EP 37: Sherlonda Sharp

​Kristine Dizon: Hello, my name is Kristine Dizon and I'm the CEO and founder of The Modern Artist Project. Today, I'm with Sherlonda Sharp. She's committed to creating and supporting equitable work environments through dynamic, practical, and engaging, training and development. Sherlonda has the expertise and experience to translate organizational vision into real-life, transformative experiences.

Her quick wit, likability, and rapport with audiences have made her a favorite at clubs and colleges. Sherlonda opens for national touring comics is a popular feature in closing acts and finished in the top five in the first comedy contest she ever entered. She started her career in comedy as a New Year's resolution. The only one she ever stuck to in Raleigh, North Carolina.

In 2011, she grew tired of sunshine and warm weather and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota where her performance took flight. She has performed at countless elks, moose lions, eagles, and anything named after animal clubs across the Upper Midwest. Her goal is to always leave the audience wanting more. She is great for corporate and private parties and has entertained employees from Southwest Airlines LifeTouch and Duke Medical Center. Sherlonda has been honored to entertain our servicemen and women from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Fort Bragg, and Andrews Air Force Base. 

Her inviting style can warm even the chilliest audiences. In her other life. Sherlonda is a college administrator and she constantly does well with college audiences because her act is ‘all ages. welcome’. Sherlonda is also great for cooperation, churches, and family-focused occasions. Thank you, Sherlonda for joining us today.

Sherlonda Sharp: Thank you so much for the wonderful introduction. It is my pleasure to be here.

KD: I had the great opportunity to watch you work in Hayward, and it was so much fun. I brought my elderly mother with me, and it was her first comedy show, and she laughed so hard. She didn't even know what to do. That's one of the things that I'm curious about actually is to learn a little bit about what led you to this path of comedy. I know you mentioned it as this type of New Year's resolution. But could you tell us a little bit more?

SS: Absolutely, I’m happy to do comedy. I have always been told that I was funny, but I knew that there was a difference between being funny with your friends and your family and going on a stage with a microphone. And it was one of those things where everyone that you knew like Eddie Murphy, Ellen, and Jerry Seinfeld, were all famous. And so it felt like “Oh, in order to do that, you have to be famous. How do you do that?” It almost felt like “Well, that's not real because that's something for a chosen few.” Not knowing that being young, there are comedy clubs and all of those types of things. So it just became something that I sort of tucked away.

I remember the first time I could think back to performing was probably in Mr. Burns' Algebra 2 class. We had study hall, and one day I just got on this riff about not getting enough allowance from my parents. My classmates were like, "You should be a comedian." I said, "Hm, I don't know about that. I'm gonna get a real job." So because, again, not really knowing, you fast forward some years.

And I happened to be looking on Craigslist, where they have classes that you can take. I saw this ad that said, "Hey, have people always told you you were funny?" I replied, "Yes, have you always wanted to be a comic?" I said, "Yes." Essentially, it was to come take the six-week course, and we'll teach you all the basics. That's when I discovered that there was this whole world of comedy. There were books that helped you structure jokes, writing, all of that good stuff. I took the course, and for our graduation, which was actually a little show, and it went well. We invited friends and family. The person who was running it was a comic. He did corporate comedy for a living. He pulled me aside and said, "You need to start going to clubs." I said, "He said, yeah, you, you need to see what you can do with this." I made a New Year's resolution and went on the last open mic day in January, and the rest is history.

KD: No. I think it's amazing to reflect on the path you've taken. What's interesting is that you brought up the idea of maybe not being so fun or thinking it's not a real job, like when you're younger, you say, "Okay." Maybe I didn't know you could make a living off of this, this part of what you've done. 

So, regarding the earlier part, what types of information were available for comics earlier in your career?

SS: Once I started discovering the world of comedy, it boils down to finding places to perform and starting to build that network. Another crucial aspect is learning how to write really good jokes. There are some excellent books, and one of my favorites is called "The Comedy Bible." The writer breaks down how to write and structure jokes. She takes parts of stand-up specials from famous people and breaks down the formula that makes them so funny. It was really helpful to see that.

When I think about resources, I consider where you can go to perform. Even in a small town, there might be a restaurant or a bowling alley with an open mic night. It doesn't necessarily have to be for comedy; some people might be playing music. I always advise people to aim for about five minutes, get comfortable with that, and see where it goes from there. But it starts with writing and making a commitment to try it. It can be scary, but you can do it; you can do scary things. It's okay.

