After nearly eight years at Northwestern as both a student and staff member, please join us in wishing Helen Kim ’16 the best of luck as she starts a new role as a customer onboarding manager for a customer engagement software company in Chicago.  In this bittersweet finale to Helen’s time with Northwestern Intersections, Helen reflects on the lessons she learned at Northwestern, talks about her most memorable episode of this podcast, and shares her advice for the Northwestern Network.

Northwestern Intersections

Saying Goodbye to our Host, Helen Kim ’16

Kangmin Justin Kim ’11 is one of the most sought-after countertenors of his generation in the opera world. He has earned accolades in roles of the Baroque repertoire, contemporary music and in Mozart’s trouser parts at the most prestigious opera theatres and festivals in Europe. Justin’s accomplished career is built upon years of study and perfecting his technique; however the people is his life have been just as important to his success.  In this episode Justin stresses the importance of finding your network, trusting your gut even when it’s not easy, and being ready to jump in when luck happens to find you.

Skill, Trust, and a Little Luck with Kangmin Justin Kim ’11

What does one do when they have a variety of interests and passions, but aren’t sure of a career path? According to Lio Mehiel ’15, it’s important to remember that you’re building yourself and not just a career. Lio is an actor, filmmaker, conceptual artist and activist. They are a co-founder of Voyeur Productions with fellow Northwestern alumni Dulcinee DeGuere ’15 and Russell Kahn ’16. In May, Lio led a program for the NAA called Moving Beyond Allyship in the Fight Against White Supremacy. Join us as Lio shares about their experiences in the arts industry, how those experiences helped them embraced their gender identity as a gender-queer, transmasculine person, and how activism is at the forefront of everything they do.

Creating Community In and Outside of Your Circle with Lio Mehiel ’15

Donna Wang Su ’14 MA is human embodiment of the old adage “Actions speak louder than words.” The associate director at the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation with two decades of experience in finance, strategic planning and higher education administration, Donna has spent nearly 15 years at Northwestern. She has worked in a variety of schools and units improving systems, creating new connections for others, and making every role her own. In this episode, Donna walks us through her non-linear career path, how her identity and experiences as an Asian-American woman plays a significant role in her approaches to work, and her latest adventure: campaigning and being elected to Evanston’s District 65 school board.

How to Make Change at Work and in Your Community with Donna Wang Su ’14 MA

Lori Hall and Jessica Lane were tired of not seeing enough strong multicultural marketing agencies that genuinely captured the cultural nuances for the right audiences. They came across way too many tone-deaf campaigns that failed miserably. That’s when they decided it was time for them to start an agency of their own. Pop’N Creative is a successful Black-owned, women-led multicultural marketing agency, born out of a deep desire to see brands win in marketing to a multicultural world. These two changemakers share how they started a growing business at the beginning of the pandemic, some of the most common mistakes marketers make, and how one can find their voice as an activist to dismantle racism within various industries. In celebration of Women’s History Month, Northwestern Intersections is featuring 4 female Northwestern trailblazers to honor those who have shaped and inspired the future of our community.

Dismantling Racism in Your Industry with Co-founders of Pop’N Creative, Lori Hall ’02 and Jessica Lane ’08, ’14 MBA

Patti Solis Doyle’s career began when she joined Richard Daley’s campaign for the Mayor of Chicago that led to a stable job at the Chicago City Hall. Then, in 1991, she took a big leap of faith to quit her job at the City Hall to join a presidential campaign for then Arkansas governor, Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States. She served as a senior advisor to Hillary Clinton throughout that campaign and two terms in the White House, becoming the first Latina to manage a presidential campaign. Her career as a campaign advisor did not end there. She went on to serve as the chief of staff for then Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden and served as an advisor to the Obama-Biden campaign during the 2012 presidential election. As a proud daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico, Patti shares her personal story growing up on Chicago’s south side at many speaking events, particularly for women of color in politics. Patti also serves as the Director at Large for the NAA Board as of 2020.  To celebrate Women’s History Month, Northwestern Intersections is featuring four female Northwestern trailblazers to honor those who have shaped and inspired the future of our community.

