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People & Profiles

A pair of endangered piping plovers needed a voice when they nested at the busiest beach in Chicago. Luckily, Tamima Itani ’86 MS, ’91 PhD, ’02 CERT spoke up and rallied support for the birds.

Learn more about Itani

CU Tamima Itani
For her first feature-length film, ‘Being BeBe,’ documentary filmmaker Emily Branham ’02 spent 15 years chronicling the unconventional story of drag performer Marshall Ngwa, aka BeBe Zahara Benet, an immigrant from Cameroon and the first winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Read the story

BeBe Zahara Benet
Three-and-a-half decades after she founded the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Barbara Gaines ’68 will step down as its artistic director this March. But thanks to her efforts over the years, the Tony Award–winning theater will go on with the show — putting on as many 20 productions and 650 performances each year on its three stages.

Learn more about Gaines

Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Purple Press

Winter 2023
ESPN legends Mike Greenberg and Michael Wilbon are part of a loud and proud network of Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications alumni in sports journalism. We talked with several prominent and up-and-coming sports media stars about how serendipitous timing put them in the right place to do groundbreaking reporting — and how sports reporting helps us understand broader societal issues.

Step inside the press box

purple press hero
Engineering student Charlotte Oxnam started Cue the Curves as a fashion blog to improve the shopping experience and create a supportive environment for plus-size people. Her mission resonated with many — and got a boost in March 2022, when Oxnam appeared in an international ad campaign for Microsoft Windows 11.

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Charlotte Oxnam portrait
Kellogg alum Nicolas Rivelis and his wife, Marina, became U.S. citizens at Northwestern — where their story in this country started more than a decade ago.

Learn about his journey

MND Nico Rivelis
Who says winter in Evanston is no fun? Alumni recall snowball fights, football under a full moon in 5-degree weather, a snowman built on a dorm rooftop and more winter shenanigans.

Dive right in!

Sound Off Snow Fun
In September 2022 Albert Manzone ’93 MBA was elected to a two-year term as president of the Northwestern Alumni Association (NAA). He takes the helm at a pivotal moment for the NAA, which is implementing a years-in-the-making strategic vision to cultivate a more engaged and inclusive global alumni community.

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AL Albert Manzone
Pieces from Andrew Krivine’s punk-rock memorabilia collection have been shown at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City, ADAM Design Museum Brussels, Cranbrook Art Museum in Michigan, the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles and other university galleries. Northwestern Magazine chats with Krivine ’82 about his favorite punk-rock relics and how he got started.

See inside Krivine’s collection

5Qs Krivine
Veronica Roth’s debut novel, Divergent, was a No. 1 New York Times bestseller and a big-budget film starring Shailene Woodley. Now, Roth ’10 offers a nuanced look at a dystopian future “just around the corner” in her latest book, Poster Girl.

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Veronica Roth 2