Holly Arida is an entrepreneur turned Cranbrook teacher, and now, a Director of a non-profit that is a talent pipeline for Detroit youth. Holly looks back at her 20 year storied career here at Cranbrook and her many partnerships at the school that led to exciting learning opportunities for teachers and students.

We will also hear from Jace Danielewicz CK'22 and Victor Berger CK'22, two co-founders of YouthTank Detroit, the social enterprise launched by Holly with students in her entrepreneurship classes to provide alternate career pathways for high school students in the city.

YouthTank is a startup incubator for high school student-led businesses in Detroit. In their after-school and summer programs, young entrepreneurs actually test their business ideas and flex career-ready skills though action-based learning. 

Aim High is a production of Cranbrook Kingswood School and is produced by University FM.

Selected Quotes:

A question to ask yourself when thinking about entrepreneurial idea 

24:11 - When thinking about the entrepreneurial idea you want to pursue, ask yourself, "What breaks your heart?" And what breaks my heart is when young people don't realize their potential. Because either, the system inequities, that goes for students with learning differences as well. A lot of different kind of inequities need an education built for them to succeed. And to have those opportunities to believe in themselves and stretch themselves. I think that's made a difference in anybody's life.

Clearing the way is a responsibility we all have. 

25:11 - Clearing the way is a responsibility we all have. Every young person, I fervently believe, deserves an education that works for them. And it's been great working with Cranbrook students to see that happen.

On doing work that brings people together

16:02 - Cranbrook was built out of the ingenuity and wealth of the city in many ways. We were wanting to draw attention to that connection. I think a lot of my work was about bringing people together that might not be together.

On the intentions of Youth Tank

29:40 [Jace ‘22] Our intention is to supply students in Detroit and kids in general with the necessary skills to be entrepreneurs. So, what is seen as the average path for people in our area is middle school, high school, then college, then get a job. And that average path doesn't work for every kid, especially every kid in Detroit.

About The Guests:

Holly Arida, Educator & Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Combining my entrepreneurial business career with my role as an educator, I've mentored thousands of students in real-world skills and leadership. Recently, I worked alongside industrious high school students to design of our new student-led business incubator: YouthTank.  

Our social enterprise operates at the nexus of community, business, innovation and education. We are grateful for the warm welcome we received in the city of Detroit. YouthTank is proud to partner with people and organizations who share our belief that the next generation are ready create, lead, and contribute to society, NOW. I am happiest when I am working with kids in my hometown of Detroit.  

Jace Danielewicz

Jace graduated from Cranbrook in 2022. He is currently at the College of Creative Studies, studying transportation design.

Victor Berger

Victor graduated from Cranbrook in 2022. He is a Business Major at the Miami University of Ohio. 

Working in a family business can be challenging. But when both your parents are entrepreneurs, its kind of inevitable. Jason Eddleston, business runs through the family. 

Jason was a state championship lacrosse player and Cranbrook lifer, and he is now the VP of Operations at the company his parents started in the 1970s Sterling Oil. He is also the current owner of Ray's Ice Cream in Royal Oak, Michigan, a staple in the community since 1958.

With host Robert Li, Jason talks about balancing work & life in a family business, how he got into world of ice cream, and how he manages these two very different companies. 

Aim High is a production of Cranbrook Kingswood School and is produced by University FM.

Selected Quotes:

Ray’s Ice Cream is a community-based business

19:13 - What I've learned a lot about Ray's business is that people, especially non-perishable vendors, are taking advantage of the business. And I wanted to bring my own team of people that I could depend upon. And would realize that this is a community-based business, and if you're working with us as a vendor, a contractor, or a supplier, then you need to understand that we're here for the community.

What keeps Jason going

16:57 - I enjoy the amount of knowledge that I consistently absorb on a day-to-day basis that helps me in running my businesses and helps me make the proper decisions to make sure those businesses are being run accordingly.

Taking lessons from Jason family’s business

29:04 - I realized that when you run a company, you have to work based upon the skills and strengths, and weaknesses of your employees or the other individuals in the organization on the same level. And going about trying to change how people work and do business sometimes can be very counterproductive to the whole. To this day, we work very well together, but we still don't always agree.

How do you know if you’re winning in business

18:08 - When it comes to the business world, winning is very subjective, but I feel like when you're taking something and expanding upon it and you're getting a lot of positive feedback from employees and from customers in the community, then I think you realize that you are winning and you are doing something very successful.

Reach Him At:

• Jason Eddleston on LinkedIn
• Sterling Oil
• Ray's Ice Cream

Debbie Calfin recently retired after spending 37 years teaching a range of grades at Cranbrook Brookside, with most of them spent teaching 2nd grade. 

