- [Announcer] This program is made possible through a grant from the Greater Peoria Leadership Council, a coalition of business and civic leaders working together to shape a stronger, more connected region through the Choose Greater Peoria initiative.

(upbeat music) ♪ Well no matter what the question is ♪ ♪ We'll say yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ And if you wanna have some trouble ♪ ♪ We'll say yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ Whoa ♪ Woo, woo, woo, woo ♪ You're amazing ♪ Baby, you're amazing ♪ You just remember ♪ You just remember you're amazing ♪ ♪ Yeah - What's going on, everybody?

Welcome to "Vibe 309".

I'm your host, Blake Wirth, and I gotta say, it feels awfully good to be back.

Both behind the desk and on your screen.

Some of you know we rolled out the pilot this past fall.

Put it out there in the universe for everyone to see.

Fortunately, nobody hated it.

Not enough, anyway, for WTVP to cancel me.

So here we are, officially kicking off the series, ladies and gentlemen.

(audience cheering and clapping) Thank you.

Thank you.

We have some outstanding guests lined up this season.

People doing incredible stuff right here in the 309.

People who have a really good head on their shoulders.

You ever hear someone described that way?

So and so has a really good head on their shoulders.

It's a beautiful compliment really.

When I was a kid, I always wanted an adult to say that about me.

My parents, my teachers, somebody.

But they never did.

(audience laughing lightly) Tonight though, our guest has a very good head on his shoulders.

That sucker's not going anywhere.

He is though.

In life.

One conversation with this young man, and you can just tell he has a bright future.

He's only 21 years old, but his handshake feels like he's been working construction since the Reagan administration.

He's not a construction worker though, folks.

He's the Student Body President at Bradley University.

You may have seen his face on local billboards, but tonight he's here in studio.

Please welcome Al Cuizon Jr.

(audience cheering and clapping) What's up Al?

- What's up, man.

My man.

- Good to see you.

Take a seat.

Have a seat.

- Awesome.

Thank you.

You are not alone, sir.

- I am not.

I am here with majority of my student senate.

Student senate, say hello.

(student senate cheering and clapping) And members of the student body, so... And my family.

My family's also here.

Family say woo!

- Woo!

(Al laughing) - We got your dad, and your mom, and your sister.

- Yeah, that's right.

- That's exciting.

Yes.

- So off the bat, you are el presidente.

- Yeah.

- [Blake] The big cheese, top dog.

- I wouldn't say that.

(laughs) - Those who don't know how student body governing works, break it down.

What's your position?

What's your day-to-day look like?

What is the role of the people in the audience?

- Yes.

Yes.

So my role, obviously, I am the Student Body President for Bradley University.

Basically, I represent the entire student body, all 5,000 plus of our students.

And I help present and be the ambassador for the university as a whole and help represent all the students under my tutelage.

And all of everyone here that are senators, cabinet members, people that are part of my executive team, they upkeep the machine running and really just present Bradley's student perspective in the best light possible.

So, I wouldn't be here without them.

- Okay.

That's a great answer.

Very political answer.

(Al laughs) No, that's a good answer.

Break it down.

How many senators, how many cabinet members?

What do we... I mean, break down the number of students.

- Yes.

So from top down, starting with me, I also have my Speaker of the Assembly, who is my right hand.

He helps me with everything.

My Chief of Staff, who also helps me with delegating out task to my committees and to my committee chair people.

And my Director of Administration, Director of Administration who really breaks down all of the budgeting and all of the boring stuff per se.

Yes, yes.

- Okay.

And then under that I have five committee members, committee chair people.

Actually, they run all our individual committees with all of our individual senators that we have.

We, overall, we have 27, we're supposed to have 27 senators.

And in terms of our membership, 37 people overall.

- Okay.

So that's fascinating.

So when we spoke a few weeks back, we had a really good conversation.

You nearly broke my hand with the vice grip handshake.

You said there is no reason Bradley University can't be a top 50 school.

- Yes, I believe that a hundred percent.

Well, because we are right in between St.

Louis and Chicago.

Chicago has University of Chicago, Northwestern.

St.

Louis has WashU and a number of different other top level schools within the Missouri area.

