Quaker Success: Redefining What It Means to Succeed
Quaker Success: Redefining What It Means to Succeed
Podcast Description
Quaker Success is a podcast hosted by Salem High School (Ohio) alumni Craig Berger '02, Aaron Berger '05, and Ed Butch '02 in partnership with the Salem High School Alumni Association. Each episode consists of a conversation with a Quaker alum that touches on their SHS memories, personal and professional experiences since graduating, and whether they believe they have achieved success.
In the first season, each guest was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by their classmates during their senior year.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes of nostalgia, personal development, and success, featuring episodes that delve into the guests' high school experiences and how they have shaped their lives. Examples include Bo Rottenborn discussing his numerous involvements in high school and Dr. Peter Apicella addressing the intersection of medicine and technology during his student years.
Quaker Success is a podcast hosted by Salem High School (Ohio) alumni Craig Berger ’02, Aaron Berger ’05, and Ed Butch ’02 in partnership with the Salem High School Alumni Association. Each episode consists of a conversation with a Quaker alum that touches on their SHS memories, personal and professional experiences since graduating, and whether they believe they have achieved success.
In the first season, each guest was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by their classmates during their senior year.
In our second episode of the season, we speak with Dr. Sylvia Torti from the Class of 1986. Sylvia is an ecologist, novelist, and higher education leader who currently serves as President of Westminster University in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her career has taken her around the world, from conducting ecological research in the rainforests of Central Africa to leading colleges and universities in the United States.
In our conversation, Sylvia reflects on growing up in Salem as the daughter of a beloved local pediatrician who immigrated from Argentina, and describes a childhood filled with freedom, exploration, and time spent on her grandmother’s farm near Canfield. Sylvia shares memories of attending McKinley School, playing tennis, participating in student government, and developing an interest in other cultures through Salem High School’s international exchange programs. We also learn about her decision to spend a year in Denmark following graduation, her experience attending Earlham College in Indiana, and how a single ecology course transformed her plans to become a physician and set her on an entirely different professional path.
Sylvia then takes us through a remarkable journey that included studying tropical biology at the University of Utah, conducting research in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and finding herself caught in the outbreak of the Zapatista uprising in Mexico–an experience that eventually inspired her first published novel. We also learn about the unexpected turns that led her from scientific research and creative writing into higher education administration, including eleven years leading the Honors College at the University of Utah, becoming President of College of the Atlantic in Maine, and eventually returning to Salt Lake City to lead Westminster University. Along the way, Sylvia reflects on the importance of curiosity, the value of relationships and a liberal arts education, and why success has less to do with professional titles than with living a life that aligns with one’s values. We hope you enjoy!
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