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Voices

Members of the Northwestern community share the works of art — from classic American theater to a hit rock song — that have changed their outlook on life.

Find out what influenced them

Creative Influences S hero
In May 2022 Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History renovated its outdated Native North America exhibit hall and opened Native Truths: Our Voices, Our Stories, a permanent exhibition. Doug Kiel, assistant professor of history at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and a citizen of the Oneida Nation, served on the Native American advisory committee that spent 4 ½ years setting the agenda for the renovation and bringing it to life.

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Doug Kiel
Mesmin Destin’s psychosocial experiments have shown that social forces such as peers, parents, teachers and financial resources shape the academic experiences and life paths of young people. “The right message at the right time can change how someone feels about themself and transform the type of education and life that they might envision and pursue,” he says.

Read Destin’s essay

Mesmin Destin
Who says winter in Evanston is no fun? Alumni recall snowball fights, football under a full moon in 5-degree weather, a snowman built on a dorm rooftop and more winter shenanigans.

Dive right in!

Sound Off Snow Fun
Cody Keenan ’02 spent eight years as a White House speechwriter for President Barack Obama ’06 H. Now a visiting professor at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Keenan talked with Northwestern Magazine about his start in politics, what he learned from the former president and what gives him hope.

Learn more about Keenan

Cody and Obama
Is the era of the foreign correspondent over? That’s the premise behind a new media venture spearheaded by Justin Smith, the former Bloomberg Media chief executive, and Ben Smith, the former editor of BuzzFeed.

Read Cohen’s essay

Voices Deborah Cohen
Members of the Northwestern community share the technological advancements — from tissue engineering and stem cell therapies to machine learning and more — that could affect life as we know it.

Learn more about the technologies

Sound Off main image
After 19 years of incarceration, Corzell Cole was released from Stateville Correctional Center in March 2022. He and his lead attorney, Shelisa Thomas ’19, reflect on their work together and Cole’s goals for the future.

Learn more from Cole and Thomas

ATT Shelisa Thomas and Corzell
Lucy London, a senior performance studies major from Petaluma, Calif., turned resignation into action, working toward environmental justice on campus and beyond.

Read more about Lucy London

WIM Lucy London
The advance of science and technology has brought remarkable gains over the last two centuries. But how do we measure the importance of research and the return on R&D investment?

Read an essay from Jones

voices ben jones