{"id":437,"date":"2023-06-02T18:18:18","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T18:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cherubs.medill.northwestern.edu\/2025\/?page_id=437"},"modified":"2025-09-18T18:34:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T23:34:23","slug":"top-alumni","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cherubs.medill.northwestern.edu\/2025\/top-alumni\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Alumni"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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TOP ALUMNI<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\tHundreds of program alumni have led distinguished careers in journalism. Many have held top management positions at major media companies. They have won awards such as the Pulitzer Prize and the Emmy. Others have thrived in the legal profession, business or the academic world. Here are some of our prized alumni.\n\n<\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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<\/div> \n
2014<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Erica Pereles<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Social Media Editor, The Washington Post<\/h4>

Erica Pereles works on the audience team at The Washington Post, where she specializes in climate journalism and has grown the @postclimate Instagram account to over 250,000 followers. She previously worked at MarketWatch, translating financial journalism to social media, and interned at The Wall Street Journal. She graduated from Northwestern in 2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Pereles fulfilled the rare cherubs trifecta: she was a student in 2014, a community associate in 2016 and an instructor in 2019.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWorking at cherubs was my favorite job I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Pereles said. \u201cI woke up with a smile on my face every day. Attending as a cherub convinced me to go into journalism and attend Northwestern, and working at cherubs helped strengthen my leadership skills and helped me give back to a program I love dearly. It truly is the best summer of your life.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2013<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Julia Jacobs<\/div>
\"\"<\/div>

Culture reporter, The New York Times<\/h4>

Julia Jacobs works as a culture reporter for The New York Times, often covering breaking news related to the arts. She graduated from Northwestern University in 2017, where she served as editor-in-chief of The Daily Northwestern. She previously worked at Meet the Press, Reuters and The Boston Globe.<\/p>

\u201cBefore Cherubs, I was looking into premed programs at colleges because I thought being a journalist wasn\u2019t practical enough,\u201d she said. \u201cThe program allowed me to hear from reporters who chose to embrace this work because it is critical to a free and open society. They told us that the best part was waking up every morning to a job that is invigorating and fulfilling. I committed to that dream and never looked back.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2012<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Tyler Pager<\/div>
\"\"<\/div>

White House correspondent, The New York Times<\/h4>

Before joining The New York Times in 2024, Tyler Pager worked as a White House correspondent for the Washington Post, a White House correspondent for POLITICO, a national political reporter at Bloomberg News covering the 2020 presidential election, and a James Reston Fellow at the New York Times on the Metro desk.<\/p>

Alongside colleagues\u00a0from the Washington Post, Pager authored his first book, entitled \"2024,\" which details events leading up to the 2024 presidential election.\u00a0<\/p>

He has a master\u2019s degree in comparative social policy from the University of Oxford and graduated as the valedictorian and summa cum laude from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 2017. He also served as editor-in-chief of the Daily Northwestern.<\/p>

\u201cThe Medill Cherub program was one of the most formative experiences in my journalism career. I received a world-class journalism education, which set me up to succeed in college and beyond. I continue to use the lessons I learned at the program every day, and I still benefit from the mentorship of my Cherub instructors. I could not be more grateful and I credit the program for many of the incredible professional opportunities I\u2019ve had in my career.\u201d He has spoken to several cherub classes and has served as a community associate for the program.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2009<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Marshall Cohen<\/div>
\"\"<\/div>

CNN reporter, Washington, D.C.<\/h4>

Marshall Cohen\u00a0is a CNN reporter based in Washington who has covered many important events, including the Russia investigation, President Trump\u2019s two impeachments and the January 6 insurrection. Previously, he was a producer for CNN\u2019s Political Unit and wrote questions for CNN\u2019s 2016 presidential debates and town halls. For his work at CNN, he won a News Emmy Award and earned two additional nominations. Earlier in his career, Cohen worked and interned at CBS News, where he was part of the \u201cFace the Nation\u201d team. He is a 2014 Northwestern graduate and served as managing editor of The Daily Northwestern while in school.<\/p>

\u201cCherubs was one of the best summers of my life. It set me up for success in the journalism industry. I learned so much and made lifelong friends, too. It is my privilege to be part of the Cherubs community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2009<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Ian Kullgren<\/div>
\"Man<\/div>

Federal Workforce Reporter, Bloomberg Industry Group, Washington, DC<\/h4>

Ian Kullgren first joined Bloomberg in 2020, where he's served as a labor reporter and White House correspondent, most recently covering DOGE and the federal workforce. Before Bloomberg, Kullgren was a reporter on POLITICO\u2019s employment and immigration team. While at The Oregonian in Portland, Kullgren was part of a team that earned the Associated Press Media Editors grand prize for news reporting for covering a 41-day standoff with armed militants at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. He earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in journalism from Michigan State University.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s hard to think of an experience that prepared me more for journalism than Cherubs,\u201d Kullgren wrote in an email. \u201cI learned the fundamental theory of journalism and met so many wise, tenacious people, many of whom I\u2019m still friends with. There are a few of us here in D.C. and we still hang out. For a kid from a small town in the Midwest, it was totally transformative. My life would be totally different without Cherubs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2007<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Eryn Rogers<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

WSB-TV News Reporter, Atlanta<\/h4>

Eryn Rogers is a two-time Emmy-award-winning anchor and reporter, currently working at an ABC affiliate station in Atlanta. Previously she's served as co-anchor for ABC24 Morning and Midday News in Memphis, Tennessee. There, she produced and hosted a weekly segment called \"Eryn Eats,\" where she tried viewer recommendations for restaurants in Memphis and across the mid-South. Previously she's also worked as an anchor in Macon, GA, a reporter\/anchor in Greenville, SC, and a fill-in anchor in Fort Wayne, IN. While at Northwestern, Rogers won an Emmy for a documentary she filmed, produced and edited about gang life among Chicago youth. She also interned at the same station where she works today in her hometown of Atlanta. In 2012, she graduated from Medill's Accelerated Master's Program, completing both a bachelors and master's degree in four years.\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cBeing a cherub changed my life. It showed me journalism was exactly what I wanted to pursue. I\u2019d say it even helped me get into college, since I wrote my Northwestern essay about my time as a Cherub. Beyond giving me the skills I needed to become successful in my career at an early age, it also gave me some of my closest friends to this day.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2007<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Katharine (Katie) Glueck<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

National Political Reporter, The New York Times<\/h4>

Katie Glueck first joined the New York Times in 2019 as a political reporter before becoming Chief Metro Correspondent in 2021. \u00a0After covering two tumultuous mayoral elections, she now covers national politics with a focus on the Democratic Party. Before joining The Times, Glueck had been published in The Wall Street Journal, Washingtonian magazine and the Austin American-Statesman. She also worked as a reporter at POLITICO for five years. She covered Ted Cruz's 2016 presidential campaign for POLITICO and reported on the Republican Party as a senior political correspondent for McClatchy DC. She graduated from Medill with honors in 2012.<\/p>