Taking Bold Career Risks with former CNN Political Commentator, presidential campaign advisor, Patti Solis Doyle ’90

In 2011, Elise Wetzel and her husband Rick Wetzel, a co-founder of Wetzel’s Pretzel’s, were in line at Chipotle during rush hour to grab a quick lunch when they were actually hoping to grab pizza instead. That’s when a light bulb went off in her head with the idea that a pizza restaurant with an assembly line could work. She grabbed a napkin and sketched out her ideas with Rick, which led to the beginning of one of the fastest-growing franchise pizza restaurants in the world, Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza. Elise sheds light on her experience as a successful entrepreneur and brand marketer, having learned her skills in consumer behavior during her time at Northwestern. She shares the importance of establishing team inclusivity, adaptability, and brand awareness. In light of celebrating Women’s History Month, Northwestern Intersections is featuring 4 female Northwestern trailblazers to honor those who have shaped and inspired the future of our community.

Bringing Ideas to Life with the Co-founder of Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza, Elise Wetzel ’87, ’92 MBA

What were you doing when you were seventeen? Nick Shah ’08 MS, the founder and president of Peterson Technology Partners, Chicago's premier IT recruiting agency, immigrated to Chicago from India and started his entrepreneurial journey managing operations for a local Chicago newspaper, India Tribune. After deciding to not go to college, Nick started his first company—a company that earned a million dollars of revenue in the first few years. Nick shares his untraditional career and educational paths, his advice on getting started in business, and strategies for honoring what aligns with your values.

Believing in Your Business and Yourself with Nick Shah ’08 MS

For 100 years, Medill has trained the world’s best storytellers. Deborah Douglas ’89 is no exception. Deborah Douglas, the Eugene S. Pulliam Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism at DePauw University and senior leader with The OpEd Project, is an award-winning journalist and the author of “U.S. Civil Rights Trail: A Traveler’s Guide to the People, Places and Events That Made the Movement.” To prepare for her new book, Deborah traveled throughout the South to visit places significant to the Civil Rights Movement. In this episode of Intersections, Deborah shares on the multitude of projects she spearheaded, how a focus on the Black community has guided her life’s work as a child of the Great Migration, and some unforgettable advice that we all should remember, regardless of our career path.  

Celebrating and Remembering the History of Black America with Deborah Douglas ’89

To continue the Northwestern Alumni Association’s celebration of National Mentoring Month, we invited a mentoring pair from the Northwestern Network Mentorship Platform—mentor Courtney Harris ’13 and mentee Djenaldbeth Louis ’20 MS—to share their tips for creating a thriving, reciprocal relationship. Courtney and Djenaldbeth walk us through their strategies for open communication and setting expectations and boundaries with a mentoring partner. Courtney Harris ’13 is a graduate of the School of Communication. She has spent the past seven years diving into the media industry with roles held across the advertising agency, publisher, and client landscapes. Most recently she has joined the McDonald’s Media team head quartered in the West Loop of Chicago. She is an active member of the NAA via their mentorship and admission interview programs. Djenaldbeth Louis ’20 MS began her professional career in the hospitality industry in sales and marketing. After five years, she decided to pivot and get her master’s degree so that she could head towards a more strategic and creative role. Now Djenaldbeth is a recent graduate of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications where she received her master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications. Upon graduation, she accepted a role as a strategic planner for a multicultural agency in Chicago where she connects brands with consumers in a genuine way using insights, brand storytelling, and data.

How to Develop a Thriving Mentoring Relationship with Courtney Harris ’13 and Djenaldbeth Louis ’20 MS

January—National Mentoring Month in the United States—brings the launch of a new complement to the Northwestern Network Mentorship Program. The Affinity Leaders and Learners (ALL) Mentorship Program strives to create a unique opportunity for undergraduate students seeking identity-based mentorship. The Northwestern Network is piloting this first run of the program for our Black, Asian and Asian American, and LGBTQ+ students and alumni. The ALL Program has been created in partnership with the Northwestern University Black Alumni Association (NUBAA), Northwestern University Asian and Asian American Alumni (NU-A5), and Northwestern University Pride Alumni Club (NUPAC) with the hope to extend the program to include more underrepresented groups in the future. In this episode, we sit down with the three club liaisons to dive into the details of the program and the impact mentoring has had on their careers and lives. To learn more about the program and how to register please visit mentor.northwestern.edu/programs/affinity. Our liaisons, from left to right: Evan Frost ’17 is an assistant director on the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law’s annual fundraising team and a graduate of the School of Education and Social Policy (#SESPLove). Before the pandemic you could often find him cheering on the ’Cats at Ryan Field or commuting to and from the holds pickup at your nearest Chicago Public Library branch. Julian Hill ’08 is a community organizer, first, and a clinical teaching fellow with the Georgetown University Law Center’s Social Enterprise & Nonprofit Law Clinic, second. He graduated from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences where he studied philosophy.  Following Northwestern, he taught high school Spanish with Teach for America in the Los Angeles region before backpacking in Latin America, farming in Uganda, and attending Harvard Law School for his JD. Brad Grams ’17 MA is the principal White House liaison for Environmental Protection Budgeting at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer, where he leads the formulation of the agency’s budget with its senior leaders, as well as The White House and Congress. Outside of his EPA work, Brad is an adjunct lecturer in Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies, where he focuses on research and program evaluation methods in the public sector, and leads their Public Policy and Administration Mentorship Program.

