People & Profiles
Armed with a love for Shakespeare and a degree in languages and literature, I graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2009 amid the Great Recession. I applied to doctoral programs in English, thinking, “I am going to be a professor!” Never mind the warnings that the job market for college educators was collapsing, with more PhD graduates than tenure-track positions.
Snorkeling, tightrope walking, woodworking and competitive whistling — you won’t believe what Northwestern community members are up to outside of the classroom and office!
It appeared the NU Club of Switzerland might disintegrate amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but Barbara Pereira Rübel ’93 MBA refused to allow it. As President of the club, Rübel has worked tirelessly alongside a dedicated board to bolster membership, plan events and form partnerships with other organizations.
In her 19 years in the U.S. Postal Service law department, Michelle Ochs Windmueller has argued cases before federal judges and educated attorneys across the country.
Lauren Dandridge Gaines ’04 is co-founder and principal of Chromatic, a Los Angeles–based lighting design firm working at the intersection of architecture and social justice.
Holiday music is inescapable this time of year, but if you’re tired of hearing the same old standards, you might discover a new favorite during Jon Solomon’s 35th annual 25-Hour Holiday Radio Show. Beginning at 5 pm EST on Christmas Eve, Solomon ’95 will spend 25 hours live on-air, showcasing his extensive and carefully curated collection of holiday music on WPRB-FM, Princeton University’s student-run radio station.
Maryam Keshavarz never dreamed of becoming a filmmaker when she was a Northwestern student in the mid-1990s. The daughter of Iranian immigrants didn’t know that world existed.
An assistant professor at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, George Chiampas works for some of the world’s biggest sports teams and leagues. He is also chief medical and safety officer of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, an event he looks forward to every fall.
Darsan Swaroop Bellie ’22, who holds a dual degree in jazz studies and physics from Northwestern, is a fellow at the University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), where he conducts research on gravitational waves, compact objects and cosmology. Merging his seemingly disparate passions, he created the Star Eyes Initiative, a jazz group that uses original compositions to communicate scientific concepts in a digestible way, for audiences of all ages.
Now known as one of the greatest short game players in the history of professional golf, Luke Donald ’01 first made a name for himself with an all-time great collegiate run: four-time All-American, three-time Big Ten Player of the Year, two-time Big Ten Champion and 1999 NCAA individual champion. Today, more than 20 years after he turned pro, he is adding European Ryder Cup team captain to his resume.