KD: No. I think this is really great advice too because a lot of the time when we go into these places where it's a little uncomfortable, right? Like, I'm going to be in front of a group of people, and they are going to judge me, and maybe they might like me or throw tomatoes at me. 

How did you overcome that fear?

SS:  So what I say to folks is use it to kind of keep you sharp because you are performing like this is work. And so even when you, because a lot of our reference points, are professional comics that you see on TV. And it's important to understand that a lot, a lot of them, this is 10, 15, 20 plus years of experience that you're seeing. So as someone who has about 15 minutes of experience there, you, you just give yourself some leeway there. But I think one of the things to just kind of keep in mind is believe in yourself, know that the audience also wants to have a good time. They really do, they want to have fun, they want to have a good time. And at the end of the day, you won't see them again. It's a, it's a room full of strangers and you did something that if someone is mocking or doing something that most people aren't brave enough to do. So it's ok and I say, try it at least three times to see how it goes.

So what I say to folks is to use it to kind of keep you sharp because performing is work. Even when you, because a lot of our reference points are professional comics that you see on TV, it's important to understand that many of them have 10, 15, 20 plus years of experience. So, with about 15 minutes of experience, give yourself some leeway. But one of the things to keep in mind is to believe in yourself. Know that the audience also wants to have a good time. They really do; they want to have fun. And at the end of the day, you won't see them again. It's a room full of strangers, and you did something that most people aren't brave enough to do. So it's okay, and I say, try it at least three times to see how it goes.

KD: I think that's a great number because a lot of the time when we start something one time and it's a little hard, we get deterred by it. But then I think the more comfort that one gets as they keep trying these things, it's a really great way to worm oneself into this territory that can be unfamiliar.

SS: Yes. Once you start doing it, it opens up your world, and you can start meeting other comics. A lot of this depends on the size of the city or town you live in, but you'll find out about other open mics, and you start building that community. It's a fun, interesting, off-the-wall, amazing community to be a part of.

KD: No. I think that's great, and in regards to finding these treasures, I feel like living a lived life allows you to say, "I'm going to do this, I'm going to see how it works." And I know with what you mentioned earlier, I'd like for you to talk a little bit more about this. 
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When people say, "Oh, you're funny," and I'm like, "Okay, that's great." I mean, there are some people who are just naturally funny, but could you go more into the details of the dirty details of making good jokes and how those jokes can resonate with people or kind of make people angry?

SS: Understood. Yes. So let's say, and I think when we talk about artistry, it could apply to a lot of different genres. If someone spots a natural talent in you, how do you take that to the next level? For me, one of the things I realized again with comedy was being funny to your friends or family. Number one, they understand the context of what you're talking about because we've all been in a situation where someone says, "Oh, this weekend I have this really funny story," and it's great. It's hilarious, and they go through the story, and you're sort of like, "Huh?" They'll end it with that famous line, "I guess you had to be there," because someone who was there understands the little reference points. That's one thing for them to love. It's almost, can you tell the same story to people who have no context? They don't know you; they don't like you. How do you do that? And that really comes down to good structure for the joke and bringing people in so they feel as if they can picture themselves there, a part of what happened.

For example, in my act, I tell a story about the first time I went out to the cabin, cabin country in Minnesota. I tell this whole story; everyone in that room, the way I tell that story, could picture what happens. So it's, in many ways, bringing people along with you. Those are some of the subtle differences between being funny or artistic or whatever your gift is with people who know you and care about you and with the general public. It's really thinking, "Okay, if I were to do this for a job, if I want to make people entertain and make them laugh as a job, how would I do this? How would I approach that?" That's when you begin to say, "Okay, so I know I have some natural stage presence. I have a unique point of view. I just want to tell people what's on my mind, whatever it is." How do I take that and then turn it into something? That's where going to that open mic, meeting other comics, maybe picking up a book, or something like that will help you start to put those pieces together.

KD: No, I think this is really great advice too just because a lot of time people think, "Oh, they're telling really great jokes. They're just hilarious, that's it." Whereas, in actuality, there's a lot of thought that goes into the process. When you talk about this idea of structure, you're talking about the idea of your audience, and I can only imagine it's also about the language that you use with your audience. How do you compute all of that together in regards to being able to structure your act?

SS: Wonderful question. So, when we talk about structure, every joke that you hear has two basic parts, which is a setup and a punchline. A really good joke actually has what we would call a setup, a punchline, and a tag. A tag is a kind of referencing and going back to maybe what you said at the beginning.

