Northwestern Intersections records for the first time from Northwestern San Francisco! Learn from a panel of recent alumnae in a range of tech specialties as they share how they navigated early career decisions. Panelists Moy, Turner, and Wu will offer insights on pursuing advanced degrees, changing industries, recognizing your transferrable skills, and how they're navigating a rapidly evolving field. They will also share how they answered (and are still answering) what's next in their career.

Iga Kozlowska '14 MA, '17 PhD graduated from Northwestern with a doctorate in sociology and now is the program manager of Responsible AI at Meta. How did she make the transition? And how is sociology relevant to technology? Kozlowska joins the podcast to highlight the transferrable skills she learned as a student and share the process behind her transition into tech with zero previous experience. She also reinforces how imperative it is for people with humanities backgrounds to be involved in the development of artificial intelligence and other advancements as technology becomes more deeply intertwined in our lives.

Show notes:

Northwestern Intersections Podcast: What's Next Live from San Francisco!

Terry Franklin—an attorney, writer, and storyteller—shares how finding the will of his fourth great-grandfather, John Sutton, revealed the emancipation story of his fourth great-grandmother, Lucy Sutton, and their children, which included a legal battle over John's intentions in freeing his family. Franklin describes the deeply personal journey of discovering his family's history and how he is using creative pursuits to amplify his ancestors' story, demonstrating that we all have a role to play in shaping the arc of history.

This episode also includes a preview of Franklin's most recent endeavor: The Lucy Sutton Suite: A Truth-Telling in Four Parts.

Show Notes:

For more on Lucy Sutton:

Bending the Arc of History TedX Talk Webite: LucySutton.com Podcast: The Last Will of Lucy Sutton

For more on Terry Franklin:

Trust Litigation Storytelling with NUEA West: The Letter Scare and Resistance & the Will American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) podcast: Planning for a Diverse and Equitable Future. The Latest on Terry Franklin

References:

The Lucy Sutton Suite: A Truth-Telling in Four Parts.

By Terrence M. Franklin, Jeffrey George Moline, Ringo Maestro. Commissioned by Oakland Symphony Chorus. Dedicated to the Memory of Maestro Michael Morgan

Kevin Yu '19 MS joins Northwestern Intersections to share the personal story of how he pivoted from a career in finance to a licensed marriage and family counselor and founder of Soulstice Therapy, and how an increased understanding of his relationships led to this unique transition. Additionally, Yu explains how social media and content creation are changing the ways we discuss and perceive mental health. And why he encourages Soulstice practioners to create mental wellness content. Finally, he offers his perspective on how mental health companies and the demand for access to mental health professionals are impacting private practice.

Shownotes:

Soulstice Therapy

Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler shares how she is working to provide mental health resources—including accurate information, access to identity-based providers and treatments, and psychotherapy in community-based settings—to underserved populations in Chicago. Author of Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen: The Emotional Lives of Black Women, Burnett-Zeigler also reveals the inspiration behind her book, its intersections with her research as a scholar and clinician, and how she hopes it will help readers identify their own struggles and paths toward healing.

Shownotes:

Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen: The Emotional Lives of Black Women

The Northwestern Alumni Medal celebrates alumni who have had a transformative impact on their field, who have performed exemplary volunteer service to society, or who have demonstrated an outstanding record of service and support to the University.

Cindy Chupack '87 is a prolific storyteller whose work across television, film, and other media has been recognized with several accolades, including Emmy Awards and Golden Globes. Her credits include Sex and the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, Modern Family, Better Things, Divorce, and Fleishman Is in Trouble. She was inducted in the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications' Hall of Achievement in 2020 and is an active member of Northwestern's Council of One Hundred.

Shownotes: If you know a Northwestern alum whose life, work, and service truly exemplify the University's ideals and deserve recognition for their accomplishments, please visit alumni.northwestern.edu/medal for information about how to nominate someone for an Alumni Medal.

President's Alumni Panel: My Northwestern Direction

The Northwestern Alumni Medal celebrates alumni who have had a transformative impact on their field, who have performed exemplary volunteer service to society, or who have demonstrated an outstanding record of service and support to the University.

Until his recent retirement, David Louie '72 was the business editor and technology reporter for ABC Disney's KGO-TV San Francisco, for which he become the first Asian American reporter in 1972. A trailblazing reporter and editor, he worked in television for more than 50 years and has held leadership roles in several prominent news organizations. He is a former member of the Medill Board of Advisers and was an inaugural inductee to the school's Hall of Achievement in 1997.

Shownotes: If you know a Northwestern alum whose life, work, and service truly exemplify the University's ideals and deserve recognition for their accomplishments, please visit alumni.northwestern.edu/medal for information about how to nominate someone for an Alumni Medal.

President's Alumni Panel: My Northwestern Direction

The Northwestern Alumni Medal celebrates alumni who have had a transformative impact on their field, who have performed exemplary volunteer service to society, or who have demonstrated an outstanding record of service and support to the University.

Jeff Ubben '87 MBA ('20 P) is founder, managing partner, and portfolio manager of Inclusive Capital Partners, a San Francisco–based investment management firm. He has championed environmental and social responsibility in business and advanced global sustainability and college access at Northwestern and beyond. Ubben has served on the Kellogg Alumni Council and was a member of the steering committee for We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern.

Shownotes: If you know a Northwestern alum whose life, work, and service truly exemplify the University's ideals and deserve recognition for their accomplishments, please visit alumni.northwestern.edu/medal for information about how to nominate someone for an Alumni Medal.

President's Alumni Panel: My Northwestern Direction

Melissa Dawn Simkins '01 MS shares how her experiences in the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications' IMC master's program gave her an edge when the field of marketing was starting to shift. Her multidisciplinary approach led her to pioneer celebrity and influencer branding, which in turn helped transform the field of marketing and branding into what we know today. She also imparts the personal story that inspired her to launch Velvet Suite and the She-Suite to support women in the workplace and help them lead with purpose in work and well-being.

Shownotes: Velvet Suite The She-Suite

What's Next Live from Chicago is back! In this episode of Northwestern Intersections recorded live from Medill Chicago, learn from a panel of recent alumni about their postgraduate journeys. Alumni from the fields of user experience research, conflict resolution, and biomedical engineering share how they navigated early career decisions. Panelists Jennifer Siedjak, Jim Alrutz, and Ameen Kishta offer insights including how they entered fields different from their areas of study, their choice to pursue an advanced degree (or not), and resources they would recommend to alumni in their shoes. Panelists share how they answered (or are still answering) what's next in their career.