We're right in between both of these big cities.

Why can't we compete academically and also in terms of just student lifestyle with them.

- What's the first step?

- Acknowledgement of the gaps in silos that are within, not just Bradley, but within the community around us.

Each of us, as students, have our own unique talents, capabilities, and creative imaginations that we can help leverage to develop, not just the institution, but the surrounding community.

And if we can't go out there as students, especially student leadership, and help impact the community at the same time we impact our campus community, then arguably we're not doing our jobs.

- Okay.

Is this what you ran on?

What platform did you run on?

What was your message?

- Yes.

- So when I was running for Student Body President back in, the spring, actually, my three primary pillars were collaboration, representation, and innovation.

Collaborating with all the student interest groups across campus.

- Okay.

And also too, that implicates collaborating with all the community organizations around Bradley, like "Vibe 309".

- Sure.

And... So to plug.

Innovation, really focusing on developing up the minds of our young people, especially like our, from our underclassmen, all the way to our seniors that are graduating this year, including myself.

Developing their mentality with hands-on experiences to help develop society around us.

And then representation.

Truly representing all the interest groups and all the students by advocating for all of their desires on how we can help better their campus experience, the quality of life for students.

- So does each interest group have, sort of, like, a spokesperson or someone that comes to the table and says, we want a seat at the table.

This is our interest group.

You may not even know about it, but we have a voice, too.

So do you have people reaching out to you asking to get a seat at the table or to voice their what they want?

- A couple of my senators here today actually reached out to me directly asking about how to get more involved with student senate, how to truly advocate.

Because all the initiatives that we've been doing on campus have been towards the centralization of all the student voices.

And this is the first time in the while we've actually focused on bringing all the voices together and bringing student senate back to the students instead of just it being a glorified high school student council.

- Okay.

And having resume chasers come in and try and pursue Student Body President or any other position on student senate or just student government as a whole and truly advocate for these students' desires on campus.

- I mean, you're as polished as it get... Guy, I forgot to... This kid did the Marine Corps junior ROTC all four years in high school.

Is that... I say that right?

- That's right.

That's right.

Yeah.

Impressive man.

So I know you didn't plan on running for Student Body President or I don't even think government in general.

- No.

Originally I wanted to be a finance major.

Go into business.

I just wanted to make money.

- Sure.

But as I kept progressing in my leadership experience, both in high school and into my college life, just opportunities just kept popping up.

- [Blake] Yeah.

- The way Student Body President came about... I wasn't even thinking about it.

My friend just came up to me and was like, "Hey, you'd be a great competitor to run against to be Student Body President."

I'm like, "Wow, okay."

And then he just wanted to talk.

- Do you think you were an easy target and he could beat you easily or what was the... - Hey man, maybe, I don't know.

But he was confident enough to come up to me and was like, "Hey, do you want to talk about this?

How are we gonna plan this out?"

And then long story short, we negotiated terms and he is actually my Director of Administration.

Ryan Dodge, shout out to him.

Yes.

I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him and his experience, because as you may know, I'm a transfer student from Illinois Central College.

I came to Bradley last year, and that's when I got into student government on campus and became Student Body President.

And I was only in there for like nine months, so... - That's a great... You stole... I was gonna segue to, but Al you're not, you didn't go to Bradley as a freshman.

- I did not.

- No, you didn't.

- You are a grassroots Peorian though.

You've been here since you were three years old.

- Yes.

My parents and I moved here when I was three, about three years old.

Right, mom?

- From where, mom?

- Okay.

- From St.

Louis.

- From St.

Louis.

- St.

Louis.

- And after that, went to school.

Elementary school, middle school, high school, now college.

- There's one elementary school I'd like you to mention.

It's where I went.

I'd like you to say.

St.

Mark's.

Did I not tell you I went to St.

Mark's?

- No, I went to middle school at St.

Mark's.

Yeah.

- What did I say?

- I can't remember.

- Anyway.

(Al laughs) - So, well, I got in so much trouble.

I, you know, when we talked, you tried to tell me, and I don't know if this is true, we may have to have his parents confirm this, but you said you got over 300 detentions between second and eighth grade.

- That's the estimate.

Yeah.