When you're thinking through, "Okay, how do I make this happen? How do I put things together?" Let's see. I'm trying to think of the best way to describe comedy. It is an art and a science. There's a lot of science to it. For example, every comic that I know, when we walk into a room and see the stage where we're performing.

One of the things that we always want is to get people close together and get them close to the stage. Now, you might say, "Really, what does that make a difference?" It makes such a difference because there is something about, like, one, the lights need to be down, people need to be close together, and people need to be close to the stage because there's almost a feeling of people needing permission to laugh. So if they're more spread out, then it starts, it makes it a little bit more difficult.

Every comic will also tell you that the front row, which I know a lot of people are scared to sit on because they think someone's gonna tease them and do things like that. For the most part, people really don't. That kind of mean comedy, "I'm gonna come after you" type of thing isn't, it's mostly a thing of the past.

But having people on that front row is so essential because it's almost like the laughter is energy and a wave. If you don't have that front row, it's like the jokes do this, you do it, it waves and it goes through the audience. If that front row isn't there, like sometimes I've had shows where there weren't people in the front, I have literally performed almost leaning off the stage. I get as close to whatever the next front row is as I can get because of that proximity.

Yes, like say there's no front row, here I come, here, I come. I'm gonna get close to you because there is a science to that. There's a science to how the room is set up. There's a science to lighting being a certain way, of folks being warmed up and feeling like they have permission to laugh. That's why in different settings, a comedy club versus a corporate setting, where you need to be safer because they're thinking, "Oh, can I laugh at this because HR is looking at me, HR is looking at me." So it has been such a wonderful adventure, learning that and just learning, seeing those things. A lot of what happens with any profession, as you know, is you notice these things and you pick up these things over time.

And I also, to anybody who might be aspiring to comedy, it is again that give it three times and also give a joke a couple of times to see if it works because sometimes it could be as little as a slight pause before you say a certain word.

So, in comedy, we record our sets. We will either record it on the phone so we can play it back and hear what happens because sometimes how we're perceiving it and how the audience is actually reacting could be a little bit different. You also don't want to miss something where you change a joke just a little bit, and it goes from funny to hilarious, and that happens all the time. There are jokes that as I got further into my career, I would know it's like, "This joke is funny, but not yet. I don't know how to, but I don't know how to tell it yet. So I'm just gonna keep tweaking it until I get it to be where it needs to be." And that's the super fun part.

KD: And it's also a process because when you think about these things, the idea of recording yourself, the idea of taking notes, really adjusting and tweaking the jokes in a way that when you think about your timing, you think about all of these other elements that sometimes you wouldn't think about. 

Because a lot of the time, the audience is just sitting there like, "Wow, this is really great." Having that type of awareness too when you think about all of these elements of what makes a good show or what makes a good segment, what makes people feel connected to you, even though you may not know who they are, they may not know who you are. But at the same time, being able to share that experience of laughter, I mean, I think that's fascinating, and it is pretty wonderful.

SS: It is pretty wonderful. And one of the things for me is when, if you think about getting nervous, one technique, and again, another thing about getting involved in the comedy community is you'll start meeting comics who have been there and been doing it for a long time. There's just so much wisdom to gain. A comic once shared, whenever I get nervous or I get super nervous, I take the focus off of myself like, "Oh, I want this to go well." Because, of course, you're like, "I want to do well. I want this to go well." He's like, "I redirect that to the audience and just say I want them to have a good time. I want them to have fun." 

So that's another thing that I do is I want all of us to have a lovely evening. Like if you're gonna come out, sit and get tickets, it's like, "Let's have a good time together." By putting the focus on them instead of what will I do, it really does shift it and make it so much more manageable and just a great experience. And that's in comedy, we always say you never take an audience for granted because you don't. Sometimes you think, "Oh, they're hot. This is gonna be great." Or, "Oh, I'm not sure. They're sort of quiet. How is this gonna go?" You look and you're like, "Oh, this audience is more mature. They're younger." You just don't know until you are up there. That is part of your job. Part of your job is to make them feel comfortable, to show them a good time, and to bring them along for this fun journey.

KD: And I think, with that type of mindset, I know a lot of the time, even as a musician (I play the clarinet) and I also did act and things like that. I know for a fact that sometimes we get so caught up, at least as musicians, in the sense that, "Oh, I have to be able to present the best of myself." Whereas, in actuality, it's not about us at the end. It's about them, it's about the people that we share, and I think that's really great.