\u201cI learned so much from my summer as a journalism cherub\u2014lessons that remain with me a decade later, from how to handle irritated sources to cultivating the crucial practice of double-checking everything (or in cherub parlance: If your mother says she loves you, check it out!),\u201d Glueck wrote in an email. \u201cI remember my cherub summer as a very inspiring period that solidified my interest in pursuing journalism, and I\u2019m so glad I attended!\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2006<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Callie Schweitzer<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Head of Premium Content & Community Strategy, LinkedIn, New York<\/h4>

Callie Schweitzer graduated from the University of Southern California\u2019s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in 2011. In 2012 and 2013, Schweitzer was named one of Forbes\u2019 30 Under 30 in media and one of Business Insider\u2019s 30 Most Important Women in Tech Under 30. Schweitzer\u2019s work has appeared in TIME, The New York Times, Mashable, The Huffington Post and People magazine, among other publications. Schweitzer has worked as director of marketing and communications at Vox Media and deputy publisher of Talking Points Memo. She also served as editorial director for audience strategy for Time Inc. and chief content officer at Thrive Global. More recently, she started The Callie Co., an executive advisory board that works with Fortune 500 businesses. She joined LinkedIn as a senior editor in 2020 and has held numerous positions since then.<\/p>

\u201cThe highlight of my cherub experience was being surrounded by passionate people\u2014both other cherubs and instructors\u2014who chose to spend their summers nerding out about journalism,\u201d she wrote in an email. \u201cI owe so much of my career to cherub instructor Cynthia Wang, who put in a good word for me at People when I applied for an internship the summer after cherubs.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2006<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Tania Karas<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Senior editor, Devex; former immigration reporter and editor for Public Radio International; U.S. Fulbright Fellow<\/h4>

In 2015-16, Tania Karas was a U.S. Fulbright Fellow and went to Greece as an independent freelance writer to cover the country\u2019s refugee and financial crises. Her work has appeared in Refugees Deeply, IRIN Humanitarian News and Foreign Affairs Online, among other publications. She graduated from Medill in 2011 and then covered U.S. immigration and New York courts for the New York Law Journal. She also has a graduate degree in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford.\u00a0<\/p>

Since 2021, Karas has been at Devex, a publication geared towards global development professionals. There, she assigns and edits stories on humanitarian aid with a focus on the U.S. Agency for International Development \u00a0and the World Bank. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cBeing a cherub taught me the power of storytelling, both to hold public officials accountable and to help people understand each other,\u201d she wrote in an email. \u201cCherubs gave me invaluable advice on writing, interviewing and ethics that I use every single day in my career.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2006<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Charlotte Alter<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Senior correspondent at Time Magazine, New York City<\/h4>

After graduating from Harvard University in 2012, Charlotte Alter went to work at Time Magazine, where she has written cover stories. As national correspondent, she reported on the 2016 presidential election and wrote that year\u2019s Person of the Year Runner-Up story about Hillary Clinton. She also covered political campaigns in 2018 and 2020, and is author of \u201cThe Ones We\u2019ve Been Waiting For: How a New Generation of Leaders Will Transform America\u201d published in 2020 by Penguin Random House. Alter previously hosted TIME\u2019s flagship podcast, \u201cPerson of the Week,\u201d and formerly was co-host of the Sirius XM Radio show \u201cAlter Family Politics.\u201d She has been published in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.<\/p>

\u201cCherubs provided me with the journalistic foundation that has stuck with me throughout my career. I\u2019ll never forget the thrill of chasing the all-day story, the horror of a misspelling in an email to a source, or the joy of working with colleagues to get the story exactly right. I\u2019ll also never forget learning the First Amendment by heart as punishment for crossing the street at the wrong place. What a summer!\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2005<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Emily Glazer<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Enterprise Reporter, The Wall Street Journal; Pulitzer Prize winner<\/h4>

Emily Glazer is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter who covers power and influence for the Wall Street Journal. Glazer first joined the Journal in 2008 and she's written about a variety of subjects, including the intersection of finance, business and politics in the 2020 election. In 2025 she won a Pulitzer Prize as the lead reporter on the WSJ's coverage of Elon Musk's personal shifts, including his private conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. She interned at The New York Sun and the Austin American-Statesman. Glazer graduated with honors from Medill in 2010.<\/p>

\u201cCherubs introduced me to my future college roommates, real-world journalism in a judgment-free setting and the collegiality of a newsroom,\u201d Glazer wrote in an email. \u201cIt confirmed that I wanted to be a journalist and tell impactful stories. Roger Boye still gets in touch when I have big stories \u2014 and those are some of my favorite emails to get to this day. I cannot recommend Cherubs enough to learn more about what life can be like as a journalist, to build long-lasting friendships and to test out college life.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2002<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Mike Cherney<\/div>
\"Smiling<\/div>

Reporter at The Wall Street Journal's Sydney Bureau<\/h4>

A Medill graduate and\u00a0 longtime Wall Street Journal reporter, Mike Cherney covers politics, business and general news in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region. He\u2019s covered rising competition between the U.S. and China in the Pacific, diplomacy and military issues, climate change, indigenous issues, and the aviation and gambling industries. He has also written more than 20 A-heds, the widely read, quirky news feature that appears on the WSJ\u2019s front page everyday.<\/span><\/p>

Cherney was part of a team that received an honorable mention for the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing Best in Business award in the travel and transportation category for coverage of Covid-19's impact on airline pilots.<\/span><\/p>

Cherney has lived in Sydney since 2016. Before that, he covered financial markets for the Journal in New York. He has reported from several other international locations in his career, including South Africa, New Zealand, Fiji and Hong Kong, and has also written for local newspapers in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Virginia and South Carolina. <\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2002<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Francesca Jarosz Brady<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Founder and CEO of Pen+Principle, Indianapolis, Indiana<\/h4>

Following various positions held within the public relations industry, Francesca Jarosz Brady now serves as the CEO of Pen+Principle, a strategic communications firm. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President at VOX Global, a public relations firm with offices across the country. Based in Indianapolis, she develops communications strategies for clients with a focus on media relations. Prior to joining VOX, Jarosz Brady worked for The Mind Trust, a nonprofit that focuses on K-12 education. She began her journalism career at The Indianapolis Star, covering Indianapolis city government and public safety. Jarosz Brady also covered state and local government, banking and finance for the Indianapolis Business Journal. Additionally, she delivered a weekly TV business report on Indianapolis\u2019 FOX affiliate station. She graduated cum laude from Northwestern University in 2007.<\/p>

