 16:36 - Growing as a person throughout university 20:14 - Being out of date 29:43 - SRAs 35:00 - Getting into a productive mindset 40:23 - Favourite librari...
May 09, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 53
In today's episode, Hossein is joined by Bita Pejam, a seasoned community organizer with experience in public policy advisory and strategy. She earned her undergraduate degree in political science at Western and went on to get an MBA at McMaster. Her previous experiences include working on trade policy at the Department of Foreign Affairs, serving as a municipal economic advisor, and working as a management consultant in KPMG's advising division. She is currently the Manager of Operations and St...
Mar 26, 2024•49 min•Season 4Ep. 52
In today's episode, Emmanuel is joined by Sophie Bouquillon, a fourth year Psychology student at Huron, Senior Photo Editor at the Western Gazette and two-time nominee for Canadian University Press’ Student Photojournalist of the Year award. We explore Sophie’s passion for photography, her personal and professional aspirations and inspirations, and how her role at the Western Gazette has helped accelerate her photojournalism career. Check out Sophie’s portfolio: Website: https://www.momscamera.c...
Mar 19, 2024•38 min•Season 4Ep. 51
In today’s episode, Gregory is joined by Jen Jang, a third-year residence don at Delaware and a cello player. Join us as Jen shares her wide range of community involvement in EthnoUSC, Western heads East, TedxWestern and her work for SHAD! Timestamps: 00:00 - Start 01:20 - Jen’s commitment to the Cello and her involvement to Western Chamber Music 04:50 - Burnout and other challenges with learning an instrument 08:40 - Other clubs and commitments 10:22 - Involvement in EthnoUSC 12:50 - Involvemen...
Feb 27, 2024•33 min•Season 4Ep. 50
In today’s episode, Hossein is joined by Savio Joseph, an award-winning entertainer with over a decade of experience in the event space. He hosts engaging and memorable events through the use of magic, hypnosis, and mentalism. Chances are that you have seen him perform at Western during O-week or on a much larger scale, at Canada’s Got Talent (CGT) 2022 Finals on national television. We talk about his journey growing up, getting introduced to magic, behind the scenes of CGT, his outlook on life,...
Feb 06, 2024•57 min•Season 4Ep. 49
In today’s episode, Hossein is joined by Ben Jones, a seasoned startup leader and proud Ivey HBA graduate with a passion for helping emerging companies reach new markets and solve new problems. We cover insights into today’s hiring dynamics, what goes behind the scenes when working with Venture Capitals, and a deep dive into Ben’s side hustle projects and his experience running for the USC presidency during his time at Western. 🚀 Don't miss our 'Hot Takes' section, where Ben and Hossein discuss...
Jan 30, 2024•53 min•Season 4Ep. 48
In today’s episode, Gregory is joined by Elvy Arifaj, a second-year residence soph at Bayton and a water polo enthusiast. Join us as Elvy offers some philosophical insights on his approach towards balancing his life between school, sophing, and hobbies!
Jan 23, 2024•45 min•Season 4Ep. 47
In today's episode, Emmanuel is joined by Joshua Matthew, a third year Computer Science student at Western with the goal of being the best filmmaker ever. We dive into Matthew’s interest in film, his journey through directing different short films and projects on campus, and his overall goals and ambitions in the film industry.
Jan 21, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 4Ep. 46
In today's episode, Hossein is joined by Tareq Tayeh, a Western University alumnus currently working as a Senior Machine Learning Engineer at ModiFace. We dive into Tareq’s immigration journey from Kuwait to Canada, his Western education, Co-op experiences, and considerations for pursuing a Master’s degree. The conversation also explores real-life applications of AI and ML in skin health analysis primarily through a selfie picture, delivering surprisingly accurate results! 🚀 Don't miss our 'Hot...
Dec 05, 2023•49 min•Season 4Ep. 45
Have you ever wondered about the barriers that come between confirming a deadly disease in resource-constrained areas? In today’s episode, William is joined by Justin Yang, a first year Schulich Medical Student. We discuss Justin’s work and experience on initiatives designed to improve healthcare access in underserved and remote regions! We also explore Justin’s hobbies as he talks about his violin experience and his other interests.
