Episode 153. Rana Dershowitz, A Career Driven by Passion from Sports Law and Public Policy
The 92 Report
Rana Dershowitz went straight to Harvard Law School after graduating in 1992, partly due to the economy and her love for learning. She describes her experience at Harvard Law School, including her role as a law school "old timer" in Cambridge. After law school, Rana moved back to New York and started working on Wall Street, initially hating the big law environment but appreciating the people she worked with. Entertainment Law at Madison Square Garden and onto Sports Law Rana discusses her career counselor's advice to explore sports law, which she had overlooked despite her involvement in...
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152. Eugene Kim, Pediatric Surgeon and Wine Connoisseur
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Eugene Kim shares his post-graduation journey staying in Boston to finish research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute which was part of his thesis and also laid down the groundwork for his own cancer research which he has conducted over the years. He credits his understanding of science to his time at Harvard. He also worked at the now-closed Love the Border Cafe. Eugene reflects on the valuable lessons learned from working at the cafe and describes the unique subculture of the cafe's staff, including the Brazilian kitchen staff and the diverse backgrounds of the waiters and...
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151. Jonathan Hughes, Consulting at the Intersection of Strategy & Conflict Management
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Jonathan Hughes talks about his career in consulting, starting with an economic consulting firm, Putnam Hayes and Bartlett, in Los Angeles. He mentions his connection back to Harvard through CMI (Conflict Management Inc.) founded by Roger Fisher and Bruce Patton, and his subsequent roles at Vantage Partners and BDO. The Career Path As a Consultant Jonathan describes his role at CMI, focusing on complex negotiations and business partnerships, and his role in helping to start the boutique firm, Vantage Partners where he spent around 25 years as a partner. He later moved over to BDO,...
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150. Steve Petersen, From Improv to Philosophy of AI
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Steve recounts his senior year at Harvard, and how he was torn between pursuing acting and philosophy. He graduated with a dual degree in philosophy and math but also found time to act in theater and participated in 20 shows. A Love of Theater and a Move to London Steve explains why the lack of a theater major at Harvard allowed him to explore acting more than a university with a theater major. He touches on his parents' concerns about his career prospects if he pursued acting, and his decision to apply to both acting and philosophy graduate schools. Steve discusses his...
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149. P.J. Karafiol, Chicago Public High School Principal
The 92 Report
Show Notes: P.J. shares the backstory of his name and how he became a high school principal. He studied simultaneously in law school for a JD and in the Philosophy department for a PhD at the University of Chicago. After realizing he didn't enjoy law or philosophy, he taught math at Phillips Andover and later in Chicago. He helped start a new public school, Walter Payton College Prep, and has been a principal at Lake View High School for the past 10 years. Teaching Chaos Theory and Math P.J. describes his experience teaching at Phillips Andover, including teaching chaos theory. He found the...
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148. Scott Cole, 50+ Jobs Worked Since Harvard
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Scott Cole describes his initial struggles at Harvard, dropping out after freshman year, and returning multiple times before finally graduating in 2012. He shares his first dropout experience, including a brief stint in California and a return to Harvard for sophomore year. He details his various jobs and adventures, including working at a car wash, landscaping, and a research assistant position at Harvard Forest. Working on a Ranch in Wyoming Scott thinks back to his days working at a ranch in Wyoming, where he learned cowboy skills and participated in cattle drives. He...
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147. Anca Miruna Achim, Teaching about the Past to Speculate about the Future in Mexico City
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Miruna studied art history at Harvard, focusing on Renaissance art. After taking a year off to travel and visit Romania, she decided to study Latin American Studies and Spanish and Portuguese at Yale. She found the graduate experience at Yale challenging, especially the sense of isolation that can come with graduate work when it is not socially or politically involved. Miruna began traveling to Mexico for her research on colonial Latin America, focusing on the intersection of history of science, literature, and ritual. Teaching History of Science Miruna moved to Mexico City, where...
