Catalyze
Education & Explainer
About
This is Catalyze, a podcast from the Morehead-Cain Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Inspired by our namesake chemist benefactors, Catalyze reflects the energy of transformation, action, and momentum. Each episode features conversations with Morehead-Cain Alumni and Scholars who are shaping their communities, industries, and the world. From formative moments at Carolina to career pivots, leadership philosophies, and personal values, we explore the stories behind the people who lead with character and purpose.
Episodes
- Meet the inaugural class of Morehead-Cain Global Fellows: Rotdalmwa Joan Dimka ’26 of the University of Jos and Eniola Hawawu Salawu ’26 of the University of Lagos
In this episode of Catalyze, Morehead-Cain Global Fellows Rotdalmwa Joan Dimka and Eniola Hawawu Salawu share their experiences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They discuss their backgrounds, academic pursuits, and how…
- Meet the inaugural class of Morehead-Cain Global Fellows: Disha Parasu ’26 of the Vellore Institute of Technology – Chennai
This episode of Catalyze features Morehead-Cain Global Fellow Disha Parasu, a computer science student focused on AI and machine learning. She shares her journey to UNC Chapel Hill, her experiences in the Global Fellows program, and how th…
- First class of Sophomore Selection scholars to graduate from UNC–Chapel Hill this May, Pt. 2 with William Cook ’26
This episode of Catalyze features William Cook ’26 discussing his leadership experiences and the historic graduation of the first Sophomore Selection scholars from UNC–Chapel Hill.
- First class of Sophomore Selection scholars to graduate from UNC–Chapel Hill this May, Pt. 1 with Clara DiVincenzo ’26 of Raleigh
Part 1 of a discussion with Clara DiVincenzo ’26, one of the first Sophomore Selection scholars graduating from UNC–Chapel Hill. DiVincenzo reflects on her experiences as a Morehead-Cain Scholar, highlighting her academic pursuits in biolo…
- SEVEN Talk by Randy Chang ’28: ‘A Remortgaged House, A Remodeled Tongue’
Randy Chang ’28, a mathematics and politics double major at Carolina, delivered a SEVEN Talk titled ‘A Remortgaged House, A Remodeled Tongue’ at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 19. SEVEN Talks are part of the Morehead-Cain…
- SEVEN Talk by Niman Mann ’18: ‘The Less I Know the Better’
Niman Mann ’18 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 19. Niman works in strategic finance at Zipline. About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain Scholars connects with seven others: the three classes…
- Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, with Wehazit Mussie ’26 on Professional Experience with the Clinton Health Access Initiative in Ethiopia
Welcome to Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, a miniseries by the Catalyze podcast that explores the transformative summers of the Morehead-Cain Program. In the Professional Experience summer , scholars begin to explore the transition from Carolin…
- SEVEN Talk by Ray Sawyer ’13: ‘Don’t Talk So Fast: My Southern Grandma’s Guide to Living’
Ray Sawyer ’13 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 19. Ray is the chief innovation officer at Primo Partners. About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain Scholars connects with seven others: the thr…
- Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, with Raina Sohur ’27 on Global Perspective in Mauritius, Paris
Welcome to Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, a miniseries by the Catalyze podcast that explores the transformative summers of the Morehead-Cain Program. In the Global Perspective summer , scholars design their own journeys around the globe to dig…
- SEVEN Talk by Robin Berholz Cory ’98: ‘Lessons in Humanity from Canada’s Bold Refugee Settlement Experiment’
Robin Berholz Cory ’98 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 19. Robyn is a partner and the founder of Colbeck Strategic Advisors. About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain Scholars connects with se…
- Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, with Prince Rivers ’28 on Civic Collaboration with Milwaukee’s Alive Foundation
Welcome to Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, a miniseries by the Catalyze podcast that explores the transformative summers of the Morehead-Cain Program. In the Civic Collaboration summer , teams of scholars embed themselves in cities across North…
- SEVEN Talk by Tonya Turner Carroll ’89: ‘Cracking the Code’
Tonya Turner Carroll ’89 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 19. Tonya is the owner and curator of Turner Carroll Gallery and Art Advisory. About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain Scholars conne…
- Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, with Kori Billingslea ’29 on Outdoor Leadership in Wyoming’s Wind River Range
Welcome to Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, a miniseries by the Catalyze podcast that explores the transformative summers of the Morehead-Cain Program. In the Outdoor Leadership summer , scholars spend several weeks in the North American wildern…
- SEVEN Talk by J.B. Howard ’85: ‘Life, examined’
J.B. Howard ’85 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 19. J.B. is a freelance lawyer and former counsel at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain Scholars conne…
- SEVEN Talk by Steve Toben ’78: ‘Setbacks and Advances’
Steve Toben ’78 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 19. Steve is the principal at Toben Consulting, an advisory service for donors and family foundations. About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain…
