Update: The Campaign for Northwestern

‘WE WILL’ CAMPAIGN PROVIDES REAL-WORLD LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Living in a foreign country. Working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Helping a sporting goods company launch a new product.

These are just some of the ways that Northwestern students spent their summers in 2015, broadening their perspectives through initiatives supported by We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern.

Three students — Ayla Goktan, Liam Feroli and Lauren Douglas — recently discussed the off-campus learning experiences they enjoyed last summer, all of which were made possible by donor support.

Help other students pursue their passions by making your gift today at wewill.northwestern.edu. All gifts, to any area of the University, count toward the “We Will” Campaign.

Ayla Goktan
Goktan is in the fourth year of the Bienen School of Music’s five-year dual degree program, majoring in flute performance at the Bienen School and psychology at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences.

Last summer she studied Turkish language and culture at a university in Istanbul. An undergraduate language grant from Northwestern’s Office of Undergraduate Research and a Keyman Modern Turkish Studies research grant from Northwestern’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Studies funded her program.

“I was beyond thrilled when I received the grants, because there was no way I could have done the program without them,” she says. “One of the best parts of the program was meeting so many people from so many different walks of life and learning about their goals for the future.” 

Liam Feroli
Feroli is a junior in the School of Communication, where he’s majoring in radio/TV/film.

He spent his summer interning with three production companies in Los Angeles, where he read scripts, assisted film directors and weighed in on the development of feature film screenplays and television pilots. He was able to accept the positions because of support from Northwestern’s Summer Internship Grant Program, which provides financial assistance to students pursuing unpaid internships. Liam’s grant was funded by a gift from Helen Lin-Murphy ’91 and her husband, Matt.

“SIGP has changed my life,” Feroli says. “I was in Los Angeles for the first time doing what I love. I would have never had this chance without the support of this grant, Northwestern Career Advancement and the SIGP donors.”

Lauren Douglas
Douglas is a senior in the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and a member of Northwestern’s women’s basketball team.

Last summer she worked as a marketing intern at Wilson Sporting Goods in suburban Chicago, helping to launch a new “smart” basketball that tracks a player’s shooting percentage and other key stats. Her internship was supported by NU for Life, a career development program for student-athletes funded by University Trustee David Kabiller ’85, ’87 MBA.

“My internship helped me realize how important it is to combine your work with something you truly love,” Douglas says. “Where I am today is entirely due to NU for Life.”