Host Qadir Muhammad sits down with Debbie as she reflects on her career and time at Cranbrook: teaching elementary school through COVID, cultivating a classroom environment that stimulates growth, Grandparent’s Day, and shares some advice for the next generation of teachers. 

Aim High is a production of Cranbrook Kingswood School and is produced by University FM.

EPISODE QUOTES:

Demonstrating passion in teaching

11:47 - I think that I, as a teacher, had to demonstrate my passion for whatever we were doing. My investment in it, I had to be interested in it, whatever it would be, and bring them into it as well. And the other piece for my classrooms is always is the ability to know that they don't have to know everything right away.

The impact of teaching to the children

17:34 - Teaching may look easy, but it's not. But it's the best job you could have. To be able to spend time with children knowing that you are making a difference in their lives is huge.

One of the magical things about Cranbrook Brookside

27:07 - One of the other things that I love about Cranbrook Brookside is the yearly chapels and the plays that each grade level puts on. Because I've seen it myself where children that are very shy and not really confident start in the first grade, and by the fifth grade, they're often one of the leads of the play. And it carries over to their confidence in front of a group, you know, working collaboratively to put on the production doing the music. The fine arts teachers, especially the music and drama teachers, were just extraordinary in that way.

Give value first and lead with gratitude, always. That has been Arsh Shah’s motto when it comes to his adventurous career path.

So it's no surprise that Arsh has accomplished a lot since his Cranbrook graduation. In the last 11 years, he has already founded three companies, spanning the entertainment, entrepreneurship & tech industries (GlassLink, The Cr8 Group, /Six).

Arsh takes some time out of his hectic schedule to chat with host Robert Li about getting into the world of NFTs and blockchains, all of the sports and activities he was a part of here at Cranbrook, and we learn a bit more about the companies Arsh has started. 

Aim High is a production of Cranbrook Kingswood School and is produced by University FM. 

Reach Him At:

• LinkedIn
• arsh@glasslink.io
• GlassLink
• The Cr8 Group
• /Six

Selected Quotes:

On finding value in other people’s success

03:47 - Being outspoken has actually created humility because I've realized how fortunate I've been to have Cranbrook, one as a founding base, and two, like all of the academic and professional experiences that I've built, if there's anything I've learned from being able to lead teams, lead companies, and get into ventures, it's all about people, right? And I've put myself last. I've put myself last before teams. I've put myself last before peers because I think where I really find value is seeing other people succeed.

Scalability vs. Impact

16:33 - It's not about scalability. I would rather have an impact across a very small community and do something phenomenal for very few people that have less of an impact across a larger community.

Being selfless creates growth

27:29 - To me, being able to instill that potential in someone that doesn't see it in themselves yet, is really how I'm going to help. We do that with GlassLink™️. We do that for potential clients. And now I'm doing it for somebody that I'm mentoring. And so aiming high to me is, yes, one innovation, professional success. Hopefully, at some point, financial success. But being selfless, because that's what creates growth. That's what inspires people. And ultimately, that's what creates happiness.

Dr. Elizabeth Ryan is a sophomore history teacher at Cranbrook, and former Head House advisor for eight years.

Dr. Ryan was actually host Qadir Muhammad’s history teacher when he was a student! She sits down with him today to catch up and chat about her fav classes to teach, her class project on the history of feminism at Cranbrook, her journey to a teaching career, as well as teaching through Covid and getting kids caught up after those strange, virtual years.

Aim High is a production of Cranbrook Kingswood School and is produced by University FM.

About The Guest:

Feminist Thought Class Goes Back in Time

Selected Quotes:

School is about content and skills

18:14 - Some people really like to be lectured to and told information. Other people find that boring, right? Some people like the videos; some people don't like group work. One of the keys to me is to try and figure out for each student what they seem to like, what they seem to gravitate towards, and mix things up. I try to mix things up throughout the year, so we're not always doing the same thing. And I try not to give work that is superfluous. If I tell those students, if I'm giving you some homework, it's because I think you need it for either the content or the skill, right? Because that's really what school is about: content and skills.

32:05 - It's okay to fail. It's okay to do it wrong the first time to learn how to do it. You don't have to be perfect, but you certainly don't have to be perfect the first time you learn something.

Teaching is more than just grading papers

30:56 - Any teacher who loves teaching—that's what they'll tell you, right? It's not grading papers. I like lesson planning, but it's not lesson planning. You know, it's seeing your students do interesting things and become the people they are meant to be.