Exploring the Affinity Leaders and Learners Mentoring Program with the ALL Alumni Liaisons

If you would have asked Mike Raab ’12 at graduation where he thought he would be at age 30, he surely wouldn’t have said having worked in three completely different industries, taken a summer off to backpack through Europe, and be back at Northwestern working as a staff member and getting his MBA at Kellogg. In this episode, Mike shares the vital importance of making connections and the unpredictable ways in which the people you know can impact your life and take it in a multitude of different directions. Mike is currently the associate director of The Garage, Northwestern’s entrepreneurial incubator and start-up hub in Evanston.   In his role, Mike helps current undergraduate and graduate students connect with each other, alumni, and friends to create that Northwestern network that was so valuable in his own career. Mike and the rest of The Garage team are launching a podcast called How I Got Here, where recent alumni share their career path post-graduation. How I Got Here can be streamed on all podcast platforms beginning January 5, 2021.

Implementing Your Network During Major Transitions with Mike Raab ’12

Imran “Immy” Khan ’05 has done a little bit of everything from starting his own company to starting a YouTube channel called, “Where do We Go From Here?”, but the tenet at the core of all of his ventures is storytelling. Immy is the head of development at Berlin-based Big Window Productions, a production company helping spur a renaissance of television in Europe. Big Window Productions is dedicated to producing shows that expose viewers to thought-provoking stories and uplifting underrepresented voices in media. Immy walks us through his winding career path, and emphasizes the importance of finding a North Star passion to guide your life’s work. He also vulnerably shares how navigating your career and your life isn’t always smooth, but is manageable with the right mindset.

Storytelling through Broadcasting, Google, and YouTube with Imran Khan ’05

Amit Walia ’01 MEM, MBA is the CEO of Informatica, a software development company specializing in enterprise data integration and management software powering analytics for big data and cloud. His journey to Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management started when he followed his now wife, to the United States from India after finishing his undergraduate studies. Amit was appointed as the CEO of Informatica two months before the lockdown took place in United States. With the opportunity to lead over 4,800 employees in the tech industry, Amit shares the importance of a human-centered leadership approach and how to brave uncertainty. Whether there is a pandemic or not, building relationships and putting the needs of his employees always come first. He reminds us of the value of your gut feeling, honest self-feedback, and so much more.

A Human-centered Leadership Approach During Uncertain Times with Amit Walia ’01 MEM, MBA

In our final installment of our four part back-to-school mini-series, we speak with Shreya Sriram ’22 and Florencia Son ’23 PhD. Shreya is a third-year undergraduate student at Northwestern University where she is majoring in Economics and Communication Sciences and Disorders on the Pre-Medicine track. She conducts independent research in the Auditory Research Laboratory and the CAPLab.  Florencia is a third-year PhD candidate in the Chemistry Department and part of the Farha group at Northwestern, studying metal–organic frameworks for the purpose of the detoxification of chemical warfare agents. Both Shreya and Florencia serve as Student Directors on the Northwestern Alumni Association’s (NAA) Board of Directors. In this episode, Shreya and Florencia give us an inside look into navigating campus virtually. They share their experiences in the classroom, the lab, and their social circles, in addition to providing their insights into the NAA Board of Directors. Join us for a conversation between four Northwestern women, including our producer Allison Ledwon ’19.

Campus during the Coronavirus with Shreya Sriram ’22 and Florencia Son ’23 PhD

Listen in as alumni share stories about how their careers have evolved and how key intersections of experience, opportunity, and alumni connections have propelled them to where they are today. Find out what these alumni have done right and wrong and what they’ve learned at each intersection along the way.

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Northwestern Intersections

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