Tune in as season 6 comes to a close where we have a discussion with doctoral candidate BJ Durham. BJ is a doctoral student in the Counselor Education program here at NC State. His focus and interests involve counseling and being a therapist for athletes. In this episode, BJ talks about his time as a college athlete and how this experience inspired him to transition into the career he has today. Josh and BJ also talk about the challenges that he faced as an athlete transitioning from high school to college. BJ then goes on to talk about his research within athlete identity transition and why it is important to help eliminate the current stigma that is present when it comes to athletes seeking mental health counseling. Finally, Josh and BJ talk about the challenges associated with being a counselor, the challenges of being a PHD student, and the parts of the job that excites BJ the most. You don’t want to miss this episode!

Check out this episode where we talk with Jose Garcia Gonzalez about an idea of the future: Artificial Intelligence. Jose is a computer science major here at NC State and he talks about his research within artificial intelligence and how there are benefits and drawbacks in this unique field. Jose and Josh also talk about the difficulty Jose had getting accepted into the computer science program. Also, the guys talk about the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers and how this organization bridges the gap between Hispanics and STEM. Next, Jose talks about the JUNTOS organization here at NC State and he mentions how he enjoys contributing to younger high school students as he encourages Latino students to consider NC State for their future. Lastly, tune in to hear Jose’s pitch to high school students, in Spanish! Don’t miss this one!

Mathematician | Student | Philosopher. Etienne Phillips has great patience breaking down his research related to Multivariate Fibonacci-like Polynomials and other aspects of mathematics which fuel his passion for the subject matter.

Etienne is a Ronald E. McNair Scholar at NC State TRIO Collegiate Programs. The McNair program provides Etienne with connections and support to be accepted into a Ph.D. program which will allow him to achieve his goal of becoming a mathematics professor.

Etienne has gained national recognition "Etienne has gained recognition at NC State for his involvement in the math department, running clubs like the Society for Undergraduate Mathematics, and earning university awards like the Levine-Anderson Award for a top 3 score on the Putnam Mathematics competition at the university both years he participated in the exam. He has since gained national recognition for his research and academic efforts by winning the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship.

Etienne also shares his personal experiences as a homeless and housing-insecure college student, as he has already done for television and print media. Etienne’s strength to open up his home to television crews and be vulnerable in sharing very personal stories has impacted the local and national communities in their efforts to put an end to college student homelessness. He has played a crucial role in the development of the Housing Options for Students Today (HOST) program providing short-term housing and wrap-around services to college students in Wake County. To learn more about Etienne’s experiences as a homeless student and the HOST program: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/triangle-sandhills/news/2022/08/23/nc-state-student-overcomes-housing-insecurity-