Nov 28, 2023•36 min•Season 4Ep. 44
From studying at a professional school of dance in Toronto to advancing London’s Game Development scene, third year computer science student Cole Sweet has done it all! In today’s episode, Cole walks Emmanuel through all the exciting stops he’s made on his journey through Western and his education journey at large!
Nov 21, 2023•47 min•Season 4Ep. 43
In today's episode, Hossein (our host) is joined by Geoff Seeman, a 2018 Western University alumnus currently working as a Senior Product Manager at PartnerStack. Today, we discuss Geoff's journey from doing a semester abroad in France to pursuing a fellowship program at Venture for Canada, landing a role in a Tech startup, and pivoting from Customer Success to Product Management. You will also learn how to stand out in your career and find growth opportunities. 🚀 Don't miss our 'Hot Takes' sec...
Nov 14, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 42
In today’s episode, Gregory is joined by Kieran Porter, a 2nd-year BMSc student and residence staff. We discuss Kieran’s many exciting hobbies—including rescue scuba diving, outdoor rock climbing, camping, and getting his pilot’s license! Kieran shares his thoughts on flying and what alternative career choices he’s considered. Kieran also shares his mindset for exploring the outdoors and the takeaways that he’s gained from these experiences for the future. We additionally chat briefly about the ...
Nov 07, 2023•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 41
On the hunt for creative motivation? In today’s episode, Emmanuel (today’s host) talks to Miles Obilio (3rd year Western student) about exploring the London creative scene! From struggling to figure out what to do at Western to producing his own zine project, Miles has lots of experience navigating his creative endeavours. Find out how you can break into London’s creative scene and listen today! Here a few ways to catch up with Miles: Instagram: @milesmolasses POC are Punks Too zine project @poc...
Oct 27, 2023•47 min•Season 4Ep. 40
In the season 3 finale of Voices of Western, Hossein is joined by Juanita Lee-Garcia, a Western alumnus passionate about lifelong learning. She pursued two Fine and Studio Arts degrees at Queens and Western and an Adult Education and Community Development degree at UofT. Juanita started her career in retail sales and eventually transitioned to leadership roles within impact-driven organizations like @Venture4Canada and @upsidefoundation, two organizations transforming the Canadian entrepreneuria...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 11
The sun’s shining, the birds are chirping, and the school year’s coming to an end. On today’s episode, Ria and Milan walk us through some highlights from the year, with a special round of responses from our followers. There’s something in today’s talk for everyone, so be sure to give it a listen! Sending over a whole lotta great energy for any exams or future plans you have coming up, Mustangs! ✌🏽Ria and Milan, signing out for a last time
Apr 12, 2023•22 min•Season 3Ep. 11
In today’s episode, Emmanuel and Rose talk to two lovely guests: Kim Solga and Rakshana Ramesh. Kim is a professor at Western, while Rakshana is one of her students. Together, they talk about the importance of creativity and how to implement it in courses even in quite rigid disciplines. Enjoy today’s episode by learning about the different projects they are taking part in and the importance of putting aside time for creative play. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:02 - Guest Intros 7:19 - Rakshana’s P...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 11
In today's episode, Hossein is joined by Nathan Kennedy, a Western alumnus and a content creator with over half a million social media followers. You may have come across @natenewmoney’s Personal Finance videos on Instagram, Tiktok, or Youtube and learnt something new about money management and investing from his educational videos. Today, we discuss Nate’s journey with Personal Finance, how he made the decision to leave his Full-time stable job for his side hustle during the pandemic, and his t...
Mar 28, 2023•54 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Want an exclusive sneak peek into what it takes to run as the USC president? Well, you’re in luck! Today’s episode gives us all a chance to better know someone you’ve seen around campus a lot these past few months, and will surely be seeing more of next year. It’s none other than Sunday Ajak, the University Student Council (or USC)’s incoming president for the 2023-2024 school year. From learning about his journey, experiences, and presidential bucket list to testing his ability to guess how man...
Mar 20, 2023•58 min•Season 3Ep. 10
As tax season rolls around, Emmanuel and Rose are reminded that adulting is not easy. In this episode, the two co-hosts talk about how they navigated adulting throughout their undergraduate degree. Topics like moving out and budgeting were discussed. Hopefully this short podcast episode feels relatable and convinces you that the Grad Club is the best place to eat on campus! Happy listening <3 Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:20 - Taxes! 4:00 - Transitioning from Rez to Off-Campus living 8:50 - Budg...
