Start and Go Annette Gomes S4E6

Alabama A&M University’s weekly one-on-one conversation with the people shaping our world. The host is Elvin Jenkins, Director of Electronic Media Communications/WJAB-FM.

This encore episode’s guest is Kelvin Wooten - a Grammy award winning composer, arranger, producer and musician from Huntsville, Alabama. He has collaborated with artists such as J. Cole, Earth Wind & Fire, Raphael Saddiq, Chaka Khan, Deqn Sue, Eric Essix and many more. He and Elvin discuss his time as a student at Alabama A&M, how he became a much called upon force in the music field, his experiences in the music business, his appearance on NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert” series, his advice to young people and his love for his hometown and AAMU.

Alabama A&M University’s weekly one-on-one conversation with the people shaping our world. The host is Elvin Jenkins, Director of Electronic Media Communications/WJAB-FM.

This episode’s guest is Antoine Mordican - Alabama A&M University alumnus, former engineer and now the CEO of Black Native Cultivation. His Black Native Farm, a certified hemp-growing farm in Bessemer, Alabama, produces organic, sustainable hemp. He is the State of Alabama Director for Minorities for Medical Marijuana and is committed to raising awareness of the medicinal uses of hemp. Mordican continues to experiment with all the benefits and forms of the plant and plans to process his own flower someday.

This episode’s guest is Leslie Ekpe - Alabama A&M University alumnus, former D1 volleyball player that attended on a full 4-year scholarship. She received her Master’s of Art from UAB and her MBA from Sam Houston University. She is currently a PhD. candidate at Texas Christian University. Ekpe was recently named the President of the Graduate Student Senate, the first person of color to hold this position. She is also a Fellow at the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) Center for Leadership and Social Justice, an organization committed to bridging the gap between  educational leadership and social justice.

Alabama A&M University’s weekly one-on-one conversation with the people shaping our world. The host is Elvin Jenkins, Director of Electronic Media Communications/WJAB-FM.

This episode’s guest is Kelvin Wooten - a Grammy award winning composer, arranger, producer and musician from Huntsville, Alabama. He has collaborated with artists such as J. Cole, Earth Wind & Fire, Raphael Saddiq, Chaka Khan, Deqn Sue, Eric Essix and many more. He and Elvin discuss his time as a student at Alabama A&M, how he became a much called upon force in the music field, his experiences in the music business, his appearance on NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert” series, his advice to young people and his love for his hometown and AAMU.

Alabama A&M University’s weekly one-on-one conversation with the people shaping our world. The host is Elvin Jenkins, Director of Electronic Media Communications/WJAB-FM.

This episode’s guest is Aqeel Glass - Alabama A&M University alumnus, current graduate student and National Football League prospect at quarterback. Glass played quarterback for the AAMU Bulldogs, leading them to a SWAC Championship and the HBCU National Championship in the spring of 2021. They discuss his matriculation at AAMU, his choice of a major, his pending Master’s Degree (May ’22) and his status as a prime prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft (April ’22). They talk about his chance to be the first HBCU player chosen as a QB since 2016 and some of the challenges he faces coming from a small college.

Noel Garcia - AAMU Alumnus and Founder of NG Distillery in Thornton, Illinois

Alabama A&M University’s weekly one-on-one conversation with the people shaping our world. The host is Elvin Jenkins, Director of Electronic Media Communications/WJAB-FM.

This episode’s guest is Noel Garcia - Alabama A&M University Alumnus and the founder of NG Distillery.  They discuss his matriculation at AAMU, how he decided on becoming a small craft distiller of spirits and the challenges he has faced in the business. Garcia also comments on the assistance he has received from his friends and competitors in the field.

HBCU, Historically, Black, College, University, Alabama, AAMU, Elvin, Jenkins, Noel, Garcia, Distillery, Spirits, Tequila, Gin, Whiskey, Thornton, Illinois, Rum, Bourbon

Alabama A&M University’s weekly one-on-one conversation with the people shaping our world. The host is Elvin Jenkins, Director of Electronic Media Communications/WJAB-FM.

This episode’s guest is Jason Ethridge - Alabama A&M University Alumnus, Athletics Academic Advisor and Coordinator of the In-Game Experience for Athletics at AAMU. They discuss his matriculation at AAMU, his transition from business to education, his pending PH.D and the challenges he faces in his current roles in athletics.

Alabama A&M University’s weekly one-on-one conversation with the people shaping our world. The host is Elvin Jenkins, Director of Electronic Media Communications/WJAB-FM.

This episode’s guest is Thedis Bryant, Interim Director of Library Services and the State Black Archives Research Center & Museum at AAMU. Elvin and Thedis dive into the mission of the Alabama State Black Archives, it’s beginning, how it builds its collections and the future of the museum. They also discuss the role of the Drake Library and the adjustments it has had to make in the post-Covid campus environment.

Alabama A&M University’s weekly one-on-one conversation with the people shaping our world. The host is Elvin Jenkins, Director of Electronic Media Communications/WJAB-FM.

This episode’s guest is Jill Balch-Coon,  Alabama A&M Assistant Professor of Performance. She is an actor, director, teacher and a veteran of Broadway. Elvin and Jill discuss her introduction to performing, her education and training in her chosen field, her experience as a working actor on Broadway while living in New York, and what brought her back to Huntsville. She goes into detail about the “Bulldog Players” acting troupe and the revival of theater on the campus.

Alabama A&M University’s weekly one-on-one conversation with the people shaping our world. The host is Elvin Jenkins, Director of Electronic Media Communications/WJAB-FM.

This episode’s guest is Annette Gomes, Alabama A&M Alumnus, Strategic Communication Planner and Writer with the Department of Defense and an in demand Voice Artist. They discuss her education, how Agriculture spearheaded her career in broadcasting,  and how she broke into the world of voice overs and narration.