\u201cI gained so much from my time at cherubs \u2014 from valuable insights that have stuck with me throughout my career, to new friendships, including my freshman year roommate, who remains a close friend today,\u201d Jarosz Brady wrote in an email. \u201cApplying for the program was one of the best decisions I\u2019ve ever made. It shaped the course of where I went to college and helped me hone a passion for learning and writing that I still apply in my job every day.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2001<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Simon Rich<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Novelist, humorist and screenwriter; author of two novels and various collections of humor pieces; creator of \u201cMan Seeking Woman\u201d<\/h4>

Simon Rich has written various books, including \u201cGlory Days\u201d published in 2024 as well as the Thurber Prize-nominated humor collection \u201cAnt Farm: And Other Desperate Situations\u201d and the widely acclaimed \u201cNew Teeth Stories\u201d published in 2021. He is a former writer for \u201cSaturday Night Live,\u201d where he was the second-youngest writer hired. Rich and the staff of SNL were nominated for an Emmy Award three times. He was also a writer for Pixar\u2019s \u201cInside Out.\u201d Rich was the creator and showrunner of the television shows \u201cMan Seeking Woman\u201d and \u201cMiracle Workers,\u201d which he based on his books. His BBC Radio 4 series, \u201cThe World of Simon Rich,\u201d premiered in 2016.<\/p>

\u201cEven though I ended up completely selling out to write for television, I will always value the lessons I learned at the Medilll-Northwestern Journalism Institute,\u201d Rich wrote in an email. \u201cI can still hear John Kupetz\u2019s voice in my head whenever I\u2019m editing, urging me to ditch the adverbs and prune all unnecessary qualifiers. Medill trained me to write like a professional and I use the skills they taught me every day!\u201d.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

2001<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Brian Orloff<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Head of product and email strategy, Penguin Random House<\/h4>

Before assuming his current position, Brian Orloff was senior director of product management at Penguin Random House. He also has been a product manager at Shuttershock and at CBS Interactive, has worked at ABC News and People magazine, has been an online assistant editor and contributing writer for Rolling Stone, and a feature writer at the St. Petersburg Times. He graduated from Medill in 2006.<\/p>

\u201cSome of my favorite memories were having long, late-night conversations in and around the dorm\u2014we were in CRC\u2014and feeling inspired to come home and start my senior year and get more involved in my school paper,\u201d he wrote in an email. \u201cI feel like being a cherub pushed me to remember to always ask lots of questions\u2014and to always be motivated by curiosity.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1998<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Adam Rittenberg<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

ESPN senior writer, college football\u00a0<\/h4>

Adam Rittenberg began his career in sports journalism at ESPN and at the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights, Ill., while still enrolled at Medill. He joined the Daily Herald as a staff reporter upon his graduation in 2003. He then joined ESPN as one of its first sports journalism bloggers in 2008. He now reports stories on national college football for ESPN. He has worked as an adjunct teacher at DePaul University since 2014 and at Northwestern University.<\/p>

\u201cThe best thing was definitely the people,\u201d said Rittenberg about his cherub class. He still remembers rotating rewrites, where he learned the importance of accuracy and newsworthiness.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1998<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Erin Ailworth<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Reporter, Bloomberg News<\/h4>

Erin Ailworth has covered the grain markets for Bloomberg News since May 2025. \u00a0Before that she held various positions at the Wall Street Journal for over a decade, including editor of newsroom talent. \u00a0There, she reported on natural disasters throughout the United States, including forest fires and Hurricane Harvey, and other breaking-news events, such as the aftermath of George Floyd's death in 2020. \u00a0Prior to joining the Journal, she worked for the Boston Globe and the Orlando Sentinel. \u00a0Erin is a lifetime member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, where she has served as secretary and vice president of print. She is a Medill graduate.<\/p>

\u201cI love it,\u201d Ailworth said about her cherubs experience. \u201cIt\u2019s an unforgettable experience. I think it was one of the formative experiences for me in terms of journalism and my life as a journalist. It all has this rosy glow at this point. You get to see Northwestern in the summer. It\u2019s all sort of magical.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1996<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Tommy Craggs<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Writer for HBO's \"Game Theory with Bomani Jones<\/h4>

Tommy Craggs has been a writer and editor all over the journalism and television industries. He previously served as Enterprise Editor at Mother Jones and Senior Editor at HuffPost. After graduating from Medill in 2001, Craggs covered the police and crime beat in New Orleans. During his career, Craggs has reported for The Wall Street Journal, SF Weekly and Slate Magazine. He also has been executive editor of Gawker Media, political editor of Slate Magazine and editor-in-chief of Deadspin. At Deadspin, Craggs was part of a team of journalists who broke the Manti Te\u2019o story. After investigating Te\u2019o and the death of his girlfriend Lennay Kekua, the Deadspin team proved in a January 2013 article that she never existed at all.<\/p>

Craggs work has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Washington Post, Pitchfork and various other publications<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1995<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Jeremy Gilbert<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Knight professor in digital media strategy, Northwestern University; former director of strategic initiatives at The Washington Post<\/h4>

At Medill, Jeremy Gilbert explores the intersection of technology and media. He researches new developments like artificial intelligence and how they will affect the production and consumption of news.\u00a0<\/p>

Before joining The Washington Post in July 2014, Gilbert worked at National Geographic as deputy digital editor. He was associate clinical professor and director of technology and educational spaces at Medill in 2013 and an assistant professor of media product design at Medill for five years before that. He has been an editor at Poynter and sports design director for the St. Petersburg Times. Gilbert graduated from Medill in 2000 and was a guest instructor at cherubs from 2011 to 2013.<\/p>

\u201cWhen I first heard about the Cherub program, I only knew a little about journalism, less about Northwestern and virtually nothing about what being a Cherub would be like,\u201d Gilbert wrote in an email. \u201cThe Cherub program turned out to be absolutely foundational for my life and career. My summer as a Cherub led me to attend Northwestern, to become a journalist, teach journalism and even to come back to the Cherub program as an instructor.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1994<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Tomoko Hosaka Mullaney<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Executive Director, U.S.-Japan Business Council\u00a0<\/h4>
Tomoko Hosaka Mullaney serves as the executive director of the largest association representing American business interests in Japan. Established in 1971, the USJBC is part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Before her current role, Mullaney worked for the Asia Group, a firm that provides business advisory services to some of the world's largest companies. Previously she was deputy economics editor at The Associated Press. She also has served as COO of Plympton and a governing board member of the Asian American Journalists Association. After graduating from Medill in 1999, she worked as a staff writer at The Oregonian for two years before getting a degree in international relations from Waseda University in Tokyo. She worked as an editor for Dow Jones Newswires and as a Tokyo-based reporter for the AP. She is a former UNITY Journalists for Diversity board member.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
1993<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Bret Begun<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Editor at Bloomberg Businessweek<\/h4>

