People & Profiles
If Glenn DeWeirdt ’84 DDS is not in his dental office, he’s probably on a racetrack. From April through October, DeWeirdt moonlights as a high-performance vehicle driving instructor, an avocation that involves “hours of boredom tempered by moments of sheer terror.”
Former Northwestern Wildcat Ike Kepford and his fellow Jolly Rogers in Fighter Squadron 17 helped foil what could have been a devastating Japanese anti-carrier attack in the early days of the Pacific War. For most of 1944, Kepford was the Navy’s leading ace with a total of 16 aerial victories, and for his service, he was awarded two Navy Crosses, a Silver Star and a Distinguished Flying Cross.
In a partnership with the Chicago Botanic Garden, faculty, students and alumni of Northwestern’s Program in Plant Biology and Conservation study carnivorous plants, tequila’s source, life in forest canopies and more.
People and organizations are most capable of real change when faced with crisis, says communications executive Bradley Akubuiro ’11. He speaks from personal and professional experience.
Professor of economics and history Joel Mokyr won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Mokyr has taught at Northwestern for more than five decades.
After four years as one of the best defenders in NCAA women’s lacrosse, Sammy White ’25 returned to Northwestern to accomplish her dream of playing women’s basketball. Now she’s back in a Wildcats uniform as a grad student, hitting the hardwood in the Big Ten.
Nikash Khanna’s viral documentary series, Portraits, features informal interviews with people Khanna meets in his everyday life. His goal, he says, is to connect viewers with stories they might not otherwise encounter.
Before he became a fire chief, Chris Serb dreamed of writing for a national magazine. Now, he might be the only Chicago Fire Department member moonlighting as a freelance writer.
Comedian Jenny Hagel ’09 MFA loves to give advice, so much she made a show about it, touring the country with Jenny Hagel Gives Advice, an interactive comedy where she and a guest answer audience questions. After her performance at Chicago’s Lincoln Lodge in September, Northwestern Magazine asked her for tips for making people laugh.
Current students reflect on the alumni they’d most like to meet, including writers, royalty, game developers and others.
