Life's Classroom

For the first time Rudy does an episode with a current student of his. Rudy and his student Sophonie discuss how they both struggle with a fear of failure. They also discuss Sophonie’s podcast which she put on pause but plans to start again.

Brenda Morrison was a little girl in Jamaica with an engaging personality and a love for learning. When she moved to America, all that changed. Brenda talks with Rudy about what caused a shift in her personality and how Rudy’s class helped her return to who she was in Jamaica. Being that Brenda has been involved in many political campaigns, they also talk about her love for politics and the key to getting young people to vote.

Rudy talks to a Don-Dimitri, a former student who is living out his dream of being an actor. Don speaks about his favorite actors and directors, his favorite roles, his production company, and a myriad of other things involving the world of movies. They also discuss if Michael B. Jordan is an overrated actor. The conversation does go beyond film as they speak about Don’s bout with suicidal thoughts.

Rudy talks with Gabbi, a former student of his who was the first president of Food for Thought, a student organization that he created. They talk about Gabbi’s passion, which is the environment. They discuss climate change and other pertinent environmental issues.

Shela Jones is one of the most inspiring students Rudy has ever come across. She shares with Rudy that she barely graduated high school, however, Shela would later see the importance of receiving an education and first enrolled at her local community college in her mid-thirties. Shela is now pursuing her second master’s degree. She discusses her educational journey as well as what it has been like raising a son that has been diagnosed with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Despite the challenges she and her son have succeeded academically. Follow us on Instagram: @lifeclassroompodcast Twitter: @life_classroomEmail us at: lifeclassroompodcast@gmail.com

Covid-19 has unfortunately caused many families to suffer the lost of a loved one. It has also, however, brought some families closer together. The last several months have been the most time that Shari Lefton has spent with her son Jacob in several years. When Jacob took Rudy’s class, he was often joined by his mother who enjoyed listening to the class discussions. In this episode, Rudy speaks with them both about their thoughts on the class and how they’ve been coping with the new normal that the pandemic has created.Follow us on Instagram: @lifeclassroompodcast Twitter: @life_classroomEmail us at: lifeclassroompodcast@gmail.com

Rudy finally gets to talk to the creator of Life’s Classroom’s theme music, Marnino Toussaint.  Nino is an immensely talented rapper, singer, and spoken word poet.  He and Rudy talk about his many endeavors, including his teaching poetry in a South Florida prison which leads to a discussion about how those who are incarcerated are view by the guards in prison and society as a whole. Follow us on Instagram: @lifeclassroompodcast                             Twitter: @life_classroomEmail us at: lifeclassroompodcast@gmail.com

Daniela is currently a graduate student that plans on being a clinical psychologist. In this episode of Life’s Classroom, she discusses her interest in depression and suicidal ideation. She and Rudy discuss how it appears that Generation Z seem to battle depression more than previous generations and are more forthcoming about their mental health needs.Follow us on Instagram: @lifeclassroompodcast Twitter: @life_classroomEmail us at: lifeclassroompodcast@gmail.com

Jessica desires to become a police officer.  Though she has attempted to become a police officer more than once and has not yet reached her goal, Jessica is determined to keep trying until her dream is realized.Follow us on Instagram: @lifeclassroompodcast                             Twitter: @life_classroomEmail us at: lifeclassroompodcast@gmail.com

Rudy talks about reality television with a former student that worked for a company that produced a well-known Reality TV show. They discuss America's obsession over reality television and much more.

