Carleton Convos

Carleton Convo with Aaron Golub | January 16, 2026

Aaron Golub’s career as a motivational speaker has taken him from high schools to speaking for U.S. Bank — but before that, he was the first legally blind Division I football player to compete in the NCAA. His Carleton convocation address, “Achieving Goals Through Adversity,” took place on Friday, January 16 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel.
Golub’s passion for public speaking began at the age of 17, when he was asked to appear on Good Morning America after committing to play football at Tulane University. This experience ignited a conviction that he had a message that would impact millions. Golub shares his knowledge of leadership, disability, and overcoming adversity, mixed with some good old-fashioned sports stories, captivating audiences around the world. He has appeared on Good Morning America and been featured in CBS, NBC, Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, Entrepreneur, NPR, and many others.
In a recent interview, Golub reflected on what his blindness has taught him: I say all the time how thankful and grateful I am that I was born legally blind. It’s the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me. Being legally blind taught me how to be disciplined, taught me how to be consistent, taught me how to work hard, and outwork the people around me.” 
Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations

Carleton Convo with Louie McGee | January 9, 2026

Louie McGee is a law student in his final year at University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Iron Man triathlon finisher, disability advocate, and blind. He delivered Carleton’s first convocation of 2026 on Friday, January 9, from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. His address is titled, “Guiding Access to Change.”
Pursuing a life that breaks through the boundaries disabled people live with every day, McGee aims to bring this focus on disability advocacy and supporting vulnerable communities to his law practice in the coming year. As a guide to his able-bodied peers who have guided him, whether shouting directions on the way down the ski mountain or running alongside him for a race, he plans to steer a changing world towards a more inclusive future.
“I have a rare retinal eye disease called Stargardt that steals my central vision. Relying only on my peripheral vision, I have little useful eyesight. After being diagnosed at age 5, it has progressed, but I decided blindness would not be a limiting factor in my life. With great support, I have been able to do anything,” McGee writes on his website. “Growing up, my family and friends guided and helped me try all kinds of things, experiencing them alongside me. I learned I could still do most things even if I saw them differently. I have always been encouraged by people who wanted me to be the best I could be and it seldom occurred to me that something might be beyond my reach.”
Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations

Carleton Convo with Danielle Boyer | November 7, 2025

Danielle Boyer is an Anishinaabe (enrolled Sault Tribe) educator, robotics inventor, activist, and visionary. She delivered Carleton’s final convocation of fall term on Friday, November 7, from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Boyer’s mission has centered around sharing robotics knowledge and language revitalization with Indigenous children, looking at how emerging technologies can be ethically used to drive Indigenous-led efforts for cultural preservation. Her address is titled, “From Bytes to Bright Futures: Robots Changing the World.”
An antiracist future is a decolonized future, and this means addressing our power dynamics. We talked about representation, that’s awesome, but it’s very hard to gain footing when it’s representation in someone else’s system and they have power there. We need to lead our own solutions for our own communities, and this looks like different things for all of us.”
—Danielle Boyer for the MIT Solve Antiracist and Indigenous Futures Summit
As an adolescent, Boyer’s interest in robotics was challenged by the reality that her family was unable to financially support her learning. This experience, paired with seeing few girls and Indigenous people participating in robotics, has fueled her groundbreaking initiatives to facilitate robotics learning. In 2019, Boyer founded The STEAM Connection, an Indigenous youth-run nonprofit that designs, manufactures, and gives away robots aimed at educating and empowering Indigenous youth. Recently, Boyer developed SkoBot, a wearable language revitalization robot for a widening variety of Indigenous languages, with software designed to teach endangered Indigenous languages. SkoBot is designed to supplement language-learning programs, as Boyer maintains the importance of interpersonal interaction in the learning of Indigenous languages. Made of recycled bioplastic, SkoBots are designed and created for Indigenous learning programs and communities, free of charge. Boyer’s work first gained traction through her other major project, Every Kid Gets a Robot, an initiative through which STEAM Connection manufactures robotic kits to distribute to youth for free, with the goal of teaching STEM skills to underserved and Indigenous communities. As of this year, STEAM Connection has reached over one million youth scholars with representative educational resources.
Boyer’s inspirational work is widely recognized; she is a National Geographic Young Explorer, Echoing Green Fellow, two-time MIT Solve Fellow, Washington Post Next Changemaker, and Teen Vogue Indigenous Youth Changemaker. She has spoken at the White House twice and addressed the UNESCO Headquarters on Indigenous languages. She was featured in a MIT Solve documentary that earned a Webby, Sundance Brand Storytelling Award, Tribeca X Award, and SXSW Feature.
Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations

Carleton Convo with Marc Schulz | October 31, 2025

Marc Schulz, associate director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development and Bryn Mawr psychology professor, delivered Carleton’s convocation on Friday, October 31, from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. In his address, “The Good Life: Lessons for Living from the World’s Longest Study of Well-Being,” Schulz will share insights from his work with the Harvard Study of Adult Development, as discussed in his New York Times best-selling book, The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness.
Schulz has served as the associate director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development since 2014. The study, which began in 1938, now spans two generations and more than 700 families. With the central focus of the study being human flourishing, Schulz’s expertise on “the good life” is considerable. This is well-demonstrated in his acclaimed book, as well as his speaking career, which helps make accessible key insights from the psychological study — and posits that the key ingredients to happiness may be closer than we think.
Beyond his work with the Study, Schulz is a professor of psychology on the Sue Kardas PhD 1971 Professorship at Bryn Mawr College and serves as the director of the College’s data science program. Across his work, he focuses on human connection and the consequences of emotional stress in the context of development and life transitions across adulthood. He is the author of numerous academic publications and the co-editor of multiple books. His essays on human connection and well-being have appeared in popular press outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Big Think, and CNBC.
Although Schulz has described himself as a shy and somewhat introverted child, these qualities, paired with his lifelong curiosity, have played crucial balancing roles in his career path. In an episode of The Proof podcast, Schulz reflected on how he found his intellectual happy medium between in-person psychological analysis and more academic work with the Harvard Study of Adult Development. 
Schulz completed his BA in sociology at Amherst College, his PhD in clinical psychology at the University of California–Berkeley, and postdoctoral fellowships in clinical and health psychology at Harvard Medical School.
Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations

Carleton Convo with Brandon Blackwell | October 24, 2025

Brandon Blackwell’s skill in trivia quizzes has brought him around the world — next stop, Carleton College! Blackwell’s address, “Adventures in Quizzing, Apology of a Tryhard,” took place on Friday, October 24, from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. An internationally renowned quizzer, Blackwell finished second in the Junior World Quizzing Championships in 2020, with the majority of his success coming from his group quiz work. Blackwell has more team quiz titles at the national level or higher in the 2020s than anybody else in the world. He now works as an adviser to the U.S. national quiz team and has served as a tactical coach to several top Jeopardy! champions.
Born and raised in Queens, New York City, Blackwell’s first quiz TV appearances were during his teen years, including a win on Million Second Quiz that earned him a third of $1 million. By the time he turned 20, Blackwell had already earned over $400,000 quizzing competitively. While quizzing competitively, Blackwell attended New York University, earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science while embracing interdisciplinary opportunities to expand his knowledge for quizzes. After graduating, Blackwell turned his quizzing attention to the United Kingdom.
At the time, Blackwell considered the UK to be “the epicenter” of high-level quizzing. Blackwell’s specific goal was to win University Challenge, a TV quiz show that many say “makes Jeopardy! look like a walk in the park.” After being accepted to Imperial College London for a master’s in computer science, he played a key role in developing the school’s quiz team, resulting in a championship win in the 2019–2020 quiz cycle.
More recently, Blackwell has appeared on The Chase and The Chase Australia, where he is known as “The Lightning Bolt.” Renowned for his title as “world’s fastest quizzer,” as well as his charisma, Blackwell’s role as the professional quizzer is to compete against a team of contestants to prevent them from winning a cash prize. Check out a YouTube clip of his work on The Chase Australia.
Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations

Carleton Convo with Dr. Maya Warren ’07 | October 17, 2025

Often known as The Ice Cream Scientist™, Dr. Maya Warren ’07 is a food scientist, public speaker, TV personality, and advocate for civic engagement. Her convocation address, “For the Love of Ice Cream,” took place on Friday, October 17, from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. An in-demand keynote speaker, Warren’s addresses often focus on blending science, storytelling, and global exploration to make the world sweeter — one scoop at a time.
After graduating from Carleton with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Warren earned her PhD in food science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she specialized in the microstructure, sensory properties, and behavioral aspects of frozen aerated desserts. Warren’s enthusiasm for ice cream ranges from the scientific aspects to the way it can bring people together in a way that other foods seldom can. As the founder of IC3 CREAM CONSULTING LLC, Warren collaborates internationally to develop innovative flavors, improve formulations, and optimize production — blending creativity with technical expertise.
To Warren, ice cream also means civic work. She is a co-founder of Ice Cream for Change, a platform of ice cream makers and lovers advocating for social change and civic action. Ice Cream for Change organizes to use the power of ice cream to raise awareness of and money for organizations dedicated to social change — from addressing climate change to dismantling racial injustice.
Warren’s interest in ice cream has also led to global adventures, including her participation in and eventual win on The Amazing Race Season 25. With her former lab mate and friend Dr. Amy DeJong, Warren traveled to 10 countries across four continents and visited more than 20 cities, ultimately becoming the third all-women team to win The Amazing Race. Check out a short clip from their season! More recently, Warren has traveled the globe teaching, developing, creating, and eating her favorite treat. Her online presence also circles the globe; Warren is the creator and host of Ice Cream Sundays with Dr. Maya on Instagram Live, where she brings people of all ages together and teaches them how to make no-churn ice cream right at home — inspired originally by quarantine in 2020. 
 
Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations

Carleton Convo with Jonathan Mooney | October 7, 2025

Jonathan Mooney, a nationally recognized advocate for neurological and physical diversity, delivered Carleton’s convocation address on Friday, October 3, from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. His address, “Normal Sucks and the Right to Be Different,” explores themes of reimagining education to acknowledge and embrace neurodiversity. Mooney is an award-winning writer, entrepreneur, and activist who has spoken for audiences ranging from kindergartners to corporate executives to inmates, with the goal of challenging the norms of learning.
Mooney, who spent his early school years in special education, often faced harsh criticisms from those around him. Diagnosed with dyslexia, Mooney didn’t learn to read until he was twelve years old. Yet from the age of nine, he said that he wanted to be a writer. On his website, Mooney reflects on how his third-grade teacher, Mr. R., gave him advice that has stuck with him: “I told him that I wanted to be a writer because I loved to tell and listen to stories, but I didn’t think I could really do that because I couldn’t spell. I was nine years old, and Mr. R. looked right at me and said, ‘Screw spelling.’ As my editors will attest, I have followed Mr. R.’s advice.”
After graduating from Brown University with an honors degree in English literature, he wrote his first book at just 23 years old. To date, Mooney has published three books: Learning Outside the Lines (2000), The Short Bus (2007), and Normal Sucks (2019), all of which celebrate learning from diverse perspectives and the ups and downs of an unconventional educational experience. 
Mooney has won quite a few awards for his writing. He received the Harry S. Truman Fellowship for Public Service, and he was a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, as well as for an LA Achievement Award from the Lab School of Washington — where he got to go on stage with President Joe Biden. Mooney’s intellectual contributions include a short essay he wrote for The Brown Reader, as well as features in and on HBO, NPR, The New York Times, NBC, Fast Company, and many other media outlets.
Mooney’s impact encompasses more than just writing, however; he is a visionary for social change and justice as exemplified through many ventures, including his work as founder and CEO of StreetcraftLA, an organization that encourages low-income, at risk, and unemployed youth to create brighter futures through creative economy entrepreneurship. He also serves as the chief social impact officer and partner of coParenting, the first app that prioritizes children in communications between separated parents. The app is designed to target conflict resolution for separated parents, which is often recognized as one of the biggest factors impacting children’s long-term mental and physical health and well-being. Mooney is also a key part of Cities of Wellbeing in Santa Monica, an initiative to use the science of wellness to analyze and reimagine the city to prioritize well-being over traditional economic indicators. Mooney works as an education consultant and the co-founder, founding CEO, and president emeritus of Eye-to-Eye, an award-winning national mentoring, advocacy, and movement-building organization for students with learning and attention differences. Mooney is also the education venture principle for The Promo Pathway Program, the first accredited on-air promotions training program in the United States that prepares creative youth from underrepresented communities, ages 18–26, for the exciting world of television marketing.
Considering the diversity of ways that Mooney has participated in social advocacy, his pride in his work comes from a specific place: “What I’m most proud of is not that I proved some people who doubted me wrong, but that I proved the many people — my mom; a teacher named Mr. R.; my wife, Rebecca — right, not just about my potential but about the potential for all of us who live and learn differently.”
Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations
 