Bret Begun edits features for Businessweek and is in charge of its annual Bloomberg 50 issue, a year-end look at the biggest names shaping business, finance and other fields. In 2020 he was nominated for an ASME award in service journalism for editing the magazine\u2019s guide\u00a0<\/span>to working\u00a0from home. Prior to joining Bloomberg, he was an articles editor at Conde\u00a0<\/span>Nast\u00a0where he helped oversee coverage of Details\u00a0<\/span>magazine\u2019s\u00a0front of the book. Prior to that, he was a senior editor at Newsweek magazine for 13 years. He covered three Olympics and was national affairs editor during the 2008 presidential election. As an undergraduate at Medill, Begun was an editor and columnist at The Daily Northwestern. He has taught in the cherub program since 2001.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIf I hadn\u2019t been a cherub, I probably would not have thought to go into this field at all,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, in many ways, it was really my entry point into journalism.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1992<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Julie Hirschfeld Davis<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Congressional editor for The New York Times and a CNN political analyst<\/h4>

Julie Davis joined The New York Times in 2014. After covering the White House, she now serves as congressional editor and appears regularly on CNN and PBS. She previously reported on government and politics for The Baltimore Sun, The Associated Press and Bloomberg News. Davis won the National Press Foundation\u2019s 2009 Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress by a print reporter for her coverage of the federal response to the 2008 financial meltdown. She is a graduate of Yale University and co-author of \u201cBorder Wars: Inside Trump\u2019s Assault on Immigration.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1991<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Jeff McMillan<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Former editor for the AP Stylebook and the East Region of The Associated Press\u00a0<\/h4>

Jeff McMillan recently left the Associated Press after 19 years. \u00a0For his final eight years there, he was part of a small team of Associated Press staff members who edited the AP Stylebook. \u00a0At the AP he also worked as national desk editor, assistant East editor, Eastern U.S. enterprise editor and East desk editor. He previously worked as a graphics and copy editor at Newsday and a copy editor at the Minneapolis Star Tribune.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1990<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Daniel Roth<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Editor-in-chief and vice president of LinkedIn<\/h4>

Daniel Roth is editor-in-chief and vice president of LinkedIn. Previously, he served as one of the founding members of the Cond\u00e9 Nast Portfolio, and he worked as a senior writer at Wired magazine. He also worked at Forbes magazine and then Fortune magazine as a reporter and editor for eight years. Roth\u2019s story about the creators of Skype was named the Best Story on Entrepreneurship at the Business Journalist of the Year Awards in 2005. He is a Medill graduate and is married to Medill alumna Lisa Fingeret Roth.<\/p>

\u201cThe Cherubs program was the first time I was taken seriously as a journalist,\u201d Roth wrote in an email. \u201cUp until that time, I was a high school student who played journalist; when I set foot on campus and started getting assigned stories, I was treated like a reporter on assignment. The instructors \u2014 all with incredible track records \u2014 treated us like adults and we were sponges for their lessons. The summer cemented what I already knew: this was the profession for me. One thing I\u2019d add: it wasn\u2019t all reporting. That summer I met people who became my best friends, peers that I still reach out \u2014 and one became my wife! It had an impact on my life far beyond Sheridan Road.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1990<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Rachel Nichols<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Former ESPN sportscaster \u00a0<\/h4>

Rachel Nichols is best known as a former ESPN sportscaster. She first joined ESPN in 2004 for 11 years and after three years at CNN, she returned for four more years. Before its 2024 cancellation, Nichols was on Fox Sports' \"Undisputed.\" She previously served as host and producer at Showtime in the sports division working on basketball content. Sports Illustrated once described Rachel Nichols as \u201cthe country\u2019s most impactful and prominent female sports journalist.\u201d Among other things, Nichols is known for asking hard-hitting, tough questions of prominent persons in the world of sports. For several years she hosted \u201cThe Jump,\u201d a daily half-hour show on ESPN and she has contributed to programs such as \u201cSportsCenter,\u201d \u201cSunday NFL Countdown,\u201d \u201cMonday Night Countdown\u201d and \u201cE:60.\u201d \u00a0For eight years early in her career she covered sports for the Washington Post and before that for the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale. Nichols graduated from Medill in 1995.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1989<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Nikita Stewart<\/div>
\"a<\/div>

Real Estate Editor at The New York Times<\/h4>

Since 2022, Nikita Stewart has been the editor of real estate at the New York Times. Before that, she served as\u00a0<\/span>an assistant editor on the Metro Desk, a management position where she helps to drive The Times coverage of the city of New York. She also has covered social services, with a focus on City Hall in New York City, for the New York section of The Times. She is the author of \u201cTroop 6000: The Girl Scout Troop That Began in a Shelter and Inspired the World,\u201d about a Girl Scout troop that had formed inside a hotel turned into a homeless shelter in Queens. She previously worked at The Washington Post; The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky.; The Journal-News in Westchester County, New York; and the Star-Ledger in New Jersey.<\/p>

\u201cBeing a cherub has helped me in my career all these years later,\u201d Stewart wrote in an email. \u201cI did not just learn the ins and outs of reporting and writing one summer; I was forever linked to a network of journalists. A fellow cherub recommended me for a job at The Washington Post, and he later was my editor at The New York Times. Apply, and you will have lifelong connections.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1988<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Cynthia Wang<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Pop culture writer and editor; former People and TV Week editor<\/h4>

Cynthia Wang began her magazine career at Medill, where she wrote feature stories for The Daily Northwestern and contributed to the student magazine Campus Voice. Wang worked at People magazine after her 1992 graduation and became an assistant editor in 2007, reporting stories on television personalities and athletes. She covered five Olympics and every major award show during her 18-year career at People. She moved to Sydney, Australia, in 2011, working for WHO magazine, People\u2019s sister publication in Australia, before becoming features editor at TV Week. More recently, among other things, she freelances a variety of feature stories and previews What to Watch each Monday on ABC Radio Canberra\u2019s Drive show. Wang also contributed chapters to Rise: A Pop History of Asian America From the Nineties to Now, published by Harper Collins.<\/p>

She said she learned the importance of accuracy, brevity and clarity as a cherub. \u201cIf you aim for those things, you will focus your writing,\u201d Wang wrote in an email.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1988<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Pradnya Joshi<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

National weekend editor at The Washington Post; Medill part-time faculty member<\/h4>

