People & Profiles
Northwestern faculty, staff, alumni and students share sources of hope and growth after a difficult year.
Chris Williams, who grew up figure skating and playing hockey in north Minneapolis, says he didn’t encounter racism on the rink until he got to high school. “Some of the guys on the hockey team were real cool, but a handful weren’t,” recalls Williams, now a pediatrician in his hometown.
Rosina Samadani had been on the job for just two weeks as CEO of Oculogica, a company that develops eye-tracking products for improved brain health, when she was struck in the head by an umbrella while sitting on the beach. That’s when she learned firsthand the benefits of Oculogica’s EyeBOX, a first-of-its-kind concussion diagnostic tool.
John Henry Pace coordinated the reveal of Ford’s new all-electric pickup truck.
In this season of celebration, we’re honoring our soon-to-be undergraduate and graduate alumni, and commemorating their time at the University. We reached out to the #NU2021 community via social media to ask for reflections on their time at Northwestern.
Jesse Humpal drifted in and out of special education classes as a child. He almost failed out of his undergraduate program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and at Northwestern, where Humpal has earned two master’s degrees and a PhD, he almost threw in the towel on higher education entirely during a course on linear regression.
Chris Oh always wanted to help people. As a physician and educator, he applies his Northwestern physics training to explain topics as varied as gravitational waves and the importance of ventilation in the fight against COVID-19.
Chicago Children’s Choir president and artistic director Josephine Lee ’07 MMus believes music can transcend barriers and elevate the boundless potential of young people.
Cincinnati Reds baseball operations analyst Katie Krall ’18 works on player acquisition and development to create a cohesive and competitive club.
As part of the New York Times’ Visual Investigations team, Evan Hill ’07 and his peers are pioneering a new form of reporting called open-source journalism. Using the incalculable amounts of data that turn up online every day, the journalists blend together disparate elements to tell a broader story.
