Wright College Professor Honored with ‘Oscar of the Internet’ for Her Podcast

In addition to teaching, Wright College Computer Information Systems Associate Professor Laurie Alfaro has a passion for music that recently landed her a prestigious honor.

Laurie’s love of music was born out of watching Duran Duran music videos on MTV in the 1980s. In order to build a sense of community during the pandemic, Laurie created a podcast called Accelerated Culture: The Rise of Alternative Music in the 80s and Beyond in August 2022. The show centers on 80s and 90s new wave music and allows Laurie and her cohost, Scott Free, to connect virtually with music fans from all over the world.

Two years later, Accelerated Culture has increased its listenership and now holds one of the internet’s highest honors: Webby Honoree in the Best Indie Podcast category. The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). It is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the internet. This year, Accelerated Culture was an honoree in the Best Indie Podcast category in the 28^th Annual Webby Awards out of 13,000 submissions.

“I was over the moon when I found out we’d won,” Laurie shared. “The Webby Awards are a big deal. They’re like the Oscars of the internet. It’s a huge honor.”

Laurie’s cohost is one of her professors from college. She encourages all her students to maintain relationships with their professors as they never know where those relationships may lead them.