Two Communities, Endless Possibilities is a podcast produced by the TAG tech program at Nashua Plainfield Middle School. Each episode will feature the unique life and career paths of former Nashua and Plainfield graduates. While each of their stories is different, they all share a common beginning in the towns we live in and the school we attend.
Wrestling Trailblazer: Nadine Ihde-Johnston (Plainfield '85)
For Episode 4 of Season 2, we interviewed 1985 Plainfield graduate and current Colorado Springs resident, Nadine Ihde-Johnston. She discussed her journey from a small town girl who began her adult life as a special ed teacher to her current job working for a tissue and organ transplant organization. She also revealed how she overcame roadblocks in her non-traditional rise to stardom as the first female wrestling official in the state of Iowa to work a boy's state tournament. You won't want to miss this episode.
14 Feb 2023
Liz Skilton, Ph.D. (N-P 2003): From History Day to History Professor
For Season 2, Episode 3, we interviewed former Nashua resident and 2003 N-P graduate Elizabeth Skilton. Liz is an Associate Professor of History, Director of Public History, and the J.J. Burdin and Helen Burdin/BORSF Endowed Professor in Louisiana Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She received her Ph.D. in History from Tulane University in 2013, an M.A. in History from Tulane University in 2010, and B.A. in both History and Sociology from Case Western Reserve University in 2007. Skilton specializes in the history of disaster and human response to it. She is the author of Tempest: Hurricane Naming and American Culture (LSU Press, June 2019); co-editor of Reimagining American Disasters: New Essays in Cultural, Political, and Environmental History (LSU Press, Forthcoming 2023); and the co-author of the textbook, The Louisiana Experience (Gibbs-Smith, 2016).
29 Nov 2022
Kevin Moses (N-P 2000): Building the Field of Dreams
Growing up in rural Iowa, 2000 N-P alumnus Kevin Moses had a love of the outdoors and baseball. After earning a history degree in college, the pull of Kevin's early passions sent him back to college, a career in turf management, and his dream job building and maintaining fields for major league baseball. Tune into episode 2 of season 2 to hear Kevin describe his journey from playing baseball at the Nashua fairgrounds to building the Field of Dreams.
10 Oct 2022
Becoming an Ag CEO: Kerryann (Mehmen) Kocher's ('99) Journey From the Barnyard to the Boardroom
For our 1st episode of Season 2, we interviewed 1999 Nashua-Plainfield graduate Kerryann (Mehmen) Kocher about how her experiences growing up on a farm in rural Plainfield and involvements in 4-H and FFA influenced her rise to success in Ag business. In 2020, Kocher was named CEO of Vytelle, a precision livestock company focused on improving the global beef and dairy industries through accelerated genetic progress. Kocher, her husband, and three children currently reside just outside Kansas City in Desoto, Kansas, but she still calls Plainfield home!
20 Dec 2021
Andy Hilbrands: Say "Yes and..."
For our third episode, we interviewed former Plainfield resident and Nashua-Plainfield graduate, Andy Hilbrands, who is currently living and working in LA. Andy explains his path to a career as an actor, comedian, and writer, as well as how his experiences in the speech program at NP influenced his life journey. Andy's keys to success are applicable to everyone and, as a result, you won't want to miss his story!
6 Nov 2021
Heidi Johanningmeier Houchen (N-P 2000): From Farm to Film & History Day to Hollywood
For our second episode, we interviewed 2000 Nashua-Plainfield High School Graduate and film actress, Heidi Johanningmeier Houchen. Heidi recently played the starring role in the hit film, "100 Days to Live," and will be acting in the upcoming HBO series, "Somebody Somewhere." You won't want to miss hearing Heidi unabashedly sharing her experiences growing up on a farm in rural Nashua, the people and experiences that influenced her life path, and how she overcame the challenges she faced in her journey to become a successful motion picture and television actress. Heidi's story is proof that if you dream it, you can become it!
12 Oct 2021
Darin Lynch (Nashua '89): Irish Titan CEO
For our first episode, we interviewed 1989 Nashua High School Graduate and current CEO of Irish Titan, a Twin Cities based e-commerce business. Darin discusses his experiences growing up in Nashua, people who influenced his life path, and what he does as the executive of a soon-to-be multinational corporation. You won't want to miss his story!
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