Long before we shared a microphone, Elissa and I met as graphic design students at Central Texas College. We barely knew each other then and rarely spoke. I was shy and usually kept to my corner of the classroom. That changed when an internship brought me to the Mayborn Science Theater, where Elissa was already working.

We quickly became friends, and Elissa later recommended me for a position at the Mayborn. There, I designed graphics and assisted with planetarium shows. Today, I serve as KNCT’s News and Public Affairs Operator. A formal title for what I jokingly call “professional button pushing.” Along with operating the soundboard for programs such as Sunday Gathering, I manage KNCT’s social media presence.

Elissa brings years of Mayborn history to the microphone. She has been there long enough to remember film projectors, dark rooms, and climbing ladders to prepare a show. A wife, mother of three, longtime dog mom, crystal enthusiast, and natural people person, Elissa has a gift for making everyone feel welcome and remembered.

We are friends, former coworkers, occasional gym partners, and part of each other’s support system. That friendship is precisely why I asked Elissa to join me for CTC This Week.

Our guiding philosophy is simple: “Smile—they can hear it.” After all, it is always better to sound a little corny than a lot boring.