- Chief Magistrate Judge Karen Stevenson ’79: ‘Let us meet this moment with courage’
Who is on the horizon? At the 2025 Alumni Forum, Chief Magistrate Judge Karen Stevenson ’79 challenged the more than 700 attendees not to look for heroes to enact change. “Nobody’s coming. We’re it. All of us are it,” the alumna said at th…
- SEVEN Talk by Godspower Mercy Lawal ’25: ‘Held by Giants’
Godspower Mercy Lawal ’25 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. Mercy is the founder and past president of the African Students Association. About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain Scholars co…
- SEVEN Talk by Noam Argov ’15: ‘Side Quests and B Plots’
Noam Argov ’15 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. Noam is a writer, director, and producer with Bright Panic Pictures and an MFA candidate at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. About SEVEN Talks Ever…
- State of Morehead-Cain, with President Chris Bradford
Happy New Year! In this episode, Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford joins host Oni Terrado ’27 of the Scholar Media Team to reflect on an extraordinary year for the Program. Chris shares highlights from the 2025 Alumni Forum and the la…
- SEVEN Talk by Jesse Stone Reeck ‘05: ‘Small Things with Great Love’
Jesse Stone Reeck ’05 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. Jesse is the executive director of Northland Pioneer College Friends and Family scholarship foundation and a 2023 Morehead-Cain Impact Educ…
- SEVEN Talk by David Jernigan ’00: ‘Before the Eulogy’
David Jernigan ’00 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. David is the former CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain Scholars connects with seven ot…
- SEVEN Talk by Scott Heath ‘96: ‘Black Cassette’
Scott Heath ’96 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. Scott is a visiting professor of Africana studies at the University of Pittsburgh. About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain Scholars connec…
- Alumni Forum: Making sense of AI, with alumni experts from Galleon Strategies, OpenAI, Anthropic
This episode is a recording from the 2025 Alumni Forum of a panel entitled “Making Sense of AI, and the Revolution Reshaping How We Think, Work, Learn, and Relate.” The panel was moderated by Marina Chase Carreker ’03 , founder of Galleon…
- SEVEN Talk by Frances Seymour ’81: ‘Leaps of Faith’
Frances Seymour ‘81 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. Frances is a senior policy advisor at the Woodwell Climate Research Center and IPAM Amazonia. About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain…
- Breaking the rules in finance: Live recording with David Gardner ’88 of the Motley Fool and Mary Esposito ’26
Recorded live at the 2025 Morehead-Cain Alumni Forum, this episode of Catalyze brings together two generations of financial innovators. David Gardner ’88 , co-founder and Chief Rule Breaker at The Motley Fool, shares decades of experience…
- SEVEN Talk by Bill Bates ’62: ‘Miracle and Mystery: My experience with In-Vitro Fertilization’
Bill Bates ’62 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. Bill is the founding dean of the Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University. About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain Sc…
- Leading with intention, with Kristina Chapple ’22 of 11 Tribes Ventures
In this episode, Kristina Chapple ’22 joins scholar host Stella Smolowitz ’26 to share her fast-tracked journey from UNC–Chapel Hill to becoming a general partner at 11 Tribes Ventures , an early-stage venture capital firm investing in val…
- Why you shouldn’t miss the 2025 Alumni Forum, with co-chairs James Dean ’89 and Madhu Vulimiri ’14
Join co-chairs Madhu Vulimiri ’14 and James Dean ’89 as they share what will make the 2025 Alumni Forum this fall an unmissable event! This invigorating weekend is a chance to reconnect, learn, and grow with alumni from around the world. T…
- Investing in the future, with North Carolina State Treasurer Brad Briner ’99
On this episode, North Carolina State Treasurer Brad Briner ’99 shares about his new role managing the state’s financial assets. He offers insights into how North Carolina’s financial processes compare to other states; the importance of st…
- Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, with Elizah Van Lokeren ’25 and host Allyson Horst ’27
Welcome to Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, a miniseries by the Catalyze podcast that showcases Morehead-Cain seniors. The second edition of the series features Elizah Liberty Van Lokeren ’25, a professional photographer, small business owner, a…
- Senior miniseries: Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, with Nigel Parker ’25 and host Allyson Horst ’27
Welcome to Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, a Catalyze podcast miniseries showcasing Morehead-Cain seniors. The first episode features Nigel Parker ’25, a founding member of the Food for Thought breakfast and conversation series, the chief of st…
- Eight alumnae on was it was like to be in the first class of women Morehead-Cain Scholars
In 1974, a dozen women became the first female Morehead-Cain Scholars at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the same year the Equal Credit Opportunity Act was passed, granting women the right to open a bank account without a…
- Meet the Sophomore Selection scholars in the class of 2027
This past fall, fifteen students enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill joined the Morehead-Cain Class of 2027 through its Sophomore Selection process. Morehead-Cain launched this initiative in fall 2023 to identify so…