Developing your aesthetic judgment by asking the right questions

05:55 - The students are interested in things they can see around them, like impacting them at school, and sports tend to be one that most students have encountered. Something to do with gender and sports—I hear all kinds of interesting, weird things from these kids, but it's stuff that they experienced.

Daniel Jefferson is the founder of Black Brook roughly 19 years ago, which continues to function as Cranbrook's answer to a black alumni association He also served as a former Cranbrook African-American Awareness Association President.

Now a days, Daniel lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is an IT director at Charter Communications, specializing in database management. He also runs an entertainment business called Got Jokes.

He sits down with host Robert Li to talk about finding his place at Cranbrook, their shared experiences of finding and exploring identity on campus, and how Daniel learned to advocate for himself and others. 

Aim High is a production of Cranbrook Kingswood School and is produced by University FM.

About The Guest:

Daniel Jefferson is the founder of Black Brook roughly 19 years ago, which continues to function as Cranbrook's answer to a black alumni association He also served as a former Cranbrook African-American Awareness Association President.

Nowadays, Daniel lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is an IT director at Charter Communications, specializing in database management. He also runs an entertainment business called Got Jokes.

Reach Him At:

motownpride@gmail.com

Selected Quotes:

On learning to appreciate differences rather than trying to act like they don't exist

11:49 - When I talk about my Cranbrook experience, it evolved over time. You know, it was innocence, then anger, then some empathy, where I started to get better at understanding a little bit more of where we come to the middle, and my junior and senior years were probably the biggest for me because, living in the dorms, I eventually became head RA. I had conversations with people from all over the world; (12:34) I did a lot of listening, and then I realized the commonalities, and then my anger started to subside a bit. And then, it became more about understanding that there is power in being able to figure out what connects us, and even then, I had a stronger feeling of where diversity fits. Because it's not about saying that people are different, it's more so about appreciating differences than trying to act like they don't exist.

Opening Cranbrook’s door to more people of color

27:25 - One of the things that became very important to me, especially when talking to other students, and one of the reasons why I started Black Brook, is I wanted people of color who went through Cranbrook's door to feel like they had citizen ownership and that this was their place.

From uncertainties to building an effective community

29:05 - Building an effective community is to make sure that everybody has a voice. Under no situations, I felt like I didn't have control. I think the reason why I haven't done much after that is for those particular, is because they don't control me anymore. They don't defy me. There is something that I took, and I use it as power, and I use it to help people. So the outcome is great.

Growing up in Detroit, Kamau Williams ‘90 never saw himself at a place like Cranbrook. But with the help of the Horizons Upward Bound or HUB Program, he acquired a scholarship and spent the last two years of his high school journey at Cranbrook. 

He joins host Robert Li to chat about his first memories of stepping onto campus, finding his people at Cranbrook through HUB & 4A programs, memories from his time on the football team. and how his community supported him to keep pursuing opportunities at Cranbrook.

Kamau is a former physical education teacher and currently works for Delta Airlines. He also serves on the Cranbrook School Board of Governors in the HUB Governor Position. 

Reach Him At:

• Kamau Williams on LinkedIn

Selected Quotes:

Kamau’s first thoughts visiting Cranbrook auditorium as a kid

03:04 - You see the names on the wall in there of all the people with the academic pros from the thirties and forties and you're like, wow, what did they do to get their name up there? And it's all this beautiful wood and you see the stage. And that was my first impression, just shock and awe quite honestly.

Kamau’s advice to his former self and future students

16:30 - Be more fearless. Be a lot more fearless. You feel like something's wrong? Speak up a little bit more.

How he hopes to influence students through his new board position

21:36 - It's a grand opportunity to be seen and be that example for the students that are there and let them know, "Hey, a kid from Detroit who had no idea he'd ever be here is here." So no matter where you're from, you can do it. We’re here to support you mentally and physically.

While studying architecture at the University of Michigan, photography was just a hobby for Adam Wells. But it was while he was working at marketing job right after college that he realized this could be a full-time career.

But even before all that, Adam says his time at Cranbrook, where creativity and the arts are fostered, was a crucial starting point on the road to becoming a full-time photographer.

Adam Wells is an ex jock & Cranbrook hockey player, and currently works as a freelance brand narrative and lifestyle photographer, having worked with names like REI, Clif Bars, and Cotopaxi.

He joins host Qadir to discuss curating online portfolios & freelance work, analog vs digital cameras, and looking back on the nuances of Cranbrook’s architecture.