And also, too... - Yeah.

- Listen, I don't wanna steal you... Al, I know this is your episode.

I don't wanna steal your thunder.

I probably had over 6,000 detentions between second grade and eighth grade.

- Yeah, I mentioned that when I was doing the freshman convocation speech back in August, the day before the start of the semester.

And I acknowledged that to the freshmen because I was not, I don't, I didn't consider myself a high performing student.

I really didn't understand how education worked.

I was just focused on surviving school, making sure I got the minimal amount of grades that I needed so my mom and my dad don't get mad at me and ground me and not let me play on the PS5, you know?

- Were you a disruptive child?

Were you just trying to tell jokes?

Were you tripping kids?

Pulling the chair out from under 'em?

What were you... - I was just talking too much.

Yeah.

- Okay.

Yeah.

Talking too much, hyperactive.

- Yeah.

Didn't really focus, so.

- Yeah, they don't like that.

I've heard you speak a couple different times in public.

You spoke at Big Table.

- I did.

I've heard you speak about an onward mentality.

Can you speak about that?

What does that mean?

Onward mentality?

- Yes.

So, the biggest thing for me that needs to be considered for all young people is that no matter what major that you choose, no matter what your career path you're perceiving in life, you really just have to keep going no matter what.

For me, when I started off, after middle school, going into high school, into the Marine Corps junior ROTC, I was doing that mentality of this is ridiculous.

Why am I, why am I not where I want to be?

But I didn't figure out how to do that until junior, my junior year of high school where I was like, I need to stop complaining.

There's a lot of people that didn't have, don't have as much as I do.

I'm very lucky to be not just here in school, but here in the United States.

My family came here from the Philippines directly and I'm the first generation immigrant in my family to ever be here in Peoria and do education here in the United States.

And I wouldn't be here if they didn't teach me how to continue pushing past all the obstacles and the adversities and the struggles that my youth provided me.

- Yeah.

- You talked about that Filipino culture when we met.

Just resilience is, like, deep in your DNA.

(objects clattering) - [Al] That's right.

- You ready for this?

- My favorite part of the show.

Here, we got the rapid fire section... - All right.

- Of the show.

We got some sawdust on here.

That's okay.

Alright, Al, you ready?

- Yes.

Ready as I'll ever be.

- Favorite place to eat in the 309.

- Ooh.

One World for sure.

Right next to campus town.

- That's a good one.

And Thyme.

Not too far from here.

- Thyme is great.

- Yes.

A lot of animal heads on the wall.

If you can get over that, that's a good... - We went there for my mom's birthday and that was the first time my mom has ever been to a restaurant like that, and she was like, "Wow."

- Yeah.

- It is.

It's a fantastic restaurant.

- Yeah.

Favorite coffee spot in the 309.

- Oh, Zion Coffee Bar.

A hundred percent.

- A hundred percent?

A hundred percent.

I started going there my freshman year of college and that was where I got the best cappuccino here in the city.

- I was at Zion Coffee on a Saturday morning at 8:00 AM taking a meeting with the local leader.

I saw him there.

I had to go up and introduce my.

8:00 AM on a Saturday morning.

- And you texted me the same time, too.

We were in the same place.

- When I was in college on the Hilltop, 8:00 AM I wasn't awake.

When I was, the last person I wanna talk to was a local leader.

I wasn't going out in public.

My head was pounding.

I was looking for water, aspirin.

Alright, you ready?

- Yes.

Yes.

Favorite view in the 309?

Besides that one.

- (laughs) Dang.

(claps) No, I think for me it's split between two.

One of them being Grandview Drive, the world's most beautiful drive.

And second, if you ever step out on the marina in front of the Gateway Building on the river and you go on the marina and you go on the dock and you look up across East Peoria and then at the Murray Bridge, it's beautiful.

- Yeah.

Especially at night.

- Tranquil.

- Tranquil.

- Yes.

One local business you think deserves more love.

- Oh wow.

- [Blake] Got 'em.

- That's a good one.

(laughs) Oh.

Deserves more love.

Elite Community Outreach.

- Okay.

It is a nonprofit.

I was actually a member of one of their programs when I was in middle school.

