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Audio essays will air on All Things Considered every Friday at 5:44 p.m. and on Weekend Edition every Sunday at 9:34 a.m.


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Listen to each installment, see pictures of essayists, explore the archive of essays from the original series and submit your own essay for consideration.


 


WHYY's This I Believe is produced in collaboration with Leadership Philadelphia, celebrating its 50th Anniversary.


 




Welcome to WHYY's This I Believe, a weekly series of radio essays by some of Philadelphia's most influential leaders in politics, the arts, business, civic involvement and even public gardening. Audio essays will air on All Things Considered every Friday at 5:44 p.m. and on Weekend Edition every Sunday at 9:34 a.m.


This Week's Essay

Nicholas Torres

July 3, 2009

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Nick Torres is a quintessential community leader; his success is based on finding a balance between being practical while remaining an idealist. As the president of the Congreso de Latinos Unidos, the Congress of United Latinos, he has expanded the scope of social services to the growing Hispanic community in the city. Access to education is at the core of his beliefs and he can track that commitment to his own upbringing.



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Previously


Melissa Weiler-Gerber

June 26, 2009

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Melissa Weiler Gerber could talk for hours about the issues she's passionate about: human rights, homelessness, economic disparity (particularly among women), and social activism. She's been Executive Director of the advocacy and funding organization Women's Way since 1999, and she jokingly recalls that she has always aspired to "save the world." Being organized, focused and somewhat obsessive about how things work, Weiler-Gerber says, is a big help in her work and her life.



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David St Clair

June 19, 2009

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As a businessman, David St Clair has done all the things that define a sucessful entrepreneur : risk taking, pioneering a service approach to a growing industry and a keen understanding of market dynamics and opportunities. At the root of it all, says St Clair, are lessons learned at sea. From navigation and self reliance, to trust, ingenuity and a bit of luck. As he tells it, smart parents and a sense of adventure didn't hurt either.



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Lou Gambaccini

June 12, 2009

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There's something quite fascinating about a large computer map showing an intricate grid of subways and trains crisscrossing the city and region. Running a large transportation system is infinitely more complicated than that and for years Lou Gambaccini has been recognized as one of the most prominent transportation general managers throughout the North East. After overseeing the New York and New Jersey Port Authorities for 30 years and SEPTA for almost nine years, Lou Gambaccini likes to remember how his commitment to public service started at an early age.



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James Harris

June 5, 2009

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Running a university in an urban setting takes a rare combination of skills ranging from the managerial to the visionary. Add to that a keen interest in student participation in all aspects of governance and community involvement, and you get a picture of Jim Harris, the president of Widener University. It wouldn't be too farfetched to say that Harris learned his skills as a tough strategist in the boxing ring and his commitment to public service at his grandmother's house.



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View the WHYY's This I Believe Essay Archive »