Reach Adam At:

• hello@adamjosephwells.com
• Adam Wells on LinkedIn
• Adam Wells on Instagram
• Adam Wells on Facebook

Selected Quotes:

Adam on his creative process

05:54 - I think that's the creative process, is just being comfortable in the uncertainty of trying to create something and hoping that it's gonna succeed. That your idea is gonna come to life in this beautiful fashion. 

On learning the tools of the photography trade

07:10 - The more developed that relationship is that you have with your tools, the easier it is to express yourself through them.

On his future & flexibility 

17:06 - I'm honestly really resistant to saying [photography] is something I'm doing for the rest of my life, because I'm still 30 and I'm hoping I've got a good 60 years ahead. And if at any point I feel like it's time to pivot and explore new things, I think it's great to keep an open mind and stay flexible.

Michael St. Germain (‘10) has been both in the Army Reserve as an army aviator for 860 Blackhawks and C-2 Hurons, as well as working for Google ever since graduating college. 

He is currently a product business development manager focused on Android automotive navigation and maps. Growing up outside of Detroit, he says the car industry is just in his blood.

Michael sits down with Robert to talk about his time in the Army Reserves and how it made him more grateful for time spent at home, the crutch of being too comfortable, boarding for 4 full years and how Cranbrook prepped him for life & crisis.

About The Guest:

Michael St. Germain has been both in the Army Reserve as an army aviator for 860 Blackhawks and C-2 Hurons, as well as working for Google ever since graduating college. He is currently a product business development manager at Google focused on Android automotive navigation and maps.

Reach Him At:

• Michael St. Germain on LinkedIn
• Michael St. Germain on Twitter

Selected Quotes:

Biggest takeaway from boarding at Cranbrook

14:01 - You naturally begin to make friends with each other. Cause you're all kind of moored on an island that's foreign to almost everyone. And so it's a big bonding experience for a lot of people. And I think I learned a lot about friendship and the importance of friendship through relying on each other when you guys, when you had no one else to rely on except your friends.

What excites you about your work at Google

01:21 - I think just building partnerships between leading edge technology companies like Google and what I might call legacy industries or older industries, where there's a lot of opportunity to use technology that's being developed in Silicon valley and bringing it to other parts of the economy is really exciting.

Do you fear failure?

24:51 - I think anyone who says that they don't fear failure is probably lying to themselves. I think the key though is that reminding yourself that if and when you fail, which everyone will. You have a track record of overcoming it. So in some ways failing more times makes you more confident about going through failure.

If you’ve seen The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Treasure Planet, or The Princess and the Frog, you've seen some of our guest’s writing work.

Rob Edwards is a screenwriter. After Cranbrook, he went on to major in film at Syracuse University, and is now living in Beverly Hills. He also works as an adjunct professor for Syracuse University’s Los Angeles program. 

He sits down with Robert and talks about the teachers at Cranbrook who inspired him to pursue his creative dreams, learning to read and appreciate literature at Cranbrook, tenacity, and collaboration in writing rooms.

About The Guest:

Rob Edwards has been writing for film and television for the last 30 years. He is an Emmy-nominated writer whose credits include Full House, In Living Color, Roc and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. His work in animated feature writing includes Disney’s Oscar-nominated The Princess and the Frog and Treasure Planet.

Reach Him At:

• Rob Edwards on LinkedIn
• Rob Edwards on Twitter
• Rob Edwards on Facebook

Selected Quotes:

Rob’s approach to screenwriting

15:02 - You should be delighting yourself all the way through it, and really making your own favorite movie. So that you yourself are crying when you see it. And you yourself laughing at all the jokes and you yourself are truly identifying with the story. If you've done that, if you've truly pleased yourself, then chances are, you've also pleased your friends and probably your family and by extension, you know, 500 million other people will have a similar experience.

How Rob finds the drive to keep writing

30:44 - That lure is always there for me. I want to die with my boots on, so I'm like -I love the challenge of new stuff. And, just seeing if I can break news stories. I love telling stories. I love breaking the structure of it.

On finding motivation at Cranbrook

26:32 - Everybody that I knew was super driven. You didn't find a lot of guys who would just give up on stuff. Everybody was really competitive and it was good for me.

Collaboration and drawing inspiration from your own history

18:44 - It's the joy of the process. It's really teamwork. Its best where you're kind of sharing souls in order to tell a really great story. Another fun thing that happens is, in order to get to those places, you wind up really sharing intimate stories about your own past. Why these things are important to you and why you want to tell the story in a certain way.