SS: I always say practice is for us when we're practicing, when we're going through it in our heads, when we're writing stuff down, that is for us. But if we are there in this, again, this is a professional setting, you're a professional, you're doing your job, and your job is to entertain for sure.

KD: And I think that's something really important for our audience to know. Even though you may be in a situation where you're uncomfortable, we have that agency, we have the power to be able to shift dynamics, to be able to, I guess you could say, move waters, to be able to say, "Okay, if this person can do this, if I can, then I can do this," and being able to feel empowered in that sense. Whether it's the five minutes of open mic night or you're doing a complete segment or even a complete show, being able to be mindful of the audience is so important.

Now, that said, I want to talk about this life of being a college administrator. How do you feel that compliments what you do as a comedian?

SS: It's adding comedy has been one of the great gifts of my life, and I think it complements what I do working with college students. What I tell people is I went to college and never left because it's sort of true. I got involved as an undergrad and actually lived on campus as a housing person. So those who lived in the dorms back in the day, remember the RA? 

And then there's like a resident director, that was me. I lived on campus with the students for 13 years. The very first time in my life I paid rent was when I moved to Minnesota. It is terrible. Zero stars, do not recommend it. I'm still trying to figure out how to get back on campus. A lot of what I did in that position is when you educate, if you want those lessons to really sit, you do it in a dynamic way. 

When I think about training, the number of times I've sat in front of a group of resident advisors, there's this natural element of having an agenda, wanting to share, and doing it in a way that's memorable. Hopefully, they will think of me when they see me doing something else, they will come back because they remember that lady, and give her another chance. So in a lot of ways, it was just naturally built in. One of my favorite audiences is traditional-age college students. I get them, and I think they get me. Comedy complements what I do because it gives me another way for that creativity to be out there.

KD: No. And I think that's amazing, when we think about the idea of education, because of the fact that, to be, dynamic to be engaging, to be aware, I think it's also that level of awareness, that, you have not only just for, your audience but also for, the students because you want them to be able to, hear the words that you have to say, the message that you want to convey and being able to, even poke a little fun at the topic?
 
SS: Absolutely. 

KD: You know, without being malicious about it. But at the same time, being able to reach out to people in that way. And I know, like, for example, I have a lot of colleagues who are really smart people who are like, intelligent, who really know their stuff. But at the same time, being able to like, communicate, to be able to reach out to that person, not even just hearing them, but, to their soul, and being able to like, show the value of what you have to offer. I think that's really great. So like, in regards to being able to combine those elements with education and humor, what have you seen, in regards to your students, the students that you work with in their growth and development?

SS: I think using humor, of course, appropriately, is something that helps drive home lessons. It can be really helpful in more tense conversations or things that make us uncomfortable. So, in the way that comedy goes to places we're not allowed to, which is something I love, I think with education, especially with what we're hoping students will be accepting of diversity, they will be growing themselves. Like who they show up as a 17, or 18-year-old and who they leave as a 22-or 23-year-old. Hopefully, there's been this growth not just because they took organic chemistry but because they met different people and had experiences that they never really thought about. It's such a special time. So, when I think of how you combine the two, I know, number one, I'm competing with a lot of different voices.

And number two, I know that what I have to share with them is valuable. So how do I do that in a way that meets my objectives and helps them remember? I did lots of presentations, and I just remember some students coming, and they're like, "Yeah, Sherlonda, it's like you said, but..." and I was like, "What? You're listening. You are listening," and they're like, "Yeah, we're listening because you don't know."

And I say that when I say, like, never take an audience for granted because sometimes during shows, I've had shows where the audience has been pretty quiet, and that can rattle a lot of people. And what I have found is sometimes after the show, people will come up and they're like, "I had a great time. It was wonderful." It doesn't necessarily mean anything bad. It's just maybe people didn't feel permission, maybe they were tired. But the number of shows I've had where people were quiet, and then they come back and say, "And I had such, I had such a good time." So good to just never know.

KD: Yeah. And that's the thing, with the idea of having a good time, people always feel that in order to demonstrate that the joke worked, we have to laugh. But sometimes, it's what you mentioned, the idea that the audience is just really taking it all in, all in their insides, in their organs and what have you, and being able to actually appreciate the humor and the content of what you're sharing with them.

