Northwestern University Alumni

After graduating with a degree in journalism and excelling as a basketball student-athlete, Jimenez has built a distinguished career as an Emmy Award-winning correspondent for CNN. Learn how his Northwestern experience prepared him for critical on-air assignments. 

Thinking of love this Valentine’s Day? Discover stories from alumni who found their perfect matches through their connection to Northwestern. From dorm rooms to date nights, follow along as these Wildcats share tales of connection that will warm your heart.

Digital advertising pioneers Jake Abraham and Drew Stein recently hosted the musical artist St. Lucia for their company during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, marking the first time they collaborated as concert producers since meeting as students nearly 30 years ago. Learn how they began working together again to run an award-winning technology company.

Isa Gutierrez has won Emmy nominations and made the 2022 “Forbes 30 Under 30” list as the youngest-ever national correspondent for NBC News. She has also been featured in award-winning reports on MSNBC and on the news shows Dateline and TODAY. Join us as we discuss her skillful storytelling.

Raghav Khosla, an undergrad in the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, came back from Paris with a lifetime of memories after working as an intern for NBC Universal at the Olympic Games. Learn about his summer dream job and Northwestern’s many connections to the 2024 games.

Michael Herwitz is a director and producer and one of the youngest people ever to direct an original play on Broadway. His production, Job, is produced by fellow Northwestern alum Russell Kahn, who runs the Rachel Brosnahan-founded production company Scrap Paper Pictures. Learn more about the show and how the duo has worked together to make it possible.

Katz is a founding figure in the field of queer art history. As a professor and scholar, he has undertaken formative projects in gay and lesbian studies. While at the City College of San Francisco, he served as the first tenured gay and lesbian studies faculty member in the US; in 1995, he founded the Harvey Milk Institute, which was once the world’s largest queer studies institute. Learn more about his pioneering career and current projects.

Cooper is a clinical psychotherapist who works with members of the LGBTQ2+ community. He previously worked in marketing before earning his doctorate at Cambridge University, a path inspired by his research as a Northwestern student. Learn more about his research interests and what Pride Month means to him.

Hong Duffin is the president and CEO of Kenneth Young Center, a community health organization in the Chicago suburbs. With experience in public policy, law, and human services, she serves on the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Learn about her work with mental and physical wellness and her role on the NU-A5 board.

Jurowicz is a lawyer and assistant attorney general for the special litigation bureau in the Illinois attorney general’s office. Since graduating from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, she has worked on numerous projects centering around human rights. Jurowicz serves on the board of the Northwestern University Asian and Asian American Alumni Association (NU-A5).

Join us for a conversation with five alumni of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Learn about the medical school experience and Northwestern’s Feinberg alumni community from Darren Wethers ’88 MD; Boris Sheynin ’99 MD; David Lee ’89 MD; Jeff Schaider ’83, ’85 MD; and Nupur Ghoshal ’01 PhD, ’03 MD.

This special episode centers around the cast and crew of the upcoming film Play the Game: A Jock ‘N’ Roll Story. Directed by Mesa and executive produced by Versen and Korzilius, the film covers the incredible true story of how a group of Northwestern football players, including the executive producers, worked as security for the band Queen in its heyday. Join us as we discuss this wild career move and the world of rock and roll touring in the 1980s.

Byington is a play-by-play commentator who has covered major sports events, including the Women’s World Cup and Olympic Games. She’s the first woman to do play-by-play for the NCAA men's basketball tournament and for a men’s professional basketball team, the Milwaukee Bucks. Hubbarth is an Emmy Award–winning Evanston native who works as an anchor for ESPN’s SportsCenter, NBA Tonight, and First Take. Join us as we discuss the changing sports media landscape and the rich legacy of Northwestern graduates in sports media.

“NCAA and NCAA Championships are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.”

