Ben Parr ’08 may not have found the perfect fit in his career right after graduating from Northwestern but he quickly transitioned to an organization where he thrived. Parr stayed at Mashable for over 3 years as it grew into one of the largest tech publications in the world. In the ten years since leaving Northwestern, Parr has been a journalist, investor, entrepreneur, and even an author of Captivology: The Science of Capturing People’s Attention. Don’t miss his insights on taking advantage of opportunities you didn’t even know where in front of you. Also, as a member of his 10 Year Reunion Committee, Parr shares what he is looking forward to most when he comes back to campus for Reunion Weekend.

Homecoming and Reunion Weekend (October 11-14) are cherished traditions where alumni can share a toast to the past and a toast to the future. It is a time to come home to Evanston to celebrate, reconnect with classmates, and create new memories. Visit www.alumni.northwestern.edu/homecoming andwww.alumni.northwestern.edu/reunion for more information.

Heather Foster ’03 joined the Obama Campaign early on in her career and she stayed with the Obama Administration for over ten years, growing her career throughout that time. She held a number of different philanthropic and political roles, where she both learned valuable skills and also left a lasting impact on this nation. Foster shares her perspective on the learning curve of making career changes and the importance of having your own board of directors to support your career decisions. Also, as a member of her 15 Year Reunion Committee, Foster shares more about what Reunion means to her.

Homecoming and Reunion Weekend (October 11-14) are cherished traditions where alumni can share a toast to the past and a toast to the future. It is a time to come home to Evanston to celebrate, reconnect with classmates, and create new memories. Visit www.alumni.northwestern.edu/homecoming and www.alumni.northwestern.edu/reunion for more information.

Sarah Powers ’02 worked in restaurants after graduating from Northwestern so that she could pursue her passion in dancing. Although this may not be a stereotypically traditional career path, she became a successful dancer before moving into the corporate space where she was able to hone a different set of skills. She didn’t know it then but Powers’ combination of experience in a creative space as well as on the business side played into her successes as the co-host of The Mom Hour and the Creative Director of the Life Listened Podcast Network. As a business owner and mother of three, Powers shares her honest opinions on parenthood as well as valuable insights for alumni facing tough career decisions themselves.

Thaddeus Tukes ’16 came to Northwestern knowing that there wasn’t a program for what he wanted to do but he had the faith he could work with Northwestern to create one. Although it wasn’t always easy, Tukes worked with leaders at the Bienen School of Music to create a major that worked for him, just as he is now working with community leaders in Chicago to create a lifestyle that works for him. He has accomplished a lot in his two year career path, like performing the vibraphone and being showcased at Carnegie Hall and the Symphony Center in Chicago, among many other jazz festivals, but he is most proud of his work teaching young people to enjoy and love art. You won’t want to miss this conversation around transforming your perspective from finding a career path to creating a lifestyle.

Alexis Alexanian ’85 started her career in advertising before quickly moving into the entertainment space where her career took off. She is currently an independent feature film and television producer, production executive and consultant. She has accomplished a lot in her career from working on major feature films to becoming the Board Chair of New York Women in Film & Television, where she has enjoyed her work in mentoring the next generation of women in her industry. Alexis is excited to build on her mentorship of future women leaders through her new appointment on the Council of 100, a group of executive Northwestern alumnae formed to connect successful Northwestern women with recent alumnae to help launch their careers after graduation.

Peter Schoenke started his career in financial journalism in New York and has long since moved back to the Midwest after making a career shift. He launched a website in 1997 in the tech boom that later became a successful business, RotoWire.com, in an industry he didn’t originally know much about. RotoWire.com is the largest independently-owned fantasy sports website that syndicates content to espn.com, Sports Illustrated, and so on. In this episode, Peter shares advice for not only fantasy sports fans but also insights for alumni who are entrepreneurial in their own careers.

Amanda Litman went into politics right after graduating from Northwestern, starting out her career in the Obama Campaign. She may not be working in campaigns now, but her passion for politics has grown even stronger. After working for Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016 as the Email Director (the other emails, as she would say) she went on to start her own organization (runforsomething.net). Her mission is to help young people run for office and she even wrote a book about it, “Run for Something: A Real-Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself” where people can learn more about how to become a political candidate. Litman shares some great stories of mentorship throughout her work on high level political campaigns, and you won’t want to miss these candid career insights!

Dr. Don Martin ’94 PhD cherished his six years earning his doctorate at Northwestern, which played into him pursuing his passion for helping others find their personal fit in a grad school. But, before Martin discovered his passion for helping people through the grad school process, he became an expert in the fields of enrollment management, student affairs, and higher education administration at some of the top Universities in the United States. Whether you’re applying for a new job or to go back to grad school, throughout his twenty years in higher education and ten years in coaching prospective students, Martin has been able to evaluate some of the key characteristics that make students and professionals successful: don’t make assumptions, be persistent, and practice gratitude.

Natasha Lindor '09 MS, the daughter of parents who immigrated to the United States from Haiti for a better life, grew up believing that a world class education and her unrelenting work ethic would be the keys to her success. Lindor climbed the corporate ladder for years before coming to campus for her Masters in Integrated Marketing and Communications. She wanted to be a global brand manager but realized a few years after finishing her program that she was passionate about helping others through career and lifestyle coaching. As you can imagine, Lindor has a plethora of career insights for the Northwestern Network in this episode as we discuss advice for career changers and how success is built one decision at a time.

For the award-winning journalist and author, Jonathan Eig '86, his first job delivering newspapers on his bike throughout his neighborhood was only the beginning of his long career in journalism. From his junior high and high school newspapers to his most recent book, Ali: A Life, Eig has been writing for his entire career, including three New York Time's bestsellers. He spoke with us about moving from reporting to writing autobiographical books and the skills that are transferable from one to the other. Eig shared advice for budding journalists as well as stories from his reporting and writing days. He spoke about meeting Muhammad Ali himself and the emotional experience that turned out to be. Tune in for the career insights and thoughtful stories from Eig's personal career journey through printed media.