We’ve all ended up with some non profit swag. Whether its a tshirt or a totebag, its probably covered in company logos and mission statements, and something that stays in the back of our drawer. But what if the design was toned down, sleek, and something you actually wanted to wear on the day to day? Thats the mission behind CLOZTALK, founded by Jonny Imerman and his brother (both Cranbrook grads) in 2018.

CLOZTALK is branded apparel specifically for non-profits, in an effort to build a well-known brand and raise awareness for their missions.

Jonny joins Robert in this episode to talk about starting CLOZTALK, branding for non profits, B Corps, being class secretaries for their Cranbrook classes, and lessons hes learned from starting 2 organizations.

About The Guest:

Jonny Imerman is the class secretary for the Cranbrook class of 1994, and the co-founder of CLOZTALK, which designs branded apparel for non-profits. 

He also started Imerman Angels, whose mission is to provide comfort and understanding for all cancer fighters, survivors, previvors and caregivers through a personalized, one-on-one connection with someone who has been there.

Reach Him At:

• Jonny Imerman on LinkedIn
• CLOZTALK
• Imerman Angels

Selected Quotes:

Lessons learned at Cranbrook

That's also a lesson I think we learned at Cranbrook, is always service. I can remember a Cranbrook going into a senior living home and visiting people once or twice a week in the area, it was at Square Lake in Woodward, I still remember that. 

But you're always expected to do something for people outside yourself. And I think Cranbrook is awesome In that way, you have to do some community service. Because we all need to hopefully become the best people we can and always be thinking of others as you get older.

Changing careers after a cancer diagnosis

I was working in commercial real estate before, and once I got diagnosed, I just was like, I don't really care. And I don't really know how long I'm gonna live my life. And I just want to do something that I know makes the world better and makes me happy and make some real difference. It leaves a footprint.

Why branding is so important for nonprofits

We even argue that people who wear CLOSTALK apparel are happier. They make more friends, somebody asks about it, you're more connected. And you're just, you you're feeling good about yourself because you feel like you're volunteering when you're just going about your day as you normally would. It doesn't take an extra minute of your own time, right? Just to rock the cause. If you're wearing a t-shirt anyway, might as well rock it for a cause. 

Sports were a constant for Joey Files in school. He played basketball and football at Cranbrook and crew & football in undergrad.

Joey graduated from Cranbrook in 2015. From there he went to the University of Michigan where he also played football. After undergrad, Joey took up teaching for a bit and is now in his third year of medical school at Wayne State University.

He chats with Robert to talk about finding community through sports, watching the football program grow through his time on the team, the diverse mix of college walk-on athletes and getting into medicine.

About The Guest:

Joey Files graduated from Cranbrook in 2015. From there he went to the University of Michigan and is now in his third year of medical school at Wayne State University.

Reach Him At:

• joseph.files@med.wayne.edu
• Joey Files on University of Michigan Athletics

Selected Quotes:

On being a team captain at Cranbrook

You're always going to be invested. Its hard to participate in a team and to not be at some level invested in the shared goal, whatever that shared goal of the team is. But anytime you sort of are allowed that privilege of being a captain or being a team leader is sort of when, you like take that step back and you're like, wow, the rest of my team gives me that respect. Like they trust me that I'm going to take them in the right direction. 

Family legacies & football

Ironically, the rest of my family is Michigan State grads. I didn't grow up a huge Michigan fan, like obviously I am now. And so when I originally chose to go to Michigan, I sort of got some teasing from the rest of my family. Where they were like, “Really, you chose that school, out of all the other schools?” And then I got on the team and I was obviously ecstatic and my parents were like, “Well, we can't cheer against you now. Like you've made it impossible. We have to cheer for Michigan now.”

On teaching without much training

Just to keep kids that are attained is it is a hassle in itself, to actually try to teach them things is like a whole other battle.

When Blake graduated college, he moved to Chicago and was a volunteer at the Children’s Hospital his younger brother spent time at as a child with a congenital heart defect.

While making his rounds, Blake met so many incredible kids. And while many were sports fans, most had never been to a sports game. Blake knew this is how he could help these kids even more.

In 2002 he created Special Spectators, a non-profit creating VIP all-access game day experiences for seriously ill children. They will be celebrating their 20th anniversary this year!

Blakes sits down with Robert to talk about Special Spectators, the impact of players & coaches, and a bit about his junior & senior high school years at Cranbrook.

About The Guest:

Blake Rockwell is the founder of Special Spectators, a non-profit creating VIP all-access game day experiences for seriously ill children. He is a graduate of the Cranbrook Kingswood class of 1985. 