It started with the first Women in Medicine Tea hosted at The Drake Hotel in Chicago in 2017. It was a chance for Feinberg School of Medicine alumnae across generations to come together in one place to freely share their stories, their challenges, and their victories. Ghoshal recalls asking, “How do we bottle this moment?” The mission of the Women in Medicine (WIM) subcommittee of the Medical Alumni Association Board is to elevate and amplify the voices of fellow women in medicine. In part 1 of this episode, Flais, Gandhi, and Ghoshal share how they all came to be involved with WIM and highlight the subcommittee’s mentorship and philanthropic initiatives. They’ll also explain how the most important instigator of progress is showing up and being intentional about change.

The Northwestern Alumni Medal celebrates alumni who have had a transformative impact on their field, who have performed exemplary volunteer service to society, or who have demonstrated an outstanding record of service and support to the University.

Jeff Ubben ’87 MBA (’20 P) is founder, managing partner, and portfolio manager of Inclusive Capital Partners, a San Francisco–based investment management firm. He has championed environmental and social responsibility in business and advanced global sustainability and college access at Northwestern and beyond. Ubben has served on the Kellogg Alumni Council and was a member of the steering committee for We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern.

The Northwestern Alumni Medal celebrates alumni who have had a transformative impact on their field, who have performed exemplary volunteer service to society, or who have demonstrated an outstanding record of service and support to the University. 

Until his recent retirement, David Louie ’72 was the business editor and technology reporter for ABC Disney’s KGO-TV San Francisco, for which he become the first Asian American reporter in 1972. A trailblazing reporter and editor, he worked in television for more than 50 years and has held leadership roles in several prominent news organizations. He is a former member of the Medill Board of Advisers and was an inaugural inductee to the school’s Hall of Achievement in 1997. 

The Northwestern Alumni Medal celebrates alumni who have had a transformative impact on their field, who have performed exemplary volunteer service to society, or who have demonstrated an outstanding record of service and support to the University. 

Cindy Chupack ’87 is a prolific storyteller whose work across television, film, and other media has been recognized with several accolades, including Emmy Awards and Golden Globes. Her credits include Sex and the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, Modern Family, Better Things, Divorce, and Fleishman Is in Trouble. She was inducted in the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications’ Hall of Achievement in 2020 and is an active member of Northwestern’s Council of One Hundred. 

In this episode of Northwestern Intersections, Jane S. Hoffman ’86 (’21 P) joins us for a conversation that highlights her recent book, Your Data, Their Billions: Unraveling and Simplifying Big Tech. Understanding the great benefits and genuine risks of navigating the internet and new technology is essential in our increasingly virtual world. She shares how her book offers an accessible explanation of how big tech collects and trades our data to make profits, and how her policy proposals would protect online users’ privacy rights. And how you can take meaningful steps towards safeguarding your privacy while enjoying the positive features the internet has to offer. Hoffman also describes how helping others understand complex subjects like data, privacy, money, and sustainability through accessible language is a through line in her career path.

You will also learn more about an opportunity to enter for a chance to win a signed copy Hoffman's book, Your Data, Their Billions: Unraveling and Simplifying Big Tech.

Justin Barbin's ’11 interest in photography originated out of a desire to preserve memories. Documenting family and friends, events and milestones, even arbitrary moments allowed him to recall feelings and experiences with clarity. Photography also allowed him to connect with Northwestern community as a student. The impact his photographs had is best exemplified when the Northwestern community came together to fundraise for Barbin after his camera was stolen junior year. Whether he's documenting the Hamilton cast at the Tony Awards, photographing Dillo Day, or traveling the globe to see his 50th country; community and connection are through lines in Barbin's career path, his photos, and in the way he interacts with others.

On this episode of Northwestern Intersections, Barbin shares how he first became interested in photography as child and successfully pursued it as a full-time career as an adult. Barbin also reveals how the trauma he experienced at the end of college reinforced the power of photography as a way of preserving the memories of people we've lost and creating connections with the community around us. And how although Barbin is often perceived as someone incredibly joyous, it's balanced with grief he's learned to grow around.

