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My Northwestern Direction

In the My Northwestern Direction essay, Northwestern Magazine highlights the diverse paths our alumni, students, faculty and staff have taken and explores the many ways the University intersects with their lives.

Featured Profile

Building a Racecar Sparked the Joy of STEM

Winter 2025
Shonali Ditz’s time in Northwestern Formula Racing led her to found SparkShop, a nonprofit delivering engineering curricula to Chicago students underrepresented in STEM.

Get to know Shonali Ditz

MND Shonali Ditz v2
Illustrated portrait of Heather Harding.

Democracy Depends on Inclusive Education