Carving Your Own Path with Nesreen Ezzeddine

On this episode of How to Student, Sarah interviews Nesreen Ezzeddine, a senior in the University of Michigan's LSA Honors Program studying political science and co-founder of the Michigan Democracy Institute for Civic Engagement (M-DICE).

Nesreen shares lessons from her journey from being in her words, a "borderline teenaged delinquent" who decided to enroll at community college to a top-notch Honors student at Michigan. This includes a discussion on failure, help seeking, imposter syndrome, and her experience as a transfer student.

M-DICE  is a student-led non-profit organization working to increase political and civic engagement in community affairs among students through education. Click here for more information.

For more information about Optimize, visit: https://www.optimizemi.org/

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This is a presentation by Packard Street Productions.

On this episode of How to Student, Sarah interviews her older brother, Aaron Renberg.

Aaron is currently an MD-PHD candidate in the University of Michigan’s Medical Scientist Training Program. He also has a Master’s in Biomedical Engineering and a Bachelor’s in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Michigan. 

Sarah wanted to bring Aaron on to the podcast since he has been in successful in school for 19 straight years and  is one of her biggest mentors. Though the competitive middle child in her hates to admit it, she feels like she learns something valuable nearly every time they interact, and she wanted to share that chance to learn from Aaron with others. 

On this episode they will discuss Aaron’s path to medical school, the strategies from NASA he uses to better manage his time, the things Aaron has taken from sports psychology to improve his test taking, Imposter Syndrome, and more!

This is a presentation of Packard Street Productions

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On this Episode of How to Student, Sarah interviews Mel Sanders.

Mel just received her PhD in Chemical Biology from the University of Michigan. She is also a fierce  social justice activist and the co-founder of STEM in Color, an organization dedicated to supporting the success of underrepresented minorities in STEM fields through mentorship and strategic partnerships across both academic and corporate sectors.

In this episode, Mel will share her experience pursuing science as a black woman and the lessons she’s learned along the way. We will also discuss the integral role of conversation in social justice progress, how to find a good mentor, and the importance of being able to say no.

This is a presentation of Packard Street Productions

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Episode 11 of How to Student is all about ROOMMATES!

No matter where you go to college or what you study, there is a pretty good chance you will have a roommate at some point. For many people, this can be a big source of anxiety, so on today's episode, Sarah talks with her former roommates, Lily Johnston and Mary Reiber about all things cohabitation.

Lily roomed with Sarah freshman year in the dorm and they were later housemates. She is currently a senior in the Honors Program at the University of Michigan majoring in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience with a minor in History of Law and Policy.

Mary  roomed with Sarah sophomore year in an off campus apartment and is a senior at Michigan majoring in Environmental science with a minor in English. 

In the episode they discuss what makes a good roommate, strategies for proactively mitigating disagreements, and more!

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In the 10th episode of How to Student, Sarah interviews Liadan Solomon, a senior at the University of Michigan studying Public Health and the Executive Director of Wolverine Support Network (WSN).

WSN is a campus-wide non-profit organization that aims to create community and promote mental-well being through peer-led support groups. For more information, visit https://www.umichwsn.org/.

Sign up for a group here: https://www.umichwsn.org/join.

Liadan’s experience with WSN gives her a unique and valuable perspective about mental health on campus which Sarah was excited to have on the show.

In this episode, Sarah and Liadan discuss the importance of letting your interests drive your decisions when it comes to determining how to spend your time, how to better integrate self care into your schedule, lessons Liadan has learned from running a massive peer support organization, and a method to combat perfectionism they learned in class.

This is a presentation by Packard Street Productions.

In this episode of How to Student, Sarah interviews Dr. Mika LaVaque-Manty, a professor of Political Science and the Director of the LSA Honors Program at the University of Michigan.

A philosopher by training, Mika is a political theorist whose research interests focus on people’s sense of autonomy,  particularly when thinking about higher education. This has led him to explore the use of gameful learning in college courses and has largely shaped his approach to both student wellness and mentorship.

In this episode, Mika and Sarah discuss how to think about choosing a path when you have a number of competing interests, the importance of establishing structure in your life, and the benefits of gameful learning. They also explore what mentorship can look like in college.

For more information about Gradecraft, visit https://gradecraft.com/.
For more information about Atomic Habits by James Clear, visit https://jamesclear.com/.

This is a presentation by Packard Street Productions

In this episode of How to Student, Sarah interviews Dr. Sarah Jonovich, a clinical health psychologist at the University of Michigan, about health behaviors. They discuss their importance and  how to best make improvements. Dr. Jonovich also shares her recommendations for how to frame and manage anxiety. She brings a wealth of clinical experience to the podcast and provides a number of actionable tips. It's really the perfect episode to listen to as you approach a new semester!

To learn more about the field of Health Psychology, visit the American Psychological Association’s website.

For more information on the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Project Data that Dr. Jonovich discussed visit the CDC’s website.

This is a presentation by Packard Street Productions

On the 7th episode of How to Student, Sarah interviews Michael McMain.

Michael, a former Shipman Scholar, graduated from the University of Michigan LSA Honors Program this past May with degrees in economics, mathematical sciences, statistics, and philosophy. Yes, you read that correctly; he was a quadruple major. Michael also worked as a residence hall advisor,  Honors academic peer advisor, and Honors peer mentor while in college.

In this episode, Sarah and Michael discuss Michael's experience as a residence hall advisor, the importance of community and conversation in college, tips to promote inclusion, and the process of finding your own version of success.

This is a presentation of Packard Street Productions.

On the sixth episode of How to Student, Sarah Renberg interviews David Jevotovsky. David is currently in his MBA year of an MD/MBA program at New York University. 

He is also a brain injury survivor.

In this episode, David will share his insights into resilience, telling the story of how he went from being in a coma, unable to walk or talk, to returning to medical school and finishing the New York City Marathon less than a year after his accident.

He and Sarah will also discuss the importance of knowing when to ask for help, how to adapt your learning style through trial and error, the role of communal support in a meaningful life, and some of the other lessons they've learned through their experiences with brain injury.

This is a presentation of Packard Street Productions.

On the fifth episode of How to Student, Sarah Renberg interviews Joy Pehlke, a Health Educator, Lead for Student Engagement, and Wellness Coach at Wolverine Wellness at the University of Michigan.

Throughout the episode, Joy and Sarah discuss mindfulness and its use for students. They explore its role in building meaningful connections, navigating challenging conversations, and improving student mental health.

Listen for why mindfulness may be useful to you and easy ways to get started!

This podcast was produced by Packard Street Productions.