Pradnya Joshi has worked at the Los Angeles Times as a business reporter, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as a reporter and Newsday as a senior writer. In 2003 and 2009, she was chosen for the Asia Foundation\u2019s Freeman Fellowship to Southeast Asia to discuss the political, economic and educational ties between the United States and that region. From 2006 to 2017 P.J. worked for The New York Times as assistant business editor and in other positions. Then she was trade and agriculture editor at POLITICO and in 2022 she joined The Post. She has both bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees from Medill and teaches part time at the Medill Washington office as an adjunct lecturer.<\/p>

\u201cThe cherub program was a fun, real-world experience in reporting and writing,\u201d she wrote in an email. \u201cIt helped give me a glimpse into what days [and nights] would be like as a journalist. And of course, I had a lot of great friends who ended up at Northwestern and became journalists.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1987<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Becky Lang<\/div>
\"Smiling<\/div>

Health and Science reporter<\/h4>\n
\n

Amid a more than 25-year career in health and science journalism, Becky Lang also teaches science writing for STEM PhD students at Northwestern.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lang has written for both magazines and newspapers. She is the former editor in chief of Discover and led the award-winning health, science and environment team at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She has also been a freelance editor for outlets such as National Geographic and Medscape\/WebMD. Lang started out as a news editor at weeklies and a small daily in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest.<\/span><\/p>\n

She is a Medill graduate and hosted her own jazz show for WNUR during her time at Northwestern.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1987<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Karen Ferguson Fuson<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Marketing and analytical strategist; Medill Hall of Achievement member; former Gannett Company executive<\/h4>
Upon graduating from Northwestern in 1992, Karen Ferguson Fuson worked in advertising sales at the Gary Post-Tribune. In 1995 she joined Gannett as a manager at The Tennessean in Nashville. From 2003 to 2010, Ferguson Fuson helped lead the Arizona Republic, eventually serving as vice president of sales and strategic planning. In 2010, she became president and publisher of the Indianapolis Star, where she led the newspaper\u2019s coverage of Indiana\u2019s divisive Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In 2015, Gannett appointed her group president of the western region, overseeing 60 newspapers. She also served as vice president of communications and marketing at Indiana University in Bloomington and was inducted into the Medill Hall of Achievement in 2018.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
1986<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Mary Lou Song<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Entrepreneur and technologist; Medill Hall of Achievement member<\/h4>

Mary Lou Song joined eBay as its third employee in 1996, just five years after graduating from Medill. After leaving eBay, she joined another startup, Friendster. She later launched Tokoni, a story-sharing site; Ongo, a news aggregator; and FuelX, an advertising technology company that provided video advertising platforms to brands and e-commerce retailers. Song is a Medill graduate and a former Northwestern University trustee. She was inducted into the Medill Hall of Achievement in 2019 and currently chairs the Medill Board of Advisers.<\/p>

\u201cAt cherubs, I learned the one lesson that shaped my entire career, and it started with the quote from Confucius: \u2018Choose a job you love, and you\u2019ll never work a day,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cThat quote has guided me ever since.\u201d \u00a0She won a full-tuition scholarship from the Louisville Courier Journal to attend the program in 1986 and as a way to say thanks, she established her own endowed cherub scholarship fund, which has helped pay the tuition for many students over the years.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1985<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Lisa Pollak<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Pulitzer Prize winner; independent reporter; adjunct faculty at Columbia University\u2019s Graduate School of Journalism<\/h4>

Lisa Pollak won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing when she was a reporter at The Baltimore Sun, telling the story of a family who lost a son to a genetic disease and had to live with the knowledge that their other son shared the same disease. Pollak also won the Ernie Pyle Award for human-interest writing. She was a radio producer at WBEZ radio program \u201cThis American Life.\u201d Since January 2014, Pollak has been an independent journalist, reporting stories for various podcast outlets including NPR and WNYC.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1985<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Glenn Geffner<\/div>
\"\"<\/div>

Former MLB play-by-play announcer, adjunct professor at University of Florida \u00a0<\/h4>

Glenn Geffner began his broadcast career at Northwestern University calling baseball, football and basketball games before graduating in 1990. He started his baseball-announcing career as the voice of the Rochester Red Wings and has done play-by-play for Boston Red Sox Minor League baseball and served as a host and reporter for the Red Sox and the San Diego Padres. In 2008, he returned to his hometown of Miami, where he was a part of the Marlins radio team.<\/p>

Geffner said cherubs \u201ccertainly helped me nail down what I wanted to do and exactly how I was gonna get there. It was a remarkable summer.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1984<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
David Rohde<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

National Security Editor, NBC News; Pulitzer Prize winner<\/h4>

David Rohde won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting while at the Christian Science Monitor for his stories that helped expose the Srebrenica massacre. In 2008, while reporting in Afghanistan, he was kidnapped by members of the Taliban but managed to escape about seven months later. He shared a 2009 Pulitzer given to the staff of The New York Times for reporting on U.S. military and political challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He formerly served as executive editor of newyorker.com and is a CNN global affairs analyst. He's the author of five books, the most recent being \"Where Tyranny Begins: The Justice Department, The FBI and The War on Democracy.\"<\/p>

\u201cBeing a cherub turned journalism into my passion and calling,\u201d Rohde wrote in an email. \u201cI will always be grateful for it. Now, a new generation of journalists is needed. Please join us.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1982<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Robin Pogrebin<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Culture Reporter, New York Times<\/h4>

Robin Pogrebin, a Yale University graduate, has been a New York Times reporter since 1995.\u00a0 Among other things, she covers cultural institutions, the art world and architecture.\u00a0 She also has worked as an associate producer for a documentary unit at ABC News and as a New York Observer staff writer. \u00a0She is co-author with Kate Kelly of the book \u201cThe Education of Brett Kavanaugh: An Investigation\u201d published in 2019. It takes a deep look into the early years of the life of the Supreme Court justice and his confirmation hearings.<\/p>

In an email, she wrote: \u201cThe Cherub program gave me a rock-solid foundation as an aspiring journalist. I will never forget running around campus chasing news stories and banging out drafts of a lede (on a now quaint-sounding typewriter). I continue to keep in touch with one of my professors and will forever value that formative experience.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1982<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Tananarive Due<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Award-winning novelist and UCLA professor<\/h4>

Tananarive Due was working for the Miami Herald when she published her first novel in 1995. A\u00a0leading voice in Black speculative fiction for more than 20 years, Due has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a British Fantasy Award, and her writing\u00a0has been included in best-of-the-year anthologies. Her books include The Reformatory <\/em>(winner of a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Chautauqua Prize, Bram Stoker Award, Shirley Jackson Award, World Fantasy Award, and a New York Times Notable Book), The Wishing Pool and Other Stories<\/em>,\u00a0Ghost Summer: Stories<\/em>, My Soul to Keep<\/em>, and The Good House<\/em>. She and her late mother, civil rights activist Patricia Stephens Due, co-authored Freedom in the Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights<\/em>.<\/p>