Carleton Convo with Alicia Prieto Langarica | October 10, 2025

Dr. Alicia Prieto Langarica, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at Youngstown State University, delivered Carleton’s convocation address on Friday, October 10, from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. Her address is titled, “Re-Indigenizing Our Teaching Practices.” Her expertise stems from her experience teaching mathematics and her unique teaching style, which focuses on mentorship and a holistic focus on the student.
After earning her BS in applied mathematics from the University of Texas–Dallas in 2008 and her PhD from the University of Texas–Arlington in 2012, Prieto Langarica has changed the lives of many of her students at Youngstown State through her unique and dedicated teaching. In a video interview with the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, she reflected that mentorship proved crucial to her success — something that she has passed on to her students. Prieto Langarica has never turned down a student who hopes to gain further research experience outside of class, often mentoring over a dozen students per semester. In particular, Prieto Langarica puts emphasis on mentoring students who are underrepresented in the mathematics community, such as Latine and Hispanic students. Her impact has not gone unrecognized; Prieto Langarica’s teaching was honored with the Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching from the Mathematical Association of America in 2019, as well as the Transforming Post-Secondary Education in Mathematics Award in 2024.
Prieto Langarica’s research lies at the intersection of mathematics and biology, with applications in medical modeling, epidemiology, sleep regulation, and thermoregulation. She has also recently explored mathematics education, public policy, and data science applications in her research portfolio. Furthermore, her work with undergraduate students frequently centers around community engagement projects that center local public policy.
Prieto Langarica’s convocation address is sponsored by Carleton’s Elizabeth Nason Distinguished Visitors Fund. The fund works to bring prominent professional women to campus in order to expose students to women who are successful in their careers.
Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations

Carleton A&I Convo with Chérif Keïta | September 26, 2025

Chérif Keïta, William H. Laird Professor of French and the Liberal Arts at Carleton, delivered the annual A&I Convocation on Friday, September 26, from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in Skinner Chapel. For first-year students, the A&I Convocation is an opportunity to actively engage in the convo tradition at Carleton while incorporating the address into their Argument and Inquiry (A&I) seminars. Moreover, it is an opportunity for some of Carleton’s most senior and beloved professors to share their perspectives on liberal arts education and offer advice on the process of learning. As a celebrated language and literature professor at Carleton since 1985, Keïta has a unique perspective to share. His address, “Northfield and/in South Africa in the 19th century,” will focus on how his being “found and chosen” by a Northfield-based story led to his past 26 years of research and filmmaking in South Africa.
Keïta’s parents’ belief in his education resulted in Keïta attending a Catholic school in Bamako, Mali, near where he was born. Raised Muslim, Keïta credits his time at the Catholic school with widening the scope of his spiritualism and enriching his intellectual journey from a young age. While Keïta’s academic interest initially inspired a desire to study archaeology at the university level, the Malian government gave him an opportunity to travel to Brussels, Belgium, to study English and Russian translation instead. As his senior thesis, Keïta translated Paul Lewinson’s Race, Class, and Party: A History of Negro Suffrage and White Politics in the South, a book that played a role in Keïta’s intellectual journey to the United States.
In 1978, Keïta came to the U.S. to pursue his PhD in romance languages and literatures, with a minor in African history and politics and a certificate in global policy studies. Studying at the University of Georgia–Athens allowed him to experience the southern U.S. and sparked his discovery of literature written in French by Africans and West Indians subject to French colonial domination.
Many Septembers ago (40 Septembers, in fact), Keïta began his career at Carleton, with special interests including the novel and social change in Mali; oral tradition; and the relationship between music (traditional and modern), literature, and culture in Africa. He has since published multiple books and dozens of articles on Malian and African literature, music, and film, as well as on social and literary problems in contemporary Africa.
Keïta is also an award-winning filmmaker, whose works have been shown on television and at film festivals across multiple continents. His latest documentary film, Namballa Keita: A Soldier and His Village, tells the story of his late father, a nurse and veteran of the French colonial army, who never had formal education but whose commitment to public education gave him national prominence in a newly independent Mali.
Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations
 

Carleton Opening Convo with Raul Raymundo ’87 | September 15, 2025

The Carleton community gathered in the Chapel on Monday, September 15 at 3 p.m. for Opening Convocation, celebrating the start of a new academic year and recognizing students on the Dean’s List. Opening Convo is the first event in the convocation program and features the Bubble Brigade at the beginning and end, where Carleton seniors blow bubbles from the Chapel balcony over the faculty’s processional and recessional. Read more about the event on Carleton News. 
Learn more about Carleton Convos at go.carleton.edu/convocations