. In this episode of Life’s Classroom, Rudy speaks with Juan, a brilliant student who shares with him his mother’s powerful story. As he explains it, his mother did not anticipate living in America permanently, but there was a good reason as to why she did not return to her home country of El Salvador, as it was literally a matter of life and death. Juan and Rudy also revisit some of what Juan wrote while he was a student in Rudy’s class, which focused on the conscience of America.Follow us on Instagram: @lifeclassroompodcast Twitter: @life_classroomEmail us at: lifeclassroompodcast@gmail.com

On this episode of Life’s Classroom, Rudy takes a look back on the first 10 episodes of the podcast and shares some of his thoughts on the various conversations the podcast has featured thus far.Follow us on Instagram: @lifeclassroompodcast                             Twitter: @life_classroomEmail us at: lifeclassroompodcast@gmail.com

Abbyomi is a Christian. Many Christians are seen as a source of condemnation and are perceived as judgmental. Abbyomi recognizes this and knows that he too, once was very judgmental, however, meeting a group of friends who did not share his faith changed all that. Follow us on Instagram: @lifeclassroompodcast Twitter: @life_classroomEmail us at: lifeclassroompodcast@gmail.com

Tiffany is a Nurse Manager for a Cardiac Stepdown Unit at a hospital in Atlanta; which means she has had the tall task of leading a group of nurses during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Tiffany and I discuss her leadership style, her ability to rise above prejudice, the advantage of being an only child, and much more.Follow us on Instagram: @lifeclassroompodcast Twitter: @life_classroomEmail us at: lifeclassroompodcast@gmail.com

This is a unique episode of Life’s Classroom. I have two separate discussions with two former students of mine as we discuss George Floyd and the road to better race relations. One former student is Luc, who is a Black man that is trying to process the death of another unarmed black man. The other is Ryan, who is White and Hispanic and grew up in a home that had racist views which he too held, until he learned that the views of his family were ignorant.Follow us on Instagram: @lifeclassroompodcast Twitter: @life_classroomEmail us at: lifeclassroompodcast@gmail.com

Ashlee was one of the best writers I’ve ever had as a student. I was the first professor to tell her how good of a writer she was and encouraged her to think about pursuing writing as a career. She had me her last semester before graduating. Why was I the first professor to tell her how good of a writer she was? Did race have something to do with it? We discuss this and more.

James is someone that is passionate about growth. It is a key ingredient to his success, and it afforded the opportunity to work for the NBA and where he currently works, ESPN. Though he constantly works to improve himself, and has a never give up attitude, James has had to deal with self-doubt and a lack of confidence at different parts of his journey. We discuss how he was able to overcome the doubt he faced and more.Follow us on Instagram: @lifeclassroompodcast Twitter: @life_classroomEmail us at: lifeclassroompodcast@gmail.com

For Aleyah, being a child in New York during and after 9/11, having an Arabic name was not an envious position to be in. The bullying that she endured would lead her to shun her identity to the point of insisting on her being recognized by her nickname and not her name. But a high school teacher would eventually help her embrace her identity.Follow us on Instagram: @lifeclassroompodcast Twitter: @life_classroomEmail us at: lifeclassroompodcast@gmail.com

Zach is a Star Trek fanatic! I asked him to recommend a Star Trek episode for me to watch and he had me watch a two-part episode entitled “Past Tense”, which comes from the Deep Space Nine series. Though the episode was filmed in 1995, the premise of the episode takes place in San Francisco, in the year 2024. It turns out to be spot on about what is going on today. Zach and I speak about the episode and its relevance to the wealth disparity that America currently faces.

August 18, 2016 is a night that Toni will never forget. That is the night that her 18-year-old little brother, Jermiel, affectionately known as “Pop-C”, was murdered just days before he was slated to start taking courses at the same college where Toni was a student.

This student dealt with drug and alcohol addiction for several years. Through support, she entered the world of sobriety and became a college graduate. Her name is not revealed in order to protect her identity.

When we think of a young parent juggling full-time work and full-time school, we often think of a young mother. Antonio was a young father that challenged the narrative of the absent black father. While holding his newborn daughter in the hospital, he decided to go back to college. He speaks about the challenges and revelations that came with this difficult balancing act.

When it comes to life, we are all pupils. Life is the ultimate teacher. Life's Classroom serves as a reminder of this fact as educators and their former students have conversations about life. Powerful stories emerge and speak to the core of what it means to be human.