A Medill graduate, Due received her masters in English from Leeds University in England. \u00a0In addition to her writing, Due teaches courses at UCLA and was an executive producer of the documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror.<\/em><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1981<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Jeff Zucker<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Former president of CNN Worldwide; former president of NBC Universal<\/h4>

Jeff Zucker served as president of CNN Worldwide from 2013 to 2022, and before that he served as CEO and president of NBC Universal. After receiving an undergraduate degree from Harvard, Zucker worked for the \u201cToday\u201d show on NBC, where he was later named executive producer. The Cherub program was his only formal education in journalism and as a way to thank the program, in 2018 he created an endowed cherub scholarship fund.<\/p>

\u201cI can\u2019t say enough about the experience I had as a Cherub at Medill,\u201d Zucker wrote in an email. \u201cNot only did it offer me valuable insights into the world of journalism, it was also a great way to experience college life as a high schooler on an incredible campus. I\u2019m always amazed at how many intersections I continue to have in my life with other alumni \u2013 a testament to what a terrific program it is.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1981<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
The Hon. Gabriel A. Fuentes<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

U.S. magistrate judge<\/h4>

Judge Gabriel Fuentes graduated from Medill in 1986 and worked as a reporter at the City News Bureau of Chicago, the Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times before deciding on a legal career. He became a partner and an award-winning pro bono litigator at the Chicago law firm of Jenner & Block, where his clients during his 20-year career in private practice included Northwestern and WBEZ-FM (in a successful, high-profile battle for public access to the court file in the murder prosecution of Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke), and ProPublica Illinois. Judge Fuentes also prosecuted federal criminal cases as an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago from 2001 to 2006. In 2019, he became a United States magistrate judge for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division (Chicago). He continues to serve as an adjunct faculty member at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where he received his J.D. in 1993.<\/p>

Judge Fuentes said that being a journalism cherub changed his life. \u201cThat summer really focused me on the goal of becoming a print journalist, and on the kind of person I would need to be if I wanted it to happen,\u201d he wrote in an email.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1981<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Jonathan Eig<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and sports journalist<\/h4>

Jonathan Eig\u2019s sixth book, \u201cKing: A Life,\u201d the first major biography of Martin Luther King in 40 years, won the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 2023. His 2018 book, \u201cAli: A Life,\u201d won numerous awards, including the PEN\/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing, best book of the year by Sports Illustrated and a NAACP Image award. He worked on a documentary on Muhammad Ali with Ken Burns and appeared in two other Burns documentaries: \u201cProhibition\u201d and \u201cJackie Robinson.\u201d Eig has written for The New Orleans Times-Picayune, The Dallas Morning News, Chicago magazine and The Wall Street Journal. He credits cherubs for initial passion for journalism.<\/p>

\u201cI loved getting thrown into the deep waters of student journalism and finding out I could swim,\u201d Eig wrote in an email. \u201cI remember the thrill of chasing the all-day story, the horror of misspelling a source\u2019s name, the anxiety around doing interviews at the Fourth of July parade in Evanston. I had a pretty good idea when I arrived that I wanted to be a reporter, but the cherub program cemented it for me.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1979<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Angelo Henderson<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Pulitzer Prize winner<\/h4>

Angelo Henderson, who died in 2014, won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing for his Wall Street Journal story about an attempted armed robbery at a drugstore that resulted in the robber\u2019s death. He also served as president of the National Association of Black Journalists for two terms. He was a print and broadcast journalist for more than two decades.<\/p>

\u201cI was thinking about being a lawyer until I went to Northwestern for a summer and discovered how great journalism was,\u201d Henderson said in a 1999 Editor & Publisher story. \u201cThe next year I was in a minority journalism program at the University of Kentucky. The high school programs were real turning points for me.\u201d<\/p>

In 2021, he was inducted into the Michigan Journalism Hall of Fame, with credit given to the pivotal role the cherub program played in his life: \u00a0https:\/\/fb.watch\/55JnjjK1YN\/<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1978<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Michael Slackman<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Assistant Managing Editor for International at The New York Times; Pulitzer Prize winner<\/h4>

In 1997, Michael Slackman was part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize in Spot News Reporting for Newsday following the crash of TWA Flight 800 and its aftermath. In addition to Newsday, he has written for the Los Angeles Times and has reported from Cairo, Berlin and Moscow. Slackman has worked for The New York Times since 2002 and has held various positions ranging from metropolitan desk reporter to international editor. He is a graduate of Northwestern University.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1977<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Joie Chen<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Emmy Award winner; former CNN anchor and former CBS News correspondent based in Washington, D.C.<\/h4>

While at CNN, Joie Chen received an Emmy Award for her reporting on the Atlanta Olympic Park bombing. She won a second Emmy for her coverage of the Beltway sniper attacks in Washington, D.C. She was a\u00a0correspondent for CNN and CNN International, anchored the network\u2019s flagship program, \u201cThe World Today,\u201d and created the network\u2019s first interactive news program, \u201cNewsSite with Joie Chen.\u201d Later, starting in 2002, she worked as a CBS News correspondent based in Washington, D.C., and as a contributor to CBS Sunday Morning. From 2013 to 2016, Chen was an anchor for Al Jazeera America\u2019s daily prime time news program \u201cAmerica Tonight.\u201d She is a member of the Medill Hall of Achievement.<\/p>

\u201cI remember my cherub summer as one of the best of my life,\u201d Chen wrote in an email. \u201cWe worked HARD\u2014up late and early and through every weekend\u2014 reporting, meeting some of the most important people in journalism, and making new friends. It really prepared me for life as a Medill undergrad! Some of the people I met that summer remain among my closest lifetime friends and I\u2019ll always encourage high school students to go for that experience. #cherubforlife\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1975<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Paul Sagan<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Emmy Award winner; former CEO of Akamai Technologies; former president of Time Warner; ProPublica board chairman<\/h4>

Paul Sagan is a three-time Emmy Award winner and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts. In 1991, he joined Time Warner Cable to launch news channel NY1. He later became president of Time Warner, where he oversaw online operations. He joined Akamai Technologies in 1998 and served as CEO from 2005 until 2013. In 2010, he was appointed to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. Sagan became chairman of the board of ProPublica in 2017. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sagan served on the board of Moderna as it was working on its vaccines.He is a Medill graduate, a life trustee of Northwestern University and a member of the Medill Hall of Achievement.<\/p>

