This week our 1590 WAKR Female Student Athlete of the Week is Hope Murphy, a senior basketball player from Mogadore High School.

Hope says that these past four years have been great.

“I really enjoy it,” she said. “It’s great to be able to have great relationships with people in your classes.”

Her coach Jen Ritch says that she is what you want in a student athlete.

“She is a leader by example and always takes time to help others. I am extremely proud of the young woman she has become over the past four years of her high school career.”

As a three sport athlete, she plays basketball in addition to running track and cross country.

She is also the president of the National Honor Society among other activities and clubs.

As of now, she is undecided on where she will attend school in the fall of 2020, but she plans to major in education.

Our next Male Student Athlete from Mogadore High School is senior Lukas Swartz.

He says having grown up in a basketball family with his dad as the head coach and his uncle also coaching in the area, it helped him understand the game in a new way.

“They give me a lot of advice and they have a great way of guiding us.”

Coach Russ Swartz has this to say about the four year letterman who also happens to be his son:

“In addition to his many awards, records, and accomplishments on the basketball floor he has been involved with and successful in school related activities,” he said.

“He has consistently been on the honor and merit rolls carrying a grade point average of over a 3.5. He has also been a member of our Principal's Advisory Council (PAC) and also our Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) group. “

He is currently undecided on where he will attend college at this time.

We wish Hope and Lukas the best in all of their future endeavors.

On the Monday edition of the Jasen Sokol Show Podcast:

 Jasen reveals that he's leaving WAKR (0:18).

Mayor Dan Horrigan talks about snow removal and Chapel Hill Mall (3:47).

Mark Williamson of Akron Public Schools & 23 News Day joins Jasen with some memories (9:55).

 On the Banzai Friday edition of the Jasen Sokol Show Podcast:

Callers weighed in on Chapel Hill, impeachment, and how Trump could win re-election. 

We talked with Cuyahoga Falls Mayor Don Walters about the effect JC Penney's closure will have on the city.

On the Thursday edition of the Jasen Sokol Show Podcast:

This week's People of Akron guest is Dan Flowers. You know him from the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank, but what's he doing outside of work? You're in for a surprise.

Congratulations to Ace Epps, Bounce Innovation Hub Director of Inclusive Entrepreneurship. Lots of you have business ideas, drive, and energy...but don't know how to execute your plan. Ace can help with that.

This week our 1590 WAKR Male Student Athlete of the Week is Malcolm Brown, a senior bowler from East CLC.

Malcolm said that bowling was always a fun activity from an early age and he continued throughout.

“I started when I was 5 years old and I just started doing it a lot more throughout the years and I wanted play a varsity sport in high school,” he said.

As a letterman on the team, he says that the camaraderie and fun is what makes bowling great.

He cited winning the City Series bowling title as a junior last year as one of the highlights of his time at East.

His coach Gabe Gonzalez said that Brown is a leader in many ways not only on the team, but in the school as well.

"He is what makes this team go," Gonzalez said.

One of the activities that Malcolm does in the community is being involved with the City of Akron Youth Leadership Council.

He says that being involved with that is not only beneficial for him, but the city of Akron as well, trying to better his community.

“I think it’s always good to give back to the community, because the community needs help sometimes,” Brown said.

He is currently undecided on where he is going to college and what he will major in at the moment.

Our next 1590 WAKR Female Student Athlete of the Week is Cheyenne Cunningham, a junior bowler from East CLC.

She says that being a student athlete at East is an enjoyable experience all around.

“It’s pretty fun because freshman year I didn’t know a lot of people, and everyone else on the team were seniors or juniors and getting ready to graduate, but now half of my friends decided to join and it’s pretty fun now,” she said.

In addition to being a bowler for the Dragons, Cunningham is also a member of the Color Guard, the ROTC, the drill team, and band.

She says that it’s not always easy to balance the activities with the academics and athletics, but it’s a great experience for her.

