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...
info_outlineShow 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 environment supportive and the students "good at doing school", which made his first year of teaching easier. He enjoyed working with the students, especially the boys in his dorm, and found teaching math more enjoyable than he expected. P.J. reflects on the differences between teaching at a private school and a public school.
Starting Walter Payton College Prep
P.J. discusses the creation of Walter Payton College Prep in Chicago. The school was designed to attract affluent and white families back to the city. P.J. and his partner, Doug O'Roark, started the math department and implemented common lessons and assessments. The school grew to become the most selective in Chicago, with a high percentage of students enrolling in college.
Challenges and Successes of a Principal
P.J. describes his current role as principal at Lake View High School and touches on what has made the school successful in addition to the challenges. The school serves a diverse population, with 85% low-income students, including refugees, and a high percentage of first-generation college-goers. P.J. emphasizes the importance of providing support and opportunities for all students. He shares the success of the school, with 75% of the class of 2024 enrolling in college, and explains what a principal does on a daily basis.
Leadership Evolution and Philosophy
P.J. reflects on his evolution as a leader, emphasizing the importance of believing in the potential of every individual. He shares his philosophy of focusing on what he can influence and being creative in his approach, and in how the school fosters growth in the students. P.J. discusses the importance of selecting teachers who love working with high school students and are committed to improving their practice, and the key factors he looks for when hiring teachers. He highlights the value of providing conditions for talent to thrive.
Math Circles of Chicago
P.J. explains the concept of the non-profit he started, Math Circles of Chicago, which provides math enrichment for students. The program offers one-day festivals, classes, and a math research symposium. P.J. emphasizes the importance of providing engaging and challenging math experiences for students. He explains the organization’s creative approach to supporting both the teachers and students with curriculum development, lesson planning, and workshops. The program has grown to serve 5500 students annually, with many Chicago Public School teachers participating.
Harvard Reflections
P.J. discusses the impact of his education at Harvard, particularly the course "Justice”. He mentions the influence of philosophy professors like Warren Goldfarb and the importance of skepticism towards big theories. P.J. reflects on the value of learning from roommates and classmates, which shaped his perspective and approach to life. He also mentions a class on 20th century classical music. He highlights the importance of community and collaboration in his educational journey. P.J. shares his final thoughts on the importance of providing opportunities for all students to succeed.
Timestamps:
03:18: Teaching at Phillips Andover
19:12: Starting Walter Payton College Prep
24:32: Leadership Evolution and Philosophy
36:19: Math Circles of Chicago
40:38: Impact of Harvard Education
51:17: Final Thoughts and Contact Information
Links:
Lake View High School https://www.lakeviewhs.com/
Math Circles of Chicago https://www.mathcirclesofchicago.org/
Featured Non-profit:
The featured non-profit of this week’s episode is brought to you by Dennis Murphy who reports:
“ Hi. I'm Dennis Murphy, class of 1992. The featured non-profit of this episode of The 92 Report is Glam Girl, the Global Local athletic movement. GLAM is a youth-led organization that empowers girls through sports by running service projects, advocacy projects, and sports and leadership camps in the US and around the world. Something as simple as not having a sports bra can keep female athletes from playing the sports they love. GLAM helps them stay in the game and partners with athletic directors to support entire teams. I'm so proud of my daughter Izzy for being one of the organization's founders. She currently runs a GLAM club at her high school. You can learn more about their work at GlamGirldotlife. And now here's Will Bachman with this week's episode.
To learn more about their work, visit: https://www.glamgirl.life/