People & Profiles
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.
No work day is predictable for Alexa Carreno ’13 and her fiancé, Jeremy McKay. The Denver, Colo.–based legal partners are the co-founders of Environmental and Animal Defense (eaDefense), a nonprofit law firm providing accessible legal services focused on environmental justice and animal rights.
Growing up in the Bay Area, Emma Steinberg bonded with her dad over all kinds of local sports teams. And now, after a role with the San Francisco 49ers — and an Emmy win — she has joined the San Francisco Giants as a digital content producer.
Whether you know her as NPR radio host Margaret Jo on Saturday Night Live or Cady Heron’s mom in Mean Girls, odds are you know — and love — Ana Gasteyer’s work. Last May, the actor, comedian and singer returned to campus and sat down with Northwestern Magazine’s Clare Milliken to discuss her own career and tips for aspiring artists.
Racheli Galay ’07 DMA is a founding member of Quartetoukan, a Jewish-Arab quartet whose music reflects the multicultural, multilingual society in Israel. A classically trained cellist who specializes in Jewish music, Galay has toured Israel, Germany and Spain with Quartetoukan since 2012, performing songs in Arabic, Hebrew, English and Yiddish that promote harmony and peace.
After booking his biggest acting role yet, Charlie Oh ’16 felt an itch to be part of something that better reflected the contemporary Asian American experience. He wrote a play about a Korean family on an all-American road trip, incorporating themes of identity, assimilation and legacy.