Reach Him At:

• info@specialspectators.org
• Blake Rockwell on Twitter
• Blake Rockwell on Linkedin

Selected Quotes:

Blake’s favorite part of Special Spectators games

Sometimes they serve as honorary captains for the game that they're attending. They get introduced to the crowd during a media timeout. Which is my favorite moment still, it gives me goosebumps after 20 years. So imagine, over a hundred thousand fans, giving these kids the loudest standing ovation of the game. It's just a really powerful moment. 

Not just kids are impacted by Special Spectators

I think that's a pretty cool place to be. Where you see a small child who is clearly going through a lot, medically, with a big, huge college football player. And each is being inspired by the other, but they don't realize that they're inspiring the other.

Life lessons he learned at Cranbrook

Not just the faculty and my coaches, but obviously, friendships that I made. The guys, who I'm still friends with (they're trying to shake me as much as they possibly can, but I track them down, unfortunately for them.) But the friendships that I made, living away from home, there are so many.

Steven "Chuck" Meng (‘16) was on the tennis team at Cranbrook. And in the span of just a few years, has graduated to running half Ironman races with the triathlon team at the University of Michigan. For reference, a half Ironman is 1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles of biking and 13.1 miles of running in a single race. 

Steven talks to Qadir about how he trains, using triathlons to stay fit and be a better overall person, his bucket list races and how what he eats to maintain this lifestyle (it's mostly rice). 

About The Guest:

Steven "Chuck" Meng (‘16) went to the University of Michigan and currently races triathlons in his free time and is a graduate of Cranbrook Kingswood High. He dreams of running a full Ironman race.

Reach Him At:

• Steven Meng on Linkedin
• Steven Meng’s Email

Selected Quotes:

Why triathlons?:

It's just wanting to prove to myself that I can be better. Like, I want to be a better person. I want to be better like mentally, I want to be better physically. And a triathlon is a great way to really hone both of those skills really well. I think the driving point now is to prove to myself that I can do this and I can do it well.

Looking for a challenge:

For me, a challenge of racing 70.3 might be the same as someone going out and running a mile. I think they're equally impressive in the fact that you are still forcing yourself to be uncomfortable. What I do sounds impressive of course, but I feel like everyone has their own fight and they're equally impressive on their own merits as well. 

Finding your peak:

I think the line for me is what I'm capable of. Is what I'm physically capable of. I am physically capable of racing a half Ironman. I am physically capable of running a marathon. It's not a question about whether I'm gonna finish. It's a question about whether I'm gonna finish pretty.

From the moment she heard David Attenborough talking about our world, Brooke Ballard (‘16) knew that working in film and documentary was her dream career. Nowadays, she's living in California, and working as an associate producer on Bravo’s hit reality TV series Below Deck Mediterranean and Below Deck Down Under.

Although the creative path isn't the traditional road after Cranbrook, Brooke says she took a lot from what she learned in her high school acting classes to her current producer role.

Qadir and Brooke met freshman year, and talk this episode about that first meeting, cool teachers, long high school schedules, working in a male dominated industry and where the creative arts fits in at Cranbrook. 

Reach Her At: 

• Brooke Ballard on Linkedin

Selected Quotes:

What Brooke learned at Cranbrook:

Cause that's what it was about. It wasn't math tests, it was an education on life and how to be successful.

Dealing with anxiety & discipline at school:

Cranbrook really helped me hone that in and figure out - You can't procrastinate anything at Cranbrook. It is done the day of, and you send it in as fast as you can, like it is go, go, go. And, it really helped me learn how not to procrastinate or if I were to procrastinate, do it really well, or how to work smarter, not harder.

Breaking out of the traditional Cranbrook path:

The advice that I would give people that are paving their own way and might not be a part of the norm is just, keep at it. There are so many people who don't follow that normal Cranbrook path and end up being extremely successful. 

That doesn't mean, if you're not in business and you're not a doctor or a lawyer, and you're finding yourself getting that 32 on the ACT, don't beat yourself up. That's not what you're meant to do, go and do what you want to do because at the end of the day, if you're not passionate about something, you're not going to be successful in any way.

When Qadir Muhammad was a kid, he had a list of things he wanted to be when he grew up, including inventor, movie actor and veterinarian. Slowly but surely, as he grew up he eliminated careers from the list, until veterinarian was the last one standing. 

Qadir is now working in Chicago as a vet tech, and applying to vet schools now. He will also be the new host of this podcast!

He tells us about his time in Maui caring for monkeys, dealing with heavy conversations and tough clients, microchipping your pets and his side passion of photography. 

About The Guest:

Qadir Muhammad is a veterinary technician working in Chicago, IL and host of the Aim High Podcast.