- State of Morehead-Cain, with President Chris Bradford
Happy New Year! Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford sat down with scholar host Stella Smolowitz ’26 to share what we’ve learned since launching the Sophomore Selection process and Morehead-Cain’s Community Standards, and what he hopes s…
- Scholar stories: Celebrating 50 years of the Morehead-Cain Summer Enrichment Program
As Morehead-Cain celebrates 50 years of the Summer Enrichment Program , we asked scholars to share a few of their highlights from the past year. This episode is hosted by Allyson Horst ’27 of the Scholar Media Team. First up, we hear from…
- Where the University is headed, with UNC–Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts
Lee Roberts, the thirteenth chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, sat down with scholar host Allyson Horst ’26 to share his vision for Carolina under his leadership. The two discuss the University’s strategic prior…
- Meet John Rose, Morehead-Cain’s faculty director for Dialogue and Discourse
Dr. John Rose joined the Morehead-Cain community this fall as faculty director for Dialogue and Discourse. The initiative is designed to enhance scholars’ ability to listen, discuss, and engage in contemporary issues. Rose speaks with Cata…
- So you’re thinking of taking a gap year, with Sachi Akmal ’28
Sachi Akmal ’28 visited campus during a break in her International Gap Year to speak with Catalyze host Allyson Horst ’27. So far, Sachi has traveled to ten countries over the span of nine months. From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with fello…
- Patton McDowell ’89 of PMA Nonprofit Leadership on the strategies that empower change makers in philanthropy
Patton McDowell ’89 is the founder and president of PMA Nonprofit Leadership . The firm provides philanthropic and organizational consulting services. Patton is also the host of the podcast Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership , a career deve…
- Nandini Kanthi ’27, CEO and co-founder of Sensible, on increasing women’s access to cervical screenings
Nandini Kanthi ’27 is the CEO and co-founder of Sensible, a startup that provides an affordable menstrual hygiene product that screens for cervical diseases. The diagnostic device uses naturally discharging menstrual blood. The scholar sha…
- Meet some of the new scholars through the Morehead-Cain Sophomore Selection Initiative
Morehead-Cain launched the Sophomore Selection initiative in fall 2023 to identify current sophomores at Carolina who have demonstrated exceptional scholarship, leadership, and character. Fifteen students joined the Program as members of t…
- Kevin Guskiewicz, UNC–Chapel Hill Chancellor Emeritus, on his legacy at Carolina
Today’s guest is Kevin Guskiewicz, the twelfth chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Food for Thought speaker at Morehead-Cain. The chancellor emeritus spoke with Catalyze as his final engagement on campus bef…
- Josh Lee ’04 releases Lucha: A Wrestling Tale
Most Morehead-Cain Alumni know Josh Lee ’04 as the co-founder of Green Top Farms , a farm-to-table catering and food service company based in New York City. But after the work day, you’ll find the entrepreneur in the South Bronx coaching g…
- Peter Hans, president of the University of North Carolina system, on the sustainability of affordable public education
Today’s guest is Peter Hans, president of the University of North Carolina system and a Food for Thought speaker at Morehead-Cain. On this episode, President Hans shares about how growing up in rural North Carolina has informed his work, h…
- SEVEN Talk, by Kartik Tyagi ’23: “Haste and Hustle”
Today’s episode is a recording of a SEVEN Talk from the 2022 Alumni Forum. This talk, given by Kartik Tyagi ’23, is entitled, “Haste and Hustle.” Kartik was the senior class president at UNC–Chapel Hill. You can watch all of the SEVEN Talk…
- Welcoming sophomores as new scholars, celebrating educators, and what’s ahead in 2024, with Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford
Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford sat down with scholar co-host Benny Klein ’24 to share about an initiative that welcomed more than a dozen sophomores from UNC–Chapel Hill into the Program last fall , recent efforts to celebrate and…
- From the class of 1985 to 2020: Quick takes with five Morehead-Cain Alumnae leading in consulting, tech, nonprofits, and government
Navigating leadership transitions. Tackling education inequities. Finding inspiration within cancel culture. Five Morehead-Cain alumnae share with Benny Klein ’24 about their entrepreneurship journeys from the worlds of consulting, tech, n…
- SEVEN Talk, by Tai Huynh ’20: “80 Days Around the Mustache”
Today’s episode is a recording of a SEVEN Talk from the 2022 Alumni Forum. This talk, given by Tai Huynh ’20, is entitled, “80 Days Around the Mustache.” Tai is a Chapel Hill Town Council Member and the co-founder and CEO of Acta Solutions…
- A friendship forged in the wilderness: David von Storch ’80
Today we have a story from Morehead-Cain Ambassador David von Storch ’80 about how he met his classmate, Andy Spencer ’80. It’s one of resilience, connection, and gratitude. It begins in the wilderness. The Morehead-Cain Day of Giving is t…
- SEVEN Talk, by Frank Bruni ’86: “We Are Starfish”
Today’s episode is a recording of a SEVEN Talk from the 2022 Alumni Forum. This talk, given by Frank Bruni ’86, is entitled, “We Are Starfish.” Frank is a Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy at Duke University’s Sanfo…