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146. Franklin Habit, A Long and Winding Yarn
The 92 Report
Show Notes:Franklin Habit talks about working in higher education administration (and elsehwere) before eventually finding happiness in his current profession within the fiber arts. He discusses some of the blind alleys he explored, including museum work, opera stage directing, web design, and online marketing. Building a Career in KnittingFranklin shares how he learned to knit from a veteran knitter and classmate, Eliza Lake. He describes how his blog about knitting took off, leading to a book deal and a career in teaching and writing. Franklin recounts the early days of his blog,...
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145. Diego Fonstad, Educational Toys and Ed Tech Tinkerer
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Diego kicks off the conversation with a quick review of his career path, which included working at a business school in Barcelona, consulting in biotech and healthcare, and working as product manager and product running product groups. He then went back to business school. He talks about his job at the business school in Barcelona and what prompted him to take it. He explains that the opportunity arose through a professor he knew, and the timing of the 1992 Olympics made it hard to resist. He shares his insights on Catalonia's cultural differences and the importance of knowing...
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144. Kellie Doucette, Unexpected Journey: Pink Sand Beaches to New Jersey Politics
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Kellie Doucette describes her journey as zigs and zags, with three distinct chunks defined by her location: Northern Virginia, Bermuda, and New Jersey. She worked for a small health policy consulting firm called the Lewin Group in Northern Virginia, DC, where she met her future husband, John Doucette. A 13-Year Stint in Bermuda Kellie, an actuary, began her career in the Bermuda market after taking the actuarial exams. She and her husband moved to Bermuda in 1996, and they enjoyed the adventure of visiting family on the East Coast and raising their children there. The reinsurance...
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Reverend John H. Finley starts the conversation with a nod to family connections and some good news. He also mentions working at the Unilu Shelter, and how it was a transformative experience for him. Throughout the conversation, the importance of recognizing and valuing the contributions of individuals to the institution is mentioned.
The Priesthood and Nativity Prep
John describes his experience working at the shelter and how it led to the decision to work with younger people. He decided to become an Episcopal priest, but the bishop wouldn’t ordain him since he was openly gay. After college he got involved in building a school and decided that he eventually wanted to open his own. John stayed at Nativity Prep for five years, living in a convent. After applying to Harvard Divinity School, a new bishop approached him and encouraged him to re-consider priesthood. After John applied to Harvard Divinity School, the same priest encouraged him to open a school. He spent a year at HDS, raising money, hiring teachers, and building a facility to start the Epiphany School. The school is similar to the first Jesuit school.
Becoming a Priest and Opening a School
John explains the difference between the Epiphany School and Nativity Schools. Nativity Schools serve low-income kids from homeless, abused, neglected, and poverty-stricken backgrounds, but they look for kids of academic promise and engaged parents, and John explains how this influenced how he structured Epiphany School.
In addition to opening the school, John also became a priest. He has a parish in Boston and is the summer pastor at Trinity York Harbor in Southern Maine, but his main job is running the Epiphany School, and he explains how it has grown with many locations around the world. It has also grown from a middle school to five components: the Middle School, Early Learning Center, Middle School, Graduate Support, Teaching Fellow Program, and Epiphany Impact.
After Epiphany and Extra Curricular Activities
John talks about succession planning and projects outside of running the school. He is currently a trustee of a college scholarship foundation that awards several million dollars a year in college scholarships. He is involved in a program that gives grants to people with projects, and he works with others who want to build schools, helping them replicate the Epiphany model. In addition to running Epiphany School, John also preaches, marries, baptizes, and buries people.
The Nature of the Epiphany School
John explains that the core principles of the school are non-merit based admission, tuition-free tuition, extended school days, and graduate support. The school also aims to move every family out of poverty while the kids are in the school. John emphasizes the importance of tracking every graduate every year to improve the program and understand where they are succeeding and where they could improve. He also emphasizes the importance of evaluating the efficacy of the school's interventions. He shares a story of a philanthropist who took 1000 boys at risk and provided 500 with free summer camp and weekend mentoring. John emphasizes the importance of looking at long-term outcomes and holding oneself accountable for social justice work. For Epiphany, 90% of its funding comes from private donors, and the school's graduates have an unemployment rate of less than 1%, whereas the national average is around 20%. This makes it a great way to attract investment and funding.