When I went to Sterling Middle School after I transferred from St.

Mark's.

And when I got there, I was still in that mentality of, man, I'm blaming myself for not being a high performer, I don't know what to do and I'm just gonna skirt by school.

And Carl Cannon is one of... - Huge biceps.

- Huge.

Way bigger than mine.

- Huge.

And I try... I've been to the gym for a while.

And I'm telling you man, I wish I had biceps like his.

- They look like quads, - We gotta keep it going.

- Yeah, 100%.

Give me your Mount Rushmore of Peoria Legends.

- Okay.

Richard Pryor, - Easy.

Lydia Moss Bradley.

A hundred percent.

- Have to, have to.

A hundred percent.

And Pete Vonachen.

- Okay, well there's one more.

There's four on Mt.

Rushmore.

- There's four.

I would put... Misty.

(laughs) - Okay.

Wow.

- Misty is on that list.

- Misty Klobucher of Simantel.

That's amazing.

Would you rather have a pause or rewind button in life?

- I would rather have a pause.

A pause in life.

Just because we all need to take a break.

Especially for me, I have a busy life, busy schedule and it'll continue being busy as I continue going in the trajectory of my life.

And if you try and rewind life, you never know what'll happen in your future.

- Yeah.

I love that.

Last one.

We gotta do it quick.

- Yes.

- What do you value more, being respected or being understood?

- Being respected.

Once people respect you, they make the decision to understand you.

And it's not up to you to change their perception.

- This guy's deep, man.

That's incredible.

Profound answer.

Being respect... Yeah.

That's incredible.

But you know what else is incredible?

Is going to a Bradley basketball game.

We've all been there.

It's one of the highlights of greater Peoria culture.

Peoria is deep, deep, deep in our identity around here.

Bradley's been playing basketball since the early 1900s.

That's before the Titanic.

So, we checked out Carver Arena recently and we want you to take a look, too.

Run it.

(logo whooshing) Anybody who knows the game of basketball knows about Peoria, Illinois.

We're a hotbed for hoopers.

Always have been.

This city has produced legends of the game.

And did you know Bradley basketball has one of the oldest programs in the country?

Dating back to 1902.

And the track record speaks for itself.

Two final four runs, four sweet 16 appearances and four NIT titles.

You know, a lot of Braves fans remember when Bradley used to play up on campus at the Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse.

But since 1982 they've been holding court right here at Carver Arena, one of the best venues in college basketball.

Filled with the best fans in the Missouri Valley Conference.

But don't take my word for it.

Check the vibes for yourself.

Run it.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) Hey Mitch, can I ask you a couple questions?

- Yeah, absolutely.

Yes.

- Okay, Mitch, who is your favorite Bradley basketball player of all time?

- Oh gosh, I'd probably have to go back to Hersey Hawkins, but I did grow up in the Anthony Parker area.

Anthony Parker was one of the best of all time.

- Gotta be Anthony Parker.

I love me some Anthony Parker.

He was... What?

nineties, early nineties?

Yeah.

Yeah.

When I saw Anthony Parker, I was like, I gotta play the game myself.

- Anthony Parker, Patrick O'Bryant, Chad Clyde, Marcus Pollard.

- Marcellus Somerville.

(upbeat music) (crowd cheering) - If you were to hit the game winning shot in the NCAA tournament, - Yeah.

show me your game winning celebration.

(game announcer speaking indistinctly) - I would start with a little jiggle like this.

Yeah, and then I would just, just jump in the air, and, yeah, do something else crazy.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - There's no greater vibe than a Bradley basketball game!

Okay Coach, let me ask you this.

What is your favorite Bradley basketball memory?

- Well, my favorite was probably putting on the uniform when I was a sophomore on the varsity.

But no, not really.

It would be the sweet 16.

- [Sports Announcer] His turnovers in the first half.

Franklin.

(sports announcers cheering) A little kiss.

He got it.

- I'd probably have to say that Dion Jackson toss from behind his back basically at Arch Madness back in the 90s.

Historic moment.

They all run around, you know, the court, all celebrating Jim Molinari.

Pretty cool moment for Bradley basketball.

(upbeat music) - [Blake] Why is Peoria a basketball city?