\u201cBeing a Medill Cherub not only confirmed my path into journalism but also helped set my direction to college and Northwestern University,\u201d Sagan wrote in an email. \u201cIt was the first time I was able to immerse myself in the field of professional journalism, writing stories for publication and interacting with peers who all wanted to pursue a shared passion for work and learning.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1973<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Matt Purdy<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Editor at large, The New York Times<\/h4>\n

In 2025, The New York Times announced that after an illustrious 30-year career at The Times, Matt Purdy would continue to serve as an editor at large and a trusted adviser to the newsroom. Most recently, Purdy led coverage of the #MeToo movement, Donald Trump's presidency and the pandemic. In 2014, Matt Purdy was named a deputy executive editor of The New York Times. Before that, he worked as a reporter on the metro desk of The Times, then as a deputy editor and investigations editor before becoming the assistant managing editor. In 1989, Purdy was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for National Reporting. He also was a local reporter and Washington correspondent at The Philadelphia Inquirer for 12 years. While attending Northwestern University, he worked on The Daily Northwestern and majored in philosophy and English literature. He graduated in 1978.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember talks we had with law and journalism professors about ethics, the First Amendment and the history of journalism,\u201d he wrote in an email. \u201cThose talks, along with the Watergate scandal that was unfolding that summer, opened my eyes to the fact that journalism was not just fun but an essential force in the democracy. The cherub program ended up being my only formal journalism training, but it launched me on a rewarding career.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1973<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Richard Eisenberg<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Former managing editor, Nextavenue.org<\/h4>

Richard Eisenberg retired in 2022 following a career that included managing editor of Nextavenue.org, the PBS site for readers aged 50+, an editor at Good Housekeeping and at CBSMoneywatch.com. He also worked at Money Magazine for 19 years, including as executive editor. He is the author of \u201cHow to Avoid a Mid-Life Financial Crisis.\u201d He also reviewed books for People Magazine and continues to freelance. Eisenberg graduated from Medill in 1978.<\/p>

\u201cBeing a cherub solidified my love of journalism and led me to a) apply to Medill early decision and b) pursue the career I\u2019ve enjoyed since graduating,\u201d he wrote in an email.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1972<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
M.G. Lord<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Educator; author; critic; political cartoonist and illustrator<\/h4>

Reviews, articles, political cartoons and\/or illustrations by M.G. Lord have been featured in many publications, including Newsday, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The New Yorker. She teaches at the University of Southern California and has written several books, including \u201cForever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll.\u201d She is a graduate of Yale University.<\/p>

\u201cThe whole program was great \u2014 especially meeting my fellow cherubs and our terrific counselors,\u201d Lord wrote in an email. \u201cMartha Minow [former dean of the Harvard Law School], who inspired me as a high school student, continues to inspire me. I loved being in an environment where braininess was okay. And I loved Chicago. I discovered Bill Mauldin\u2019s work that summer; he became a mentor and wrote the introduction to my first collection of political cartoons (published in 1982 by Little, Brown). I also collaborated on an illustrated guide to the journalism counselors \u2014 which gave me confidence in my ability to draw caricatures that looked like their subjects.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1972<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Linda Foley<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Maryland General Assembly, House of Delegates<\/h4>

After graduating from Medill in 1977, Linda Foley was a reporter and copy editor at the Lexington Herald-Leader in Lexington, Kentucky. A few years later, she began working for the national Newspaper Guild and in 1995, Foley was elected as the first woman president of the Newspaper Guild, which she led for 13 years. Later she became president of the Berger-Marks Foundation, an organization promoting women in the labor movement. She was vice president of the International Federation of Journalists and is a member of the Northwestern University Council of 100. She was inducted into the Medill Hall of Achievement in 2006 and won the Alumni Merit Award at Northwestern University in 2007. More recently, she was elected Chair of the Montgomery County (Maryland) Democratic Party. In 2021, she began serving in the Maryland General Assembly\u2019s House of Delegates representing Maryland\u2019s 15th District. \u00a0<\/p>

\u201cThe defining inspiration for me was the summer I spent at Northwestern as a journalism cherub. Those five weeks back in 1972 laid out a world of possibilities for me that still encourage me these many decades later. It came at a critical moment for a young woman trying to set a career course.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1971<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Howard Reich<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Long-time Chicago Tribune arts and jazz critic; author; Emmy Award winner<\/h4>

\u00a0Howard Reich covered music and the arts for the Chicago Tribune from 1978 to 2021. He is the author of six books, including \u201cThe Art of Inventing Hope: Intimate Conversations with Elie Wiesel\u201d; the writer\/producer of three documentary films; and the writer of one ballet. He has served on the jury for the Pulitzer Prize in Music four times and has received numerous awards including Northwestern University\u2019s Alumni Merit Award, an Emmy Award and two honorary doctorate degrees. Reich attended Northwestern University as a piano performance major and freelanced for the Chicago Daily News.<\/p>

\u201cFor me, the cherub program was kind of opening the door to the world of journalism and work and ideas,\u201d Reich said in an interview. \u201cUntil I was in the cherub program, journalism was something I did in my high school, for my high school newspaper, so it was very much a student activity. For me, the cherub program was a bridge to professionalism.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1971<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Martha Minow<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Professor and former dean at the Harvard Law School<\/h4>

Martha Minow served as dean of Harvard Law School from 2009 until June 2017. As dean, she led the diversification of the Harvard faculty and student body before stepping down and returning to the Harvard Law School faculty. Minow first became an assistant professor at Harvard Law in 1981 (at age 27) and a full professor in 1986. She has written 15 books and many scholarly articles published in journals of law, history and philosophy. She has a bachelor\u2019s degree from the University of Michigan, a master\u2019s degree from Harvard, a law degree from Yale and an honorary doctorate from Northwestern.<\/p>

\u201cWhen I think about good writing on a deadline or about a community devoted to vigorous discussion and fun, memories of my time as a cherub quickly come to mind,\u201d Minow wrote in an email.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1967<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Fredric (Rick) Tulsky<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Pulitzer Prize winner; former editorial director of Injustice Watch<\/h4>

Fredric Tulsky won \u00a0a 1987 Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting with two other reporters after exposing wrongdoings in the Philadelphia court system. Several years later while at The Mercury News in San Jose, California, he was a finalist for a another Pulitzer Prize in Investigative Reporting. Tulsky also has reported for the Los Angeles Times and the Center for Investigative Reporting. He was the founding director of the Medill Watchdog program and ran it until 2015. He previously served editorial director of Injustice Watch, a non-partisan, not-for-profit, multimedia journalism organization. After retiring from Injustice Watch in 2020, Tulsky worked on a book that will be published in 2026<\/p>

