In our second episode of the season, we speak with Dr. Sylvia Torti from the Class of 1986. Sylvia is an ecologist, novelist, and higher education leader who currently serves as President of Westminster University in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her career has taken her around the world, from conducting ecological research in the rainforests of Central Africa to leading colleges and universities in the United States.

In our conversation, Sylvia reflects on growing up in Salem as the daughter of a beloved local pediatrician who immigrated from Argentina, and describes a childhood filled with freedom, exploration, and time spent on her grandmother's farm near Canfield. Sylvia shares memories of attending McKinley School, playing tennis, participating in student government, and developing an interest in other cultures through Salem High School's international exchange programs. We also learn about her decision to spend a year in Denmark following graduation, her experience attending Earlham College in Indiana, and how a single ecology course transformed her plans to become a physician and set her on an entirely different professional path.

Sylvia then takes us through a remarkable journey that included studying tropical biology at the University of Utah, conducting research in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and finding herself caught in the outbreak of the Zapatista uprising in Mexico--an experience that eventually inspired her first published novel. We also learn about the unexpected turns that led her from scientific research and creative writing into higher education administration, including eleven years leading the Honors College at the University of Utah, becoming President of College of the Atlantic in Maine, and eventually returning to Salt Lake City to lead Westminster University. Along the way, Sylvia reflects on the importance of curiosity, the value of relationships and a liberal arts education, and why success has less to do with professional titles than with living a life that aligns with one's values. We hope you enjoy!

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In the first episode of our third season, we speak with Jason Greenamyer from the Class of 2002. Jason is a professional magician who performs alongside his wife, Stacy, as the husband-and-wife duo The Alans. Jason has performed professionally for nearly two decades, taking his career from birthday parties and libraries to cruise ships and stages around the country.

In our conversation, Jason recounts growing up in a working-class Salem family and describes a childhood spent playing sports, working alongside his family, and making frequent trips to the Salem Public Library--a place he credits with helping spark the interest in magic that would eventually become his career. Jason reflects candidly on struggling academically, the teachers who found ways to connect learning to his interests, and his experience as a three-sport athlete at SHS. He also describes a winding college journey that took him from Thiel College to Youngstown State University, where he competed in track and field before his growing interest in performing magic began pulling him in a different direction.

We also learn about Jason's decidedly unconventional path to becoming a full-time magician--including getting booed before his first major performance, driving back and forth to Cleveland for gigs, sleeping in his car between shows, and eventually performing aboard cruise ships. Jason shares how the work ethic he learned growing up in Salem helped him turn a passion into a business, how his wife eventually left her career to join him in creating The Alans, and the risks, sacrifices, and persistence required to build the life they have today. We hope you enjoy!

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Quaker Success Shorts: Stories Among Friends is a bonus series under the Quaker Success umbrella, offering brief, scripted episodes that shine a light on stories of interest to Salem High School alumni and are told entirely by your hosts, Craig, Aaron, and Ed. In these narrative-driven stories, we explore different lives, events, and phenomena, weaving together the details into a short-form experience. These episodes are snapshots—quieter, tighter, and a little different from our longer-form interviews, but rooted in the same spirit of community, curiosity, and Quaker pride.

Our second episode in this series examines how Salem's athletic teams came to be known as "the Quakers."

We'll "see" you in September when we'll release the first episode of our third season.

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