Mar 13, 2023•23 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In today's episode, Hossein is joined by Susy Martins, an adventurous Western alumnus who enjoys being part of the Western community and giving back even years after graduation. Susy’s journey includes a lot of early career international work across Europe and Latin America and working for big corporate companies across multiple functions. That journey came in handy once she transitioned to Chief People Officer roles in Tech unicorns and had to manage global teams. After spending time in both th...
Mar 06, 2023•53 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Career choices, rescue dogs, teaching philosophies, boxing; we cover it all on today’s episode, where we are joined by Dr. Sarah McLean. Among her many roles, Dr. McLean is one of four faculty members leading the Interdisciplinary Medical Sciences (IMS) module at Western, and is deeply involved in various co-curricular and curricular community outreach programs across London. Learn more about what it takes to weather the twists and turns associated with figuring out an academic career, how tradi...
Feb 24, 2023•51 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In today’s episode, Emmanuel and Rose are joined by Nourhan Ali, a proud small-business owner and third year biology student at Western. Nourhan runs her own crochet business where she sells all sorts of things, from smaller accessories and trinkets to full on tote bags. We discuss her crochet business origin story, as well as how she developed her own crochet community on campus, through crochet circles and running crochet events in London. Nourhan shares her takes on how to form meaningful fri...
Feb 14, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In today's episode, Hossein is joined by Tim Lade, a Western alumnus who graduated with a B.A Honours degree in Film Studies in 2006. During his time at Western, Tim was greatly involved with initiatives that made student life more fun. He was a Residence Council member, a soph, a Residence Advisor at Saugeen Maitland and Essex Hall, and a volunteer with Foot Patrol. These experiences served him well when he decided to start his career as a Residence Life Coordinator and he has been on that jour...
Feb 06, 2023•41 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In today’s episode, Emmanuel and Rose are joined by Rachel Macaulay who is a proud Western alumna. She graduated with an English literature degree in 2012 and now works as the director of communications and external relations at Brescia. They discuss the different job positions Rachel had over the years, and how liberal art degrees are in fact not useless. You will learn that your degree is what you make of it, no degree is pointless. Each one has tangible skills that can be learned and can be i...
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 7
Secret study spots, ITR, modules. If I was to guess which 3 words uni students say the most ( especially during second semester), those would definitely make the list. On today’s episode, two of our co-hosts (Milan and Ria) share what university life is like, from the perspective of a second-year and fourth-year student. From daily schedules, suggestions for choosing your program for next year, to stress-relieving activities, you’ll be sure to find something that’ll come in handy for second seme...
Jan 24, 2023•27 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Ever wonder why engineers wear an iron ring? Or whether Ivey students are really as competitive as they seem? Stay tuned for today’s episode, where we unpack the perks of pursuing a combined degree in Engineering and Ivey with Chris Mohan. Nearing the final home stretch of his combined degree, Chris offers a fresh perspective on how he’s navigated the best of both (seemingly polar opposite) worlds. Later on, Chris spills the tea on how to leave a memorable impact in any extracurricular role, and...
Jan 16, 2023•42 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In today's episode, Hossein is joined by Nathan Ho, a Western alumnus who graduated from Western in 2008 with a degree in Kinesiology. Soon after graduation, Nathan decided to relocate to Hong Kong to start his Sales career and learn a new language. The overseas adventure allowed him to thrive in a new environment and stay there for over a decade before returning to his hometown, Toronto, to pursue more impact-driven opportunities. This experience also proved to be a successful differentiator wh...
Jan 09, 2023•54 min•Season 3Ep. 5
In today’s episode, Emmanuel and Rose talk about the realities of the dreaded exam season. As upper-year Western students, they discuss their personal experiences with exams and how they deal with the stress of it all. This is a short and sweet podcast episode that hopefully feels relatable and sparks joy or perhaps motivation to do well in your exams. Happy Holidays Mustangs! Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 0:55 - Our exam schedule 3:03 - Mental health during exams 4:28 - Are we crammers? 9:29 - Exams...
Dec 22, 2022•17 min•Season 3Ep. 4