It's just because talking to you about this, I see so many parallels in regards to what I do as a musician and being able to plan meticulously that no one sees, that work that no one, and sometimes, I'm sure you can relate to the idea that it does take effort and it does take thought that sometimes people take for granted. What I liked about what you said is the fact that your students remember the things that you say, and also as a teacher, Kristine quote unquote, this is what you said. And I'm like, who are you keeping a notebook on this? Yes, you mentioned this on this date.


SS: Yes, they truly are paying attention, and that's such a gift. I think about the fact that with my comedy, just like when I'm with students, the things that I'm sharing are important. As you saw in my act, I talk about tough things, like being new to a place and what it's like to adjust to that. I talk about race, like all of those things. I always want to do it in a way that people leave thinking, "Oh, okay." And I've had folks come back and say, they'll quote some part of what I've said. It also reminds me of how powerful this medium can be because people will take things away. So, it makes me really aware of what is the message that I want to share with my audience.

KD: Very important. For sure. And it's one of those things too, with what you mentioned in your segment. Those are things that people relate to, being the new person, or just being somewhere that's different, that's not what you're not used to, and I could definitely relate a lot of the time with traveling a lot, you're just always kind of looking around and trying to see.

So here I am, how did I get here, type of thing but, but being able to, take those moments, you mentioned the idea of race, being able to take the things that you experience and, and being able to share that with people in a way that, they listen, but also too, they do take time to think about it afterward.
How do you shape those jokes around like, what your experiences are?

SS: It is a bit of physical writing because there are times, most comics will tell you, that some people will type on their phones, but I usually will have some random piece of paper at all times because a lot of ideas or thoughts come. You might be having lunch with friends, and there's just something that occurs to you, and you're like, I need to, I might be able to do something with this, and you kind of take a little note down.

Or you said something that turned out to be your intention wasn't like, "I'm going to be funny right now." It just turns out that there was a certain situation or a certain turn of phrase that happened that you're like, "OK, this is really interesting." Just for reference points, you can go to my website to see. I have a whole segment on being new to Minnesota. I moved transplanted to Minnesota from the South, and I spent some time just talking about being a newcomer and what that experience was like and all of those types of things.

So when I'm thinking through how to do this, it is a combination of intentional writing. It is getting inspired. I've had a number, I have a couple of friends that, for whatever reason, they bring out the funny. So sometimes it's just hanging out with some particular friends, and something I'll just start talking about, and it's like, "Wait, I can do something with this." So it's a combination of a lot of different things.

KD: No. And I think this is really amazing, especially the idea of being inspired and what does that look like? Having bunches of paper, small pieces of paper napkins, I can only imagine what it looks like in your office with all these jokes collected to one another, and you're just trying to map them out, seeing what works and what doesn't work. I can only imagine the process.

So one of the things that I wanted to ask is when you think about these types of experiences, the idea of what comedy means. And now I hope, I think, I mean, this was extremely informative, the idea of being able to go out and be fearless, take risks, if you're funny, great, if you're tired, how the different aspects of how the audience may feel around you depending on the time of day of giving the joke. Like it's like, "Hey, you guys, I'm really funny after 9 a.m., and I can get really annoying after 9 p.m.," right?

But no, but I think this is valuable too, and also the idea of digital platforms. You mentioned earlier that you also have a website that has links to different videos. How valuable do you think this is for young professionals or even professionals who are already in the field?

SS: Yes, it is. Having some sort of web presence is critical, and it doesn't have to be anything terribly fancy, but it should look nice, look clean, and be easy to find. One of the things that I would recommend is making it your name because if you happen to become more known, you want to be able to have that domain in your name rather than making it something like "shellfish is my friend" or a catchphrase.

Just make it your name because that catchphrase, you might use that for one year, and then you've moved on and you've invested all of this in the website. But there are a lot of places who might be interested in booking you, and that's why it's good to have a place where you can point and say, "Here it is, I'm a real person," and make sure that you have a good 5 to 10-minute clean clip up there for folks to see.

KD: No, for sure. And I think this is all really great advice because a lot of the time, you work with students, and I work with students too. A lot of the time, it's a matter of being able to teach them how to exist in today's society, right?

SS: I don't know about you, but one of the things, even before social media sort of took off the way that it has, is we knew about, or I could see how your web presence was going to play out for students. So I used to do trainings where I talked to them, particularly for student staff. And I would say, "Hey, so here's the thing, I'm not going on your Facebook page or anything like that, seeing what you're up to because I don't have the time or energy. 

