As a freshman, Teddy Ellis ‘22 enjoyed guest speakers who came to campus to speak to students on a variety of topics. Some of these speakers were alumni—Ellis wanted more opportunities for students to connect with them, but recognized it wasn’t always possible for alumni to get to campus. During the fall of 2019, under the guidance of faculty sponsors Jim Kernohan and Matt Fishbein, Ellis launched Stang Stories (https://www.stangstories.com/) a podcast featuring interviews with alumni who share their stories with the broader Milton community.
Stang Stories was then expanded to an official student club, so other students could participate in the production of the podcast. So far they have interviewed nine alumni: Jim Meeks ’97, Kenzie Bok ’07, Tad Hills ’81, Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer ’87, Fred Melo ’84, Sid Raju ’12, Amy Kaufman ’04, Edward Cunningham ’94, and Farah Pandith ’86.
Although there were some challenges when the pandemic hit and the School was in hybrid learning mode, the students were able to manage their meetings and interviews over Zoom, and continued to interview alumni throughout the year.
Ellis said overall it’s been the best experience talking to alumni because “everyone has an interesting story, whether they are a known name or not, and the advice they give is great. We’ve really enjoyed the conversations.” Stang Stories plans to continue sharing more alumni stories this coming school year as “a source of learning, mentorship, and inspiration.” Interested alumni are encouraged to contact the students through the podcast website.