Brian Aguado ’13 MS, ’15 PhD has always valued commitments to research, diversity, and being part of a supportive community. Those qualities are some of the main reasons why he chose Northwestern and are qualities that are clearly evidenced in his career journey. An Assistant Professor at UC San Diego, Dr. Aguado runs the Aguado iBiomaterials Research Group which focuses on the study of sex differences in cardiovascular disease using biomaterial technologies. He dedicates time to cultivating a positive and supportive lab environment for his students with the hopes they'll take those practices with them as they progress in their careers. Most recently, Dr. Aguado co-founded LatinXinBME, a social media initiative dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive community of Latinx biomedical engineers and scientists to support each other personally and professionally through their careers.

On this episode of Northwestern Intersections, Dr. Aguado shares how he first became interested in sex as a biological variable, how the studies done in his lab suggests that sex chromosomes influence the way cardiovascular disease presents in men and women and underscores the importance of using precision biomaterials. He tells how an equity-based approach to biomedical engineering allows us to more effectively treat women and other populations who have historically been excluded in research. He will also share how he is building an inclusive and supportive environment in his lab, and in the field through online communities like LatinXinBME.

Tananarive Due '87, film historian, educator, producer, writer, and leading voice in Black speculative fiction, joins Northwestern Intersections in a special two-part episode. Due was always writing stories, even before she got to Northwestern, but she wasn't writing about horror and the supernatural until well after graduation. In part 1 she shares how through encounters with legendary figures and influential books, she not only found the confidence to pursue writing in the genre of horror, but from the perspective of Black protagonists. Resulting in the publication of her first novel, The Between. Due shares her own reasons for being drawn to the genre, and guides us through how the renewed interest in horror is rooted in the horrific times we're living in and contemplating our own survival. Black Horror is also experiencing a renaissance in film and literature—sparked by Jordan Peele's Get Out—as more people turn to the horror genre as a means of escaping real monsters, processing trauma, expressing the intangible, illustrating genuine systemic dangers, and inspiring the fight to survive in the face of it all.

Released February 3, 2022.

On the occasion of National Mentoring Month, join us for a discussion with industry leaders in medicine and entertainment from the Northwestern Network Mentoring Program—Michelle Lin ’05,’09 MD, and Rebecca Windsor ’98. Through stories about zigzagging career paths, burnout, and impactful colleagues and professors; discover how mentorship advice is mostly universal even across two different fields. And in-between pieces of shared wisdom, Lin and Windsor offer some industry specific advice for those who are entering or currently navigating the fields of medicine and entertainment respectively.

To learn more about the Northwestern Network Mentorship Program and how you can participate, please visit mentor.northwestern.edu

Released January 20, 2022.

In recognition of National Mentoring Month and to celebrate a year since the launch of the Northwestern Alumni Association's Affinity Leaders and Learners (ALL) Mentorship Program, we invited a mentoring pair—mentor Alexis Jeffries '08 and mentee Janea Wilson '22—to share their insights for creating impactful, personal connections and the benefit of a tailored experience for students seeking identity-based mentorship.

To learn more about the ALL Mentorship Program and how you can participate please visit mentor.northwestern.edu/programs/affinity.

Released January 13, 2022

After nearly eight years at Northwestern as both a student and staff member, please join us in wishing Helen Kim ’16 the best of luck as she starts a new role as a customer onboarding manager for a customer engagement software company in Chicago.  In this bittersweet finale to Helen’s time with Northwestern Intersections, Helen reflects on the lessons she learned at Northwestern, talks about her most memorable episode of this podcast, and shares her advice for the Northwestern Network. 

Released June 24, 2021.

Released February 25, 2021. 

What were you doing when you were seventeen? Nick Shah ’08 MS, the founder and president of Peterson Technology Partners, Chicago's premier IT recruiting agency, immigrated to Chicago from India and started his entrepreneurial journey managing operations for a local Chicago newspaper, India Tribune. At seventeen, after deciding to not go to college, Nick started his first company—a company that earned a million dollars of revenue in the first few years.