However, what you do and how you behave is going to possibly have ramifications because someone might send me a photograph. And if I see you in a photograph where you're holding a red solo cup and there are some ping pong balls, and you're wearing a shirt that says 'I love cocaine,' your job might be in jeopardy. But your job might be in jeopardy because then I'm going to have to act." 

And you would see people, and I would always use an extreme example like the 'I love cocaine' shirt because I wanted them to remember that, and I wanted them to hear, like, "Oh yeah, that is important. And it's not just I'm trying to get you or I'm trying to just, kill your buzz and not let you have a good time, but really showing them, these are some of the ramifications that come from our behavior that might be completely unintentional but still happens."

KD: Yeah. And I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. It just kind of came out naturally. But that's the thing, when you paint images like that for students or people, they're like ”Oh, I probably shouldn't do that.” Or, that plant, becoming very popular among many people. I mean, I think our audience kind of gets a hint at what it is.

KD: They do it like that plant with the different snoops of the pot, Seth Rogan, legal in some places, not legal in others, you know that one. You can water it; sometimes there are so many different things you can do with it. You could even cook with it, make clothes, do all sorts of stuff.

SS: Yes.

KD: Yeah. No, for sure. But I know, but that's the thing, you talk about this idea of making sure that also, too, not only ramifications of behavior but also preparing them for what they're going to expect. I know for a fact that I've been very blessed, at least in my training that I've worked with many great teachers, maestros, and what have you.

But, the thing is I never got, at least when I was like 18, 19, that advice of like, "Okay, these are things that you should be thinking about now." And then when you get to the point as you go through your education, that this is what needs to happen. You know, like setting biographies, writing a CV. I mean, creating that type of portfolio, especially if you're in a creative career or for example, comedy, music theater, like all of those aspects. What would you encourage, let's say, other professionals who are in higher education, how they can better guide young professionals aspiring in the field?

SS: Oh, for that is fantastic. I think one of the things I would say is if you're going to work in higher education, make sure that you like college students because you would be disturbed at the number of people who kind of see students as a byproduct or they're sort of there. It's like you need to really like college students in order to be successful in higher education.

So that's one. The other piece would be to, I think, really think through what is it that you have that you can share and also make sure that you set boundaries. Because I was a housing person, I lived where I worked. So in some ways, I could be working all the time. And so, I actually set up routines where I would go to the gym, and I would go to the gym off-campus even though we had one on campus because I needed something in my life that wasn't, living on campus, driving on campus, eating on campus. It's like I need some things outside of here.

And so how do I make sure that I carve those things out? So, for folks who are in higher education, like college students, find a place where you feel that your gifts and talents really kind of pop. That's the beauty of higher education. There are so many colleges and universities to find where you fit and really pay attention to today's students and what it is that they need. Because even when we think they might not be listening or really paying attention, you just don't know. 

The beauty of my being in education for a couple of decades now is I stayed in it long enough to see people come back and see that maturity where I would run into former student members who are now professionals in the field. They would say, "She taught me everything. I know. She's the reason why I do the things that I do." And you're like, "Oh my gosh, you really get to see." 

One of my favorite memories is being at a conference. I'm with some former students who are now grown-up professionals out there working. As we were having dinner, someone said something provocative. As I was about to respond, my former student took the words out of my mouth and articulated this beautiful way for them to rethink what they were saying. I turned to her, and I said, "You have grown up," and she said, "Yes, I have, I understand now. I get it now." 

That is the beauty of what we're doing. It really is sinking in, even if we don't think. And that's why it's so important that what we say on stage, what we say to people, the message that we give out is critical because they are listening, even if they aren't listening.

KD: No. And I think this is it, Sherlonda. I think this is really great advice. We're gonna leave it on that note. First of all, thank you for joining us today and for sharing your experience and thoughts with us. We look forward to seeing the amazing things that you continue to do for our community.

SS: Thank you so much. It has been my absolute pleasure and happy to come back, happy to talk more. If anyone out there is interested in higher ed, if you're a college student and you're like, I need some good advice. Shada sharp dot com. Come, let's talk. Happy to do that and it's so honored that you had me on your show.
Thank you so much. It has been my absolute pleasure, and I'm happy to come back, happy to talk more. If anyone out there is interested in Higher Education, if you're a college student and you're like, "I need some good advice," www.sherlondasharp.com, let's talk. Happy to do that, and I'm so honored that you had me on your show.

KD: Thank you.