Reach Him At: 

• Qadir Muhammad on LinkedIn

Selected Quotes:

Wanting to be a wedding photographer:

[23:56.22] I think there's something beautiful about capturing a moment where literally everyone in the room, hopefully, is happy. 

What he's learned working in a vet’s office so far:

[15:40.48] I've always thought myself to be a patient man, but I'm learning that there are levels of patience that I have to discover. Working with animals, like you have to be patient with them in order for it to work. And you have to be patient with the clients too. 

That's what our Host Qadir Muhammad calls our guest. The physical embodiment of the word grit. 

That's because after graduating from Cranbrook in 2016, Anamika Shrestha (‘16) went to West Point Academy, training to become an officer in the United States Army, and just graduated in December 2021. She is currently a Second Lieutenant in the Army, training in Georgia at Fort Benning. 

Now, this isn't exactly the path that Anamika planned for herself, but it's the path Cranbrook prepared her for, where she learned that she shines in a structured environment. 

Qadir and Anamika catch up in this episode about being in the high school band together, what it means to be a leader, and her career path into the Army.

About the Guest:

Anamika Shrestha (‘16) was most recently at West Point Academy, training to become an officer in the United States Army, and graduated in December 2021. She is currently a Second Lieutenant in the Army, training in Georgia at Fort Benning.

Reach Her At: 

• Anamika Shrestha on LinkedIn
• Anamika Shrestha on Facebook

Selected Quotes:

On going to Cranbrook as a freshman:

[02:46.84] A school full of musically talented kids that pursue art and all these different things. No matter what you want to do, they have it for you at Cranbrook in some way, shape or form. So I was so excited just to be out of my small town, that's, it was just too small for me. I knew I wanted something more than that. And Cranbrook was just the perfect opportunity. 

On structure, and why she joined the Army:

[06:24.72] I knew a normal college, like, no, one's looking after you. You do exactly what you want to do and no one cares sometimes. There's no real supervision. But like, in the academies, there's a lot of that. And I think I definitely thrive in a structured environment. 

And I knew in terms of my childhood, my parents immigrating from Nepal. Like this country gave me a beautiful life and I definitely am so thankful for it. I felt like being in the academies and like going into service was like the perfect way to give back.

How Cranbrook prepped Anamika for the Army:

[12:22.26] It teaches you, you gotta grow fast and no one's there to help you sometimes and you gotta figure it out. And so that helped me a lot. I think a lot of things include confidence. Like even if you don't know the right answer, you just have to be confident in your decision. And I think Cranbrook prepared me for that.

During the economic downturn in 2008, Sean Gu's parents realized that their son's education was the best investment they could ever make. At that point, they decided to enroll him at Cranbrook and he received more than just an education. Sean reflects on Wilderness and other formative experiences with band, cross-country, and eventually weight lifting. 

In this episode, Sean talks about his experimentation with hobbies and building discipline. Join him and Robert as they discuss trying different things and finding direction in personal life.

About the Guest:

Sean Gu (‘15) is a talented guitarist, history buff, ballroom dancer, and weightlifter. When he’s not training for his next competition he’s working as a Software Development Engineer at Amazon.

Reach Him At:

• Sean Gu on LinkedIn
• Sean Gu on Instagram

Selected Quotes:

Cranbrook’s Role on His Weightlifting Journey

[00:09:28] I started going into the Cranbrook weight room. I think a lot of other guys can probably relate to that. You know, The ones who were also at Cranbrook. I remember seeing Jon Tenuta up there. And, he actually showed me the basics. I just started there and then I figured everything else out on my own. That's more or less how it started.

On Finding a Mentor

[00:16:17] What attracted me to weightlifting the most, in the beginning, was everything is under your control. Yes, there are other factors involved that could affect your performance —your coach, your teammates, or your training environment. But at the end of the day, if you put in the work, it's up to you. To do what you need to do on the competition platform like no one else can do for you. It's completely up to you… I think that is what attracted me to weightlifting because it was somewhat black and white in the sense. That, yes, it's hard, but all of it is within your control. You dictate the outcome, essentially.

Keeping True to Yourself

[00:20:56] If I could go back, pull my freshman year self aside and, sit him down and give him some advice, I would say, ‘Don't be pressured into doing things just because everyone else is doing it’. Because when we began our college journey after high school, there’s that image or perception of what college kids are supposed to do. What their experience is supposed to be like. I feel during my freshman year — being lost the way that I was — I went along and did many things that I didn't genuinely enjoy. Just because everyone else did it. I think looking back, I would say, ‘Obviously, you need to step outside your comfort zone and try new things’. But at the end of the day, if you genuinely don't enjoy doing something and you think that it's not like a good use of your time, don't be afraid to like, not do it . Even if, even if it goes against the image that's sort of portrayed of what your college experience should be. I think at the end of the day, you need to sort of muster up the confidence to decide what it is exactly that you want to do, as opposed to just following along and doing what the majority does.

