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This fall, the Northwestern Alumni Association will present its highest honor, the Alumni Medal, to three graduates whose achievements and service exemplify leadership and excellence.
Scott Jenkins ’85 MBA and Lisa Jenkins ’85 MBA rehabilitated a historic, rundown Virginia farmstead into a bustling bed-and-breakfast and hiker hostel just steps away from the Appalachian Trail. The couple, who met as students at the Kellogg School of Management, have been running Mountain Home for more than a decade.
Sadiya Khan ’05, ’09 MD, ’12 GME, ’14 MS, ’16 GME specializes in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and has dedicated her career to helping patients understand their risk. In 2023, she helped launch the Predicting Risk of Cardiovascular Disease EVENTs (PREVENT) calculator, a free online tool that estimates an individual’s risk for heart attack, stroke and heart failure.
During his first week at Northwestern, Josh Sukoff marched through Weber Arch, holding a 360-degree camera overhead to document what he hoped would be the beginning of something extraordinary. Throughout his campus experience, Sukoff’s camera served as a passport to new places and perspectives.
Drafted by the WNBA’s Dallas Wings in 2022, Veronica Burton ’22 quickly carved out a role as a rotation player, providing steady minutes off the bench as a defense-first guard. Given a new opportunity with the Golden State Valkyries in 2025, a rejuvenated Burton earned the league’s Most Improved Player award while helping the Valkyries reach the playoffs in their inaugural season.
A professor of economics and history, Joel Mokyr was awarded half of the 2025 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work identifying the societal factors that drive economic growth.
The hilarious and easily recognizable Richard Kind ’78 is well known for playing brash and unorthodox characters on TV, such as Vince Fish on Only Murders in the Building and the insufferable Cousin Andy on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Historian Margaret Pugh O’Mara ’92 explains how Big Tech’s unprecedented influence in American politics is reshaping the country — and what lessons from history can tell us about this current moment.
Professor Jonathan Rivnay and his team have designed biohybrid implantable devices that can manufacture and dispense medicine on demand from within the body. These “living pharmacies” could have broad applications, delivering therapies for illnesses such as cancer, diabetes and more.
The Northwestern Alumni Association bestows its greatest honor, the Alumni Medal, on four alumni for their professional achievement and service to the University.
