Cover Story
One of a Kind
Richard Kind ’78 leaned into his playful everyman persona at Northwestern.
Winter 2026
Voices
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.
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.
Current students reflect on the alumni they’d most like to meet, including writers, royalty, game developers and others.
Discovery
Northwestern engineers have developed a new strategy that disables cancer cells’ ability to adapt, making them more vulnerable to treatment. The approach increases chemotherapy’s effectiveness and could lead to more successful therapies.
Innovation
Created by Northwestern engineering professor Nick Marchuk ’10 MS and David Meyer ’12 MS, ’15 PhD, nLab is a credit card–sized device that turns your laptop into an electronics lab and gives students a chance to practice hands-on circuit-building.
Procurement management is essential for small businesses — but it’s also tedious and time-consuming work. Now there’s a virtual employee to help with that.
News
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.
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.
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.
Northwestern engineering students took the top prize at NASA’s 2024 Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge, which asked teams to develop inflatable systems that could benefit future lunar missions.
Alumni
When Rachel Yihui Lin became NU Club of Beijing president in 2023 — after serving on its board for seven years — she took the helm of an active group whose 1,100-plus members span generations and hold degrees from a variety of Northwestern programs.
The Northwestern Alumni Association is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its mentorship program, which provides valuable support and guidance to students and alumni as they navigate their careers, explore new industries or consider graduate school.
My Northwestern Direction
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.
Impact
Last fall — following a 16-month closure for major renovations — the Charles Deering Memorial Library reopened to students, faculty and visitors. The building may look the same on the outside, but a new era has begun after aesthetic and functional updates to the library’s interior.
Launched in 2024, Northwestern’s Center for Engineering in Vision and Ophthalmology (CEVO) is using artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technology to advance its glaucoma research. Backed by a gift from the Forsythe Family Foundation, CEVO is developing innovative imaging tools to better understand and treat the disease, one of the world’s leading causes of permanent blindness.
A gift from Northwestern Trustee Jennifer Leischner Litowitz ’91 and Alec Litowitz in support of the Center for Enlightened Disagreement will accelerate the University’s impact on promoting constructive dialogue. In recognition of the Litowitzes’ generosity, the University has renamed the center in their honor.
People
Shreena Amin is co-founder and CEO of Class Act + Nightcap, a fine-dining restaurant and speakeasy in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. Launched in July 2025, the 16-seat restaurant features a single communal table and a 13-course dinner menu that changes every few months.
Conceptual artist Renee Royale combines art and science in her photography by submerging Polaroid photos in lake and river water. The resulting images resemble abstract watercolor paintings.
Wanting to improve the aviation industry’s diversity and accessibility, Melinda Holmes Ellwanger teamed up with her husband and son to launch Lima Flight, a mobile app that helps aspiring pilots find a flight instructor or flight school that fits their needs.
Lee Wright ’87 MBA turned a curiosity about his 1780 home into a passion project for public history, leading him to found The Pursuit of History. His 10-year project offers immersive visits to historic sites, helping people understand both the prominent and everyday lives of American citizens.
Carter Sherman ’16 is no stranger to polarizing debates. As a reproductive health and justice reporter for The Guardian, a British daily newspaper, she covers topics that are often controversial, such as sex education and birth control access.
After a devastating accident, runner Monali Athanikar Narayanaswami ’94 celebrates her recovery with a half marathon alongside longtime friend Wendy Huang ’94.