In this episode, we're joined by Lizzy Xiong (‘15) as she recounts her love for music and photography, and lessons learned at Cranbrook. She reminisced about batch 2015's late-night projects and favorite teachers. Join her as she shares advice on balancing social life, studies, and adjusting to college life. 

About the Guest:

Having fallen in love with photography after discovering it accidentally, she continues to take photos to nurture her creativity. Visit her Instagram and Facebook page to see her amazing work. Elizabeth Xiong currently works full-time at Oracle as a program manager.

Reach Her at:

• Email: lizzyxiongphotography@gmail.com | 
• Elizabeth Xiong on LinkedIn
• Elizabeth Xiong on Instagram

Selected Quotes:

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

[00:11:13] I wish I had the mindset of “don't sweat the small stuff”. There are so many small things in high school, but at the time, you're young, and they feel like big things. So, I feel like it's very easy for those things to hold this massive grip on your life. Your day-to-day life at the time but it will pass. I think when you're young, you feel like it doesn't. And even now, I'm 23, sometimes it feels like it won't pass, but it does. So, I would tell my freshman year self, it will pass.

Your Life is Your Own

[00:12:54] Your life is your own. I think it's very hard when you're growing up in this community where they're trying to make you this young professional to take on the world. I think a lot of that, you start putting these pressures on yourself of like, “I need to do this club and I need to do well in this class. I need to impress all these people around me, and I can't let my parents down.” I mean, don't let your parents down, but I think, you can balance that. I think there's a lot of pressure to make yourself this perfect person at this age. I'm sure this is a life lesson that people are always trying to work on at any age of their life.

Cranbrook Friendships

[00:06:43] I felt like going through my pictures, my friendships have been the best thing about Cranbrook. When you're put into a smaller community, I think for some people, they might struggle with it. You know, being able to find their people in a smaller pool. But for me, it's easier to foster these relationships in a smaller group.

Finding Her Love for Photography at Cranbrook

[00:04:42] I didn't know I was going to get into photography… I was like, “Okay, let me just bring my camera to school. Like I want to try using it. I want to try doing something new.” And then it ended up that I was capturing these small happy moments in our day-to-day school lives. From there, it kind of just grew into all the photos that would be used for yearbook and newspaper and like my personal photo keepsakes. By the end of our senior year, I had captured our Cranbrook experience from like 10th grade to graduation.

From the long line of Cranbrook alumni in her family, Libby Post (‘15) shares how the school shaped her to lead a service-oriented life. It was her family's roots in education and the school's strong emphasis on multiplying resources to impact others that inspired her to pursue a career in social work. 

In this episode, Libby opens up about her passion for preventing violence and preserving humanity. She talks about the Peace Corps and Ceasefire Detroit, a community-based violence reduction initiative.

About the Guest:

The guiding principle of Libby Post's life has always been to serve others. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in arts and design, minor in community action and social change. She recently received her Peace Corps assignment to Botswana after working on the AmeriCorps Program. Although the pandemic paused this cause, she's currently working on a grant to help Ceasefire Detroit. Check out their amazing community initiatives on violence prevention!

Reach Her at:

• Email: elpost@umich.edu 
• Libby Post on LinkedIn

Selected Quotes:

Cranbrook Arts and Sciences

[00:10:09] I truly value the experiences I got at Cranbrook. I feel like I got to explore many different things. I think of myself as a jack of all trades, and I think that Cranbrook afforded me that opportunity because it invests so much in the arts and sciences. Getting to just try many things throughout my childhood, into middle school and high school, I want to be able to share what, I feel, would be one way of doing that is certainly through service.

Preserving and Protecting Humanity 

[11:37:07] When other people's humanity is not protected, mine is degraded too. I think that historically, there have been many communities that have had their humanity degraded in a deliberate and systematic way, and we are still dealing with a lot of repairs. I think that there are some general efforts to fight that history.

On Finding a Mentor

[00:18:07] When you find yourself connecting with somebody in your career, and if you like what somebody is doing, get to know them really well. Get to know how they got there, why they started doing things the way they do. I build that connection through observation. So, working directly with people who, I think, go about their work in a way that is appealing to me — those are the people who I want to be able to observe closely. And continue to see how they navigate different situations.