#Volunteer Spotlight : Northwestern - @NUforLife @NorthwesternCFS @NUCareerAdvance
The Rock. Willie the Wildcat. The Arch.
These are a few of the iconic images of attending college at one of the world’s finest institutions - Northwestern University. Having grown up in the suburb next to its home in Evanston, I was apprehensive in going to school so close to home.
Once I entered Northwestern, I realized I was a world away from home.
Northwestern was the greatest place to spend four years - challenging classes and demanding professors, a beautiful campus, football games, historic buildings, and an incredibly diverse group of peers.
With an incredible alumni base (oh you wanted me to name drop? sure. John Paul Stevens, Adlai Stevenson, Rod Blagojevich, Jerry Reinsdorf, Rahm Emanuel, Warren Beatty, David Schwimmer, Zooey Deschanel, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Charlton Heston, Tony Randall, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert, Michael Wilbon, George R. R. Martin, Joe Girardi…), NU alum love to get involved in helping the next generation of Wildcats. Of course, my experience is focused on NU, but there’s a good chance that whatever school you went to has similar opportunities to volunteer.
Alumni Committee
One of the easiest, low commitment experiences in working with future students to join your local Northwestern Alumni Club and to participate in events with local high schoolers. This includes the dreaded alumni interview - where students try to cram 17 years of experience into the most rehearsed versions of themselves. This is usually a single afternoon or night where you get to talk with a few potential students and see if they would be a good “fit” on campus.
Another unique opportunity is to represent NU at local college fairs - it was fun to go back to my alma mater, Niles West talking to students who literally walked the same halls as me. You get to talk with parents (who think that they more questions they ask the higher the likelihood their student gets admitted), students and faculty. It’s a chance to reflect on your time in Evanston and interject some personality to the university.
Field Studies + Internships
Things have changed in the past few decades. I remember, sure, we got internships, but the goal of college was...to experience college. Now, there’s an incredible amount of pressure to find a career, a job, a following, a passion- all when you are 20 years old.
Luckily NU has developed several programs to help students navigate the complex career journey. There’s an incredible Career Center, Fairs and online tools. One program that I’ve seen grow and expand since I roamed Evanston is the Chicago Field Studies program
NU For Life
Northwestern has a proud heritage of not only fielding successful sports programs, but also doing so while retaining one of the highest success rate of their student athletes in preparation for life.
As an alumnus, it always makes me happy to see the success of the school both on and off the field. Keeping a high standard for student athletes is important...
...even if at times it may come as a hindrance to getting more wins.
I’ve been fortunate to mentor many these student athletes and have always found them to be motivated and hyper-organized. The commitment level it takes to compete at the highest level of college athletics and attend one of the strongest academic schools in the nation is something we all could learn from.
As I continued to mentor and work with these student athletes, I was introduced to a newer program on campus called NU For Life.
NU for Life is a unique program dedicated to the professional development of Northwestern student-athletes. It provides student-athletes the opportunity to explore professional possibilities by capitalizing on the knowledge and network of former student-athletes, friends of Wildcat Athletics and companies looking to invest in the most talented recent graduates.
The mission of NU for Life is to equip our student- athletes with the resources necessary to excel professionally upon completion of their athletic careers. These resources are available to our student-athletes the minute they step on campus and remain with them throughout their life.
NU for life is one of the only programs of its kind in the country and shows NU’s strong commitment to their student athlete’s success. I had a chance to serve on the strategic and development board for the program and saw the immense undertaking up close. I’ve been pleased to speak on panels, hire student athlete interns and help the program grow.
I am proud to see NU break the mold of how college athletic programs are run. It’s an incredible way to help focus the talents of these incredible young men and women and make sure they are supported in the most challenging game of all - life.