The Epiphany Investment in Families
John talks about the school's curriculum improvement system, which involves yearly assessments by outside experts and feedback from faculty. This Kaizen approach ensures that every aspect of the school is being evaluated and critiqued by experts. John emphasizes the importance of working with families, as studies suggest that 30 to 50% of Head Start gains are lost within three to five years due to perverse incentives in the social system. John explains how the school aims to help families, including offering an escrow program for families. This program grew out of the school's work on employment and helps families move towards independence from social programs. John also mentions that every child born in the Epiphany system receives a $3,000 or 529 plan, which is invested in a conservative mix of equities and bonds. This investment message is sent to families early on, ensuring that the funds are for their child.
Personal Values and Super Powers John takes stock of his good traits, including his ability to thank people. He believes that he has a decent work ethic and has a decent radar of what is feasible. John acknowledges that he has had an amazing education, including Harvard, Groton School, and a private elementary school. He has also been successful in cultivating a diverse group of people around him, with his team and founding teachers being with him for 20 years. John enjoys raising money and bringing resources to things, which has helped him sustain his success. John believes that his ability to lead by example are key factors in his success.
The Finley Family Legacy
The conversation turns to John’s family legacy and the role it played in his life and world outlook. His great grandfather built City College, a tradition that has been passed down through generations. He left Harvard with no debt and enough income to live a modest life. However, he faced pressure to find his passion and pursue his dreams. John's father encouraged him to pursue his passions, even when he didn't make any money. He eventually realized that he needed more time to pursue his passions. He now enjoys working with his former students and seeing them grow into happy, productive lives.
Social and Emotional Aspects of School
John discusses the importance of social and emotional aspects in a school setting, focusing on rewards for conduct and effort. They use a software program called Class Dojo, which allows teachers to track students' thoughtful choices and courage. This system is tied to parents' phones, allowing them to recognize their child's efforts. John emphasizes the importance of group therapy for all students, with 70% being in individual therapy. Therapists and teachers work together to ensure no one falls through the cracks. The school also has a group called the Brotherhood and Sister Sister, older graduates who provide social and emotional support to students. Another tool used is the holistic student assessment, developed with McLean's and MGH. This self-assessment helps teachers understand a child's progress on social and emotional issues and helps capture the child's heart. The school never gives up on a child, ensuring that they make the school work for them. This discipline is important as it prevents teachers from making excuses for not meeting the full needs of their students.
Influential Harvard Professors and Courses
John discusses his experiences with various individuals, including Carrie Welch, Peter Gomes, Memorial Church, and the Signet Society. He mentions that the shelter work at Harvard changed his life, as it gave him a sense of making a difference in the world. Many graduates of the shelter went on to interesting careers, such as Katia Falls, who founded a program called On the Rise, which works with women who don't come into the shelter because they don't feel safe. Another example is a recent college graduate who realized the need for a youth homeless shelter in Massachusetts and built a youth homeless shelter in Harvard Square. John believes that Harvard's advantages were ridiculous, but he hopes they are being used in different ways to do good things in the world. The book "Where Harvard meets the Homeless" examines the impact of the shelter work on many people's lives.
Timestamps:
03:13: John's Journey Post-Harvard
07:49: Establishing and Expanding the Epiphany School
14:56: Challenges and Successes of the Epiphany School
20:55: Social-Emotional Support and Financial Sustainability
44:53: Personal Life and Future Plans
47:08: Impact of Harvard and Shelter Work
Links:
Featured Non-profit:
The featured non-profit of this week’s episode is recommended by Julie Mallozzi who reports:
“This is Julie Mallozzi, class of 1992. The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is Brown Girls. Doc Mafia. Brown Girls. Doc, Mafia works to disrupt inequity in the film industry by nurturing, amplifying and investing in the creative capacity and professional success of its members. I've been a member of Brown Girls for several years, and find them very well organized and effective. They do a lot to support the documentary community, without huge resources. You can learn more about their work at browngirlsdocmafia.org and now here is Will Bachman with this week's episode.
To learn more about their work, visit: browngirlsdocmafia.org.