Ben Parr (second from right) interviews Michael Shermer, Editor-in-chief of Skeptic (left), with Maggie Shiels (BBC) and Scott McGrew (NBC) on Press: Here.
"The lessons I learned at Northwestern, both professionally and personally, shaped my post-collegiate achievements and experiences." --Kunal Modi, alumnus
Aboard Air Force One, Cody Keenan with President Obama.
Prepared for success wherever they go: Weinberg alumni
Name: Jane Andrews '05
Now: Internal medicine resident at Tulane University, after completing an MD/MPH program at Johns Hopkins
Fulbright winner Andrews plans to combine primary care internal medicine with public health advocacy and research, especially working on access to medicines and environmental issues. "Northwestern surrounded me with brilliant and socially-minded classmates, whose worldview has shaped mine to this day. I had faculty who modeled exciting and brave careers, mentors who were unfailingly convinced of my abilities, and the resources available to help me study abroad more than once in college. I'm certainly indebted."
Name: Veronica Roth '10
Now: Novelist
She began writing her novel Divergent while a student at Northwestern. Released in May 2011, it debuted on the New York Times bestseller list and has been optioned as a motion picture. Roth says she "learned everything in the undergraduate creative writing program, including how to write clearly and how to construct stories that were subtle and not heavy-handed. The first story I wrote at Northwestern had all these crazy car accidents."
Name: Bob Krenn '09
Now: Equity research analyst for Spot Trading
"Some great professors at Northwestern helped me along the way. Being the research assistant for economics professor Robert Gordon helped me land an internship at Morningstar, which, in turn, helped me land the job at Spot Trading."
Name: Kunal Modi '06
Now: Pursuing an MBA and a Master's in Public Policy at Harvard University
"Weinberg proved to be an exceptional academic program, but also an unbelievable community experience. As an alum, I continue to call on many of my professors for advice as I navigate my early career and count several fellow classmates as my closest friends."
Name: Naomi Beckwith '98
Now: Associate curator, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
"I walked into Northwestern as pre-med but I was happily "distracted" with new people, projects and programs I could not have imagined. It made me work hard to find my voice and put me on an entirely different, yet rewarding, life path that I am grateful for today."
Name: Ben Parr '08
Now: Editor-at-Large at Mashable, a social media blog
Ben started his first company while at Northwestern and is currently working on a mobile application startup and a science fiction novel. "If you put in the hours and the hard work, you can become a leader at Northwestern. There is no free lunch, but the students who study hard and take up leadership roles in the many student groups at Northwestern go on to do great things."
Name: Cody Keenan '02
Now: Special Assistant to President Obama and Deputy Director of Speechwriting
"I loved Northwestern academics and athletics. But
more than anything else, it was the friends and fraternity brothers of those four years who shaped me along
the way. They questioned me, challenged me, pushed
me to do better and – more than a decade later – they
still do."