In an email, Rich wrote: \u201cI\u2019ve long said that I learned all the basics I needed to know about journalism in my five weeks as a cherub at Medill \u2014 from the basics of reporting to meeting a deadline to learning the distinction between factual writing and opinion writing, between constructing a news story and an essay. It also was a lot of fun because of the chance to meet students with similar passions from all over the country, to discover the great city of Chicago, to get an advance taste of college campus life away from home, and to interact with such smart and dedicated young instructors, many of whom went on to stellar careers.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1966<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Frank Rich<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Essayist; editor-at-large for New York Magazine; former executive producer for HBO series \u201cVeep\u201d and \"Succession\"<\/h4>

Frank Rich was a culture and politics writer for Time Magazine, the New York Post and New Times Magazine before joining The New York Times as chief theater critic. Among other things, he is known for his work as an op-ed columnist for The Times starting in 1994, and he received the George Polk Award for his commentary in 2005.<\/p>

In an email, Rich wrote: \u201cI\u2019ve long said that I learned all the basics I needed to know about journalism in my five weeks as a cherub at Medill \u2014 from the basics of reporting to meeting a deadline to learning the distinction between factual writing and opinion writing, between constructing a news story and an essay. It also was a lot of fun because of the chance to meet students with similar passions from all over the country, to discover the great city of Chicago, to get an advance taste of college campus life away from home, and to interact with such smart and dedicated young instructors, many of whom went on to stellar careers.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1965<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Walter Mossberg<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Former technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal; co-founder and editor-at-large of Recode<\/h4>

Walter Mossberg, now retired, was the principal technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal after covering national and international affairs for 18 years. He was a co-creator and co-producer of \u201cD: All Things Digital,\u201d a tech conference in partnership with The Wall Street Journal, and the co-executive editor of AllThingsD. He also was co-founder and editor-at-large of Recode, a technology news and reviews site. He graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.<\/p>

\u201cMy cherub summer at Medill was the crucial step in cementing my decision to become a journalist,\u201d he wrote in an email. \u201cIt was an unforgettable combination of eye-opening experiences, new skills, camaraderie and fun. The instructors and staff were wonderful. Even after all these years, it\u2019s unforgettable.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1965<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Albert Scardino<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Pulitzer Prize winner<\/h4>

Albert Scardino won the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing following his series in Savannah\u2019s Georgia Gazette on local and state matters. Much more recently, he wrote about America\u2019s \u201cuncivil war.\u201d \u00a0He died in 2023 at age 94.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1965<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Barry Peterson<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

CBS News correspondent; Emmy Award winner<\/h4>

Barry Petersen joined CBS News as a reporter in 1978 after graduating from Medill and having written for some newspapers. While at CBS, he has covered many major stories, both domestically and from abroad. In 2010, Petersen published his critically acclaimed book, \u201cJan\u2019s Story,\u201d about his wife as she battled Alzheimer\u2019s disease. Petersen has been honored many times for his reporting, including two Emmy Awards and an Edward R Murrow Award. His CBS team\u2019s reporting on Tiananmen Square received an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award and a George Foster Peabody Award. He also is a member of the Medill Hall of Achievement.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1963<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Michael Conway<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Counsel for U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee in the Richard Nixon impeachment inquiry <\/h4>\n

Michael Conway is a retired lawyer at the national law firm Foley & Lardner LLP and a member of the inaugural class of the Medill Hall of Achievement of 1997. <\/span><\/p>\n

During the Impeachment Inquiry of President Richard Nixon in 1974, Conway served as counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary. He has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of First Amendment law and is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. During his legal career, Conway represented journalists and media organizations including Dow Jones & Company, Inc., The New York Times, ABC, Chicago Tribune, N.Y. Daily News, \u201cThis American Life\u201d and the Small Newspaper Group in connection with libel, access, and First Amendment issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Upon graduating from Medill in 1968, Conway received his J.D. from Yale Law School<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1962<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
James (Jim) Klurfeld<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Former vice president at Newsday; Pulitzer Prize team winner<\/h4>

James Klurfeld was part of the team that won the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for exposing government corruption on Long Island. He was also vice president and editorial editor of Newsday, where he worked for almost 40 years. He received the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award in 1988 for editorials about the Iran-Contra hearings. Klurfeld is a visiting professor of journalism at Stony Brook University.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1960<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Al From<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Author of \u201cThe New Democrats and the Return to Power\u201d; founder and former CEO of Democratic Leadership Council<\/h4>

Al From was executive director of the House Democratic Caucus from 1981 to 1985. He founded the Democratic Leadership Council in 1985 and was its CEO until April 2009. After earning a master\u2019s degree in journalism from Northwestern University, From was deputy adviser on inflation to President Jimmy Carter from 1979 to 1980. He played a prominent role in President Bill Clinton\u2019s election and served as domestic policy adviser during the Clinton transition. He has been an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University since 2018. He is a member of the Medill Hall of Achievement.<\/p>

\u201cThe Cherub program introduced me to Northwestern and horizons I never would have seen and to opportunities I never would have had,\u201d From wrote in an email. \u201cMy experiences as a cherub convinced me Medill was the only place for me. That led me not only to five great years in Evanston but to Washington, where I launched a career that developed beyond my most grandiose dreams. I can honestly say that being a cherub was the first step on the Medill path that changed my life.\u201d<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1959<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
John (Jack) Miles<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Pulitzer Prize-winning author<\/h4>

John Miles won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for his book \u201cGod: A Biography.\u201d His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe and the Los Angeles Times. His most recent book, entitled \"A Friendship in Twilight: Lockdown Conversations on Life and Death,\" was published in 2022. He holds a doctorate in Near Eastern languages from Harvard University.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

1940<\/div><\/div>
<\/i><\/div>
<\/div>
Joan Wagner Beck<\/div>
\"A<\/div>

Syndicated columnist, author, editor<\/h4>

Joan Wagner Beck, a nationally syndicated columnist, was a Chicago Tribune writer and editor for 48 years. She also was the first woman to serve on the newspaper\u2019s editorial board. In addition, she was the author of several books, including the widely acclaimed \u201cHow to Raise a Brighter Child,\u201d which was translated into eight languages, as well as \u201cIs My Baby All Right?\u201d and \u201cEffective Parenting.\u201d<\/p>

Shortly after her death in 1998, knowing how much she had loved the program, her family and colleagues established an endowed scholarship for the Institute in her name. In 1980, she wrote: \u201cWhat I remember most [about the Institute] is simply gratitude for a pivotal, life-changing experience. So much of my life flowered from that summer\u2026 Being a cherub gave me the self-confidence to make a career of journalism. A generation later, the program helped my daughter to make a truly independent decision to do the same.\u201d (Her daughter, Melinda, a 1971 cherub, was a long-time writer and columnist for The Wall Street Journal.)<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

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