Coach Gabe Gonzalez said that she is one of the hardest working people he’s been around.

"Cheyenne is a model and motivated student who is part of our top ranked JROTC program, East High School  Band (2nd chair clarinet), and an academic honor recipient," Gonzalez explained.

In the community, Cheyenne is a Girl Scout and said that she has learned a lot from that organization.

“The lessons we learn ( in the Girl Scouts) is how to help our community, how to make it better, and what we can do as leaders,” she explained.

We wish Malcolm and Cheyenne the best in all of their future endeavors.

On the Tuesday edition of the Jasen Sokol Show Podcast:

The final Democratic Debate before the Iowa Caucus is this evening. Jasen talked with Dr. Tom Sutton of Baldwin Wallace about the points the candidates must make.

Jeff Schudel of the Morning Journal and News Herald discussed the sign stealing scandal in the MLB.

On the Monday edition of the Jasen Sokol Show Podcast:

 Brad Russell joins Jasen to talk about the Browns hiring Kevin Stefanski (0:18).

Jasen talks to Nick Shook about the Browns new HC, Kevin Stefanski (5:00).

Courtney Gras, from Tech Stars, joins Jasen to talk about the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) (14:23).

On  The Friday edition of the Jasen Sokol Show Podcast:

It's Bonzai Friday!  Our callers had a lot to say about President Trump, vocational education and the jobs numbers.  Jazz pianist Kofi Boakye stopped by for an update before he returns to The Berklee College of Music in Boston.

On the Thursday edition of the Jasen Sokol Show Podcast:

 Jasen talked with Congressman Anthony Gonzalez about yesterday's Iran briefing and whether the U.S. response was warranted. We also discussed the Middle East situation and its political ramifications with Dr. Tom Sutton of Baldwin Wallace University.

John Goch of Props Consulting had tips for homeowners as they enter into agreements with contractors.

Ohio Democratic Party Chair David Pepper described the counter rally in Toledo ahead of the President's rally this evening.

This week our 1590 WAKR Student Athlete of the Week is Amicia Powers, a senior indoor track athlete from North High School.

Powers is a three sport athlete competing in volleyball, indoor track , and track and field (outdoor)

She says that the balance between academics and athletics is a tough one, but very doable once you get a hold of time management.

"I balance it by getting my schoolwork done first before practice and our coaches let us get our work done so we can focus during practice," she said. 

Coach Demonte Powell says Amicia has been the vocal and physical leader since her first day of practice.

“She understands without self discipline success is impossible and she carries one of the highest gpa's on the team yearly,” he said.

“She's an athlete that keeps me going and constantly makes me work hard. When she finally leaves it will be a big loss losing such a leader and a team player we in the staff love Amicia dearly and wish her nothing but success .”

In addition to being a three sport athlete, Powers is also a member of Skills USA, the Senior Advisory Board, Viking Voices, and the cheerleading squad.

She says that being a student athlete at North is an honor and a privilege, especially with the international students, many of whom she has grown to be friends with. 

"I think it's good to know where they come from in certain situations," she said. 

Also in the community, she volunteers at the Haven of Rest in Akron, something that she takes pride in as well.

Upon graduation in the spring of 2020, she plans on attending either the University of Akron or Kent State University to study Biology/Pre-Med.

 Our next Male Student Athlete of the Week is Elijah Humphrey, a junior basketball player from North High School.

He says he got into basketball at an early age.

“ I always played since I was little, I started in rec league in third grade, and I just came up from there," he said.

Humphrey is a two sport athlete competing in both basketball and track and field and both are beneficial to his conditioning. 

“It's just easier for me to get up an down the court," 

In addition to being playing two sports for the Vikings, Elijah also is a member of DECA and Viking Voices.

Coach Marc Smith had some good things to say about Humphrey.

For community service, Humphrey also volunteers at the Haven of Rest in Akron. He says giving back to community is something he enjoys and realizes the importance of.

We wish Amicia and Elijah the best in all of their future endeavors.