- I mean, if you look at our legacy, I mean we produce nothing but straight ballers from the playgrounds to the NBA and anywhere in between.

And so I think when you're from here, you're born with an automatic 15 foot mid-range jump shot.

And so that's why.

I mean it's just ingrained in us.

- Bradley has always been a strong part of basketball here in Peoria.

- Why is Peoria a basketball city?

- Well, I think it started with Bradley.

I would assume back in the fifties and maybe even before that.

But, and then the high school basketball was so phenomenal here.

I just think the combination of the two.

Had really good coaching in the city and Bradley had great coaches: Chuck Orsborn, Joe Stowell, Versace.

And I just think people recognize that - Basketball and Peoria, it's associated with the cradle of the crossover.

Some of the best point guards of all time have come out of Peoria.

Manuel had the run back in the nineties.

But even long before that, some of the best talent in the country has come out of Peoria, Illinois.

(players speaking indistinctly) (audience cheering) (timer ringing) - That's gonna do it for us from Carver Arena.

The Braves win 73-69.

That's how we do it in Peoria.

(logo whooshing) (audience cheering) Thank you.

What a vibe.

Carver Arena.

Bradley basketball.

What a vibe.

Al, I can't thank you enough for having on here.

Before I let you go though, because you're such a deep introspective kid, I want to know, 20 years from now, what do you hope people say about Al Cuizon Jr?

- I hope that people acknowledge the importance of the work that we're doing in youth advocacy, especially for me trying to help elevate the young people here in Peoria, to help us grow.

That's my biggest thing.

Is the impact for the growth of Peoria from when I was at Bradley.

- You're the man, Al.

I can't thank you enough for coming on.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

And before we log off, I got a surprise for you.

Corinne.

Give it up for Corinne guys.

- Before we log off.

- What is this?

- Thank you.

- So I know how much you love hats.

So we put together this Bradley hat for student senate.

- Look at that.

Has all of the signatures of all of our key people... - Can we get in on that?

Which?

Look at that.

(Al laughs) That's incredible.

- Yes.

Thank you so much.

- Everyone in the crowd contributed to that.

And then we have our student Senate pin on the side there and "kaboom" on the other side.

- Man, thank you so much.

- No, of course.

Appreciate you.

- Thanks for having me.

Al Cuizon Jr., ladies and gentlemen.

(audience clapping) - Thanks guys.

- Awesome dude.

(logo whooshing) (audience clapping) You know, being on this set makes me think about the stuff people don't see.

Not the cameras, or the lights, or the Todd father doing his thing in the control room.

Whatever he does in there.

I'm not talking about that stuff.

I'm talking about the steps.

The little ones you take that eventually add up to something that looks like a path, the path you're meant to walk.

It took me a long time to figure out which direction to go.

I was doing things I didn't wanna do because I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

I was hoping purpose would just show up at my doorstep.

It didn't.

So one day I just stopped waiting for permission and I started chasing joy.

I started asking my questions, sending my emails, walking up to people no matter who they are and talking to them.

And here's what I figured out.

Being persistent, even a little annoying, is a superpower.

I mean, look at me.

This past year, I've annoyed people with such consistency and passion, but turn into a TV show, something I've dreamed about since I was pooping my diapers in West Peoria.

This is what I believe to be true.

Everybody's trying to find their thing, their way to make an impact.

To matter to the people around them.

We all want to feel like we have a role to play.

I know purpose doesn't come with a map, trust me, but the desire to find it, I think that's universal.

So if you're a Bradley student watching this or anyone out there trying to figure out what's next, here's my unsolicited advice.

Do the thing.

Have the conversation.

Make the connection.

Take the leap.

Go after what you want.

Even if your voice shakes, your hands sweat and your knees knock.

Because people respect effort more than you think.

They appreciate someone who tries.

Your dream doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be pursued.

The rest of it, that's just reps baby.

Enjoy the process.

Have fun.

Don't be afraid to wander.

Don't be afraid to follow what sparks your curiosity, because that little spark might just be the beginning of the rest of your life.

That's my take.

Thanks for tuning in, ladies and gentlemen.

It has most definitely been a vibe.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music descending)