The University recently introduced a new storytelling platform with its aptly named 20th & Olney podcast.

The intersection of 20th Street and Olney Avenue has long been synonymous with La Salle University.

That association now runs deeper thanks to the 20th & Olney podcast, which launched in April and shares its name with those well-known Northwest Philadelphia cross streets.

Each bi-weekly episode of 20th & Olney features stories of transformational student successes, professional outcomes, and faculty achievements for which La Salle is known. In a 13-episode Season 1, which wrapped this fall, co-hosts Shea Wright and Patrick Berkery introduced listeners to dynamic members of the University community through intimate short-form interviews with faculty, staff, currently students, alumni and more.

“20th & Olney is an opportunity to elevate the voices of our community and those of the wider Northwest Philadelphia community, while sharing transformational student and alumni outcomes, faculty achievements, and beyond,” said Angela Polec, Ed.D., La Salle’s Vice President of Enrollment, Marketing, and Communications. “La Salle’s reach is extensive and our engaged alumni network is robust. We look forward to leveraging this new podcast as another storytelling medium for this historic university and its unwavering commitment to a mission and core values of social justice, service, and solidarity.”

Listeners have met Adam Al-Asad, ’21, and learned of his efforts to support those recovering from addiction. They’ve heard John McCarthy, ‘14, talk about his journey from soccer standout at La Salle to starting goalkeeper in Major League Soccer.

La Salle’s Vice President of Mission, Diversity, and Inclusion, Br. Ernest J. Miller, FSC, D.Min., M.A. ’95, has visited 20th & Olney to share his thoughts on what it means to live Lasallian in the 21st century. And faculty experts like associate professor and co-chair of marketing Swee-Lim Chia, Ph.D., and assistant professor of management and leadership, Pat Coyle, Ph.D., have appeared to discuss how the pandemic has altered consumer behavior and shifts in the employer-employee dynamics, respectively.

The 20th & Olney podcast also gives students a platform.

In an episode highlighting the Class of ‘21, graduating seniors Vanessa Green and Hector Camacho shared their experiences as first-generation students. During an episode dedicated to La Salle’s two All-American student-athletes, Dennis Manyeah, ’22, announced his intention to one day compete in the Olympics for his native Liberia.

Listeners and podcast subscribers can expect to hear more interesting stories like these in the future on 20th & Olney. You can listen to 20th & Olney wherever you get your podcasts—from Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts, to Spotify, Stitcher, and more. (Just search “20th & Olney.”)

—Patrick Berkery