Nick shares his untraditional career and educational paths, his advice on getting started in business, and strategies for honoring what aligns with your values. 

January—National Mentoring Month in the United States—brings the launch of a new complement to the Northwestern Network Mentorship Program. The Affinity Leaders and Learners (ALL) Mentorship Program strives to create a unique opportunity for undergraduate students seeking identity-based mentorship.

The Northwestern Network is piloting this first run of the program for our Black, Asian and Asian American, and LGBTQ+ students and alumni. The ALL Program has been created in partnership with the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association (NUBAA), Northwestern University Asian and Asian American Alumni (NU-A5), and Northwestern University Pride Alumni Club (NUPAC) with the hope to extend the program to include more underrepresented groups in the future. 

In this episode, we sit down with the three club liaisons to dive into the details of the program and the impact mentoring has had on their careers and lives. 

To learn more about the program and how to register please visit mentor.northwestern.edu/programs/affinity. 

Released January 14, 2021.

Our liaisons, from left to right: 

Evan Frost ’17 is an assistant director on the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s annual fundraising team and a graduate of the School of Education and Social Policy (#SESPLove). Before the pandemic you could often find him cheering on the ’Cats at Ryan Field or commuting to and from the holds pickup at your nearest Chicago Public Library branch.

Julian Hill ’08 is a community organizer, first, and a clinical teaching fellow with the Georgetown University Law Center’s Social Enterprise & Nonprofit Law Clinic, second. He graduated from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences where he studied philosophy.  Following Northwestern, he taught high school Spanish with Teach for America in the Los Angeles region before backpacking in Latin America, farming in Uganda, and attending Harvard Law School for his JD.

Brad Grams ’17 MA is the principal White House liaison for Environmental Protection Budgeting at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer, where he leads the formulation of the agency’s budget with its senior leaders, as well as The White House and Congress. Outside of his EPA work, Brad is an adjunct lecturer in Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies, where he focuses on research and program evaluation methods in the public sector, and leads their Public Policy and Administration Mentorship Program.  

Imran “Immy” Khan ’05 has done a little bit of everything from starting his own company to starting a YouTube channel called, “Where Do We Go From Here?”, but the tenet at the core of all of his ventures is storytelling. Immy is the head of development at Berlin-based Big Window Productions, a production company helping spur a renaissance of television in Europe. Big Window Productions is dedicated to producing shows that expose viewers to thought-provoking stories and uplifting underrepresented voices in media.

Immy walks us through his winding career path and emphasizes the importance of finding a North Star passion to guide your life’s work. He also vulnerably shares how navigating your career and your life isn’t always smooth, but is manageable with the right mindset.

Released on November 19, 2020. 

Small businesses across the US and the world have been hit hard by the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, many businesses have found ways to be creative with their business and have found experienced an outpouring of support from their communities. Austin Harvey ’04 knows this well. Austin is an advanced cicerone and the curator and co-owner of employee-owned Beermiscuous, a Chicago craft beer bar and retailer. Chicago’s shelter-in-place order went into effect two weeks after Austin and his colleagues purchased the bar from the founder.

In this episode, Austin shares the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on his business and the strong bond between the bar and the community. He also dives into his perspective on work, and alleviating some of the pressures that come with our society’s definition of success and education.

If you’re interested in learning more about some alumni-owned small businesses, you can visit the Northwestern Alumni Association’s Small Business Directory here.

Released on August 28, 2020. 

Virtual interviews aren’t new, but they are more prevalent and necessary than ever. Executive coach Corinne Vargas ’14 MS is here to help our listeners perfect their skills and ace their next interview with some simple, memorable tips. She shares her ABCD’s, standing for avoid technical issues, mind your background, curate your verbal and written voice, and discover as much as possible about your potential employer. Corinne dives into how this advice can help you be your most confident, authentic self, while standing out from the rest of the applicant pool.

Want to take a deeper dive into interviewing tips? Check out Corinne’s webinar for our Career Webinar Series from May 2020 here.

Released on August 21, 2020.