#160: Lifelong Learning • The Money JAR

Show Hosts

Mindy Lockard and Rishika Vinnakota

About Mindy and Rishika

Mindy Lockard is an internationally recognized leadership and etiquette expert, and for more than a decade, she has facilitated interpersonal workshops for college athletes and alumni, government agencies, corporations and professional organizations, and youth of all ages. Mindy also established G3 (The Gracious Girls’ Guide), a leadership guide for tween + teen girls; and the Leadership Academy, a program for middle school boys and girls that focuses on cultivating lifelong social and leadership skills. She is married with two teenage girls and lives in Portland, OR.

Rishika Vinnakota is a high school senior from the Bay Area, CA. She's passionate about social entrepreneurship, the environment, and writing! As a teen entrepreneur and volunteer, she hopes to pursue a career in business and continue to give back to her community. She's currently the CEO of Reusii, Head of Communications at She Helps Her, and founder of My SplitScreens (a blog where she shares her experiences). Rishika will be attending the University of Michigan in Fall 2021.

People can have wide-ranging interests and tons of exciting hobbies, but what makes them switch from exploring one educational path or career track to another? How can you support a student making that switch? Todd spoke with Jennifer Widom, Dean of the School of Engineering at Stanford University, about her switch from studying music to studying computer science and how she has cultivated a love of learning throughout her life.

Jennifer Widom is the Frederick Emmons Terman Dean of the School of Engineering and the Fletcher Jones Professor in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 1982 and her Computer Science Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1987.