On the one hand, Esther sees herself as “a drop in the ocean." On the other, she believes the ocean expands with every drop added. She mediates this tension daily; individuality and living in commune. Practices like meditation help her with this, but don’t get it twisted, her spirituality is of a pragmatic ilk.
Mike Magee is president of Minerva University. His scholarship and leadership have been driven by a lifelong passion for the role schools can play in bringing young people from different backgrounds and circumstances together to learn and belong. A proud father of three daughters, he also loves basketball and music.
Tianxiao was born in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. His upbringing is a journey to conquer the extremely spicy food there, which gave him spice tolerance above most people! He went through 11 years of homeschooling in Chengdu and got into Minerva University at 16. He has just finished his first year at Minerva.
Linda (M28) is the small, pink, slightly-too-loud human cloud who chases sunsets like deadlines don't exist. Her superpower is making friends by accident, and turns ordinary days into ridiculous memories with a good dance on the street, and she believes feeling like one belongs is a human dignity.
Jeongyun is a dreamer who dreams of making the world a better place through mustering the courage to do what everyone else could do. He always tries to be optimistic as he looks up into the sky and stars.
Shanan Noya Liu can be found climbing trees, picking shells and wandering the streets. She dose a lot of things: drawing, dancing, singing, making theatre and organizing exhibitions. She would be extremely happy if that is all she dose. But she likes other things. And sometimes, she likes 'nothing' best.
With a brain spinning faster than her Rubik's cube record, Raluca still finds joy in stargazing, getting lost in rotation cities, and playing the funniest roles in musicals! She dreams of transforming Romania's politics, fueled by a love for community, passion, authenticity, and an idealistic heart.
In addition to being the Provost, McMahon is the mother of two outstanding women (one is a M20). Previously, McMahon was the Director of the Honors Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Professor of Political Science. A former Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow and two-time Fulbright award winner, her scholarly contributions include Activism in Hard Times in Central and Eastern Europe: People Power, a collaboration between activists and academics, The NGO Game: Post-Conflict Peacebuilding in the Balkans and Beyond, seven other book projects, and dozens of articles, book chapters, and policy reports. McMahon’s passions are yoga, reading, biking, travel and --- thinking about Minerva’s future, of course.
Paff is a life enthusiast who loves coffee as much as conversation, adventure as much as a good book. His travels along the roads and rivers of the world have filled him with a deep appreciation for what it means to exist, a sensibility he happily finds reflected in so many of the Minerva community.
Van Anh thinks in deep breaths — in: observe, make sense; out: weave stories into living threads. But don’t mistake her poetic steps — she wields fierce, strategic wit, having pioneered Bangkok’s online thrift movement with sharp business acumen (and Google Translate). Now, she dreams of starting a post-Minervan commune in NYC.
IG: @vananh.ngy
TJ is an integral part of the San Francisco SLT team, transforming City Experiences at Minerva. Growing up in a homogenous city in the midwest, he searched for meaning in Eastern Philosophy which culminated in living in India at two different points in his life. A few years on, and TJ has made San Francisco his home, and can be spotted advocating for its wonders even when others cherrypick its shortcomings.
Jamina Cole King leads External Affairs at Minerva University, overseeing fundraising, marketing, communications, global partnerships, and alumni and family engagement. A seasoned advancement executive, she is passionate about equity and access in education, leveraging philanthropy and partnerships to expand Minerva’s global impact and empower diverse learners to thrive.
At Langs, our goal is to connect Minervans to one another & to the local community while on rotation through language. With such a diverse student body, Minervans are able to learn a language directly from their friends- instead of the usual classroom experience. This gives students direct exposure to the language and culture, while simultaneously learning about their classmates’ background.
Former economics professor and figure skater, Dollie is now heading up Global Learning at Minerva. When not working, she enjoys traveling, making people laugh, and showering every animal she meets with affection.
From the crazy summer in San Francisco to a deep dive into self-exploration and personality switch, Dasha shared what major life events and people defined who she is right now. Prepare for no censors and a lot of off-topic meanders because 'Dasha's on a mic, and she bringin' the heat'. Give it a listen to this episode of HOM to find out where this line refers to!
Asuka is an event planner & organizational culture designer from Japan. She is passionate about crafting intentional experiences and meaningful dialogue to create a world that embraces differences. Asuka shares her experiences overcoming an eating disorder, which inspired her to be the change she wanted to see: spark collaborations through designing a compassionate culture.
What does it mean to be Jaidar? Kyrgyz for "joy", Jaidar is destined to bring happiness, and he shares the story of finding joy for everyone, but most importantly, himself. Let's see how to make "life is hard" into "life is"
Alexander is a guy who wants to do great things by solving some of the world's most important porblems. He dropped out of Minerva and is starting a new startup working on problems in energy. Reach him at @alexanderwu2000 on instagram
Eating stinky tofu midway through Taipei runs, wearing barefoot shoes at the Buenos Aires marathon, or suffering in the final miles of the Mount Fuji marathon. 5 Minervans chat with our host Jonathan about their running experiences in the rotation cities.
David L. Marcus is known (mostly by himself) for his sense of humor. He traversed five continents as a journalist, author and education consultant, then became Minerva University’s Chief Communications Officer. As a newspaper bureau chief, Marcus lived for a decade in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil, covering education, immigration and the environment. His team won a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, for investigating violence against women. He wrote two books about adolescents, "Acceptance" and "What It Takes to Pull Me Through." He earned his bachelor’s with honors at Brown University, where he was elected senior class president. Later, he was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. Now he hopes to be a stand-up comedian.