Jon Marino (far left), one of the founders of NUPIP, planned service learning experiences such as this Colorado service trip while he was a fellow with the Chicago Public Schools.
The Northwestern University Public Interest Program (NUPIP), which places Northwestern graduates in public interest jobs, announced four graduating SESP seniors among its new cohort of 19 fellows for 2009–10.
- Sunny Lin, a human development and psychological services major, is one of three fellows who will work at the Lawndale Christian Health Center.
- Elsa Sackett, also a human development and psychological services major, will work at the Adler Planetarium.
- Sam Schiller, a social policy major and one of the co-heads of NUPIP, will be working with Wabashco LLC.
- Katie Wright, a social policy major, will be working with the Corporation for Enterprising Development in Washington, D.C.
The NUPIP program fills a critical post-college need for Northwestern students, including many SESP students, who are looking for a way to both explore the public interest sector and remain committed to learning and being civically engaged.
One of the hallmarks of NUPIP, which is modeled after Princeton University's Project 55 program, is that fellows participate in weekly seminars and alumni mentoring. At the seminars, where NUPIP Fellows join Princeton and University of Chicago graduates, experts address relevant topics and fellows discuss common challenges and satisfactions of working for the social good. Alumni mentors work with fellows in their various fields of interest.
"We are looking forward to a year of fruitful partnerships with many new and returning host organizations and alumni mentors," says SESP junior Maddie Orenstein, a social policy major who coordinates the program with sophomore Stephanie Arias, a human development and psychological services major, and freshman Jacob Rosner, a social policy major. Kelly Kirkpatrick and Sam Schiller, both social policy majors, are graduating and transitioning out of their roles as coordinators after three successful years.
In the coming year, NUPIP is also seeking to start a Steering Committee that would include alumni. "We would love for interested alumni allies to contact us, and are always looking for alumni mentors here in Chicago as well as in other cities," notes Orenstein. Any SESP alumni who know of networking opportunities or are interested in engaging in with this student group may contact NUPIP at nupip@northwestern.edu.
NUPIP was founded in 2005 by SESP alumni Jon Marino and Lauren Parnell (both BS06), along with School of Communication professor Paul Arntson and SESP faculty member John Kretzmann.
Last Modified: 4/5/10