Author: Vikram Dewani

“When writing, you need to know the rules to know how to break them. Thanks to Medill, there’s a special space in my brain for rigidity and accuracy that I’ve carried with me throughout every job in my career. The flexibility with which I’ve been able to apply these fundamentals has extended far beyond copywriting, to a world of corporate communication, strategic presentations, public speaking and content strategies for online and offline programming. I owe a lot to what they taught me.”

“My Medill classes taught me to be relentless in my pursuit of the truth, report on the stories of people who rarely make the front page of the news and never apologize for my curiosity. Over the course of four years, I learned how to ask the tough questions, not just in journalism, but in life as well.”

“During my sophomore year at Medill, I was fortunate enough to take a news-writing class held at a storefront in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood. To learn about and connect with the community, we completed audience profiles. We asked local residents about positives and concerns they held about their neighborhood, as well as the ways in which they consume media. Fifteen years later, fewer local journalists are on the ground in communities across the country. But those questions still matter, and thanks to my Medill education, I still am optimistic that we’ll find the right answers in the years ahead.”

“After getting a taste of lectures in Fisk and dorm life at Willard as a Cherub in 1988, I jumped at a chance to immerse myself in Medill and the NU campus for a full four years. Sure, I spent more time at The Daily Northwestern than was healthy, but the skills and connections I gained from the paper, classes and internships led to a job at People Magazine, where I would spend 18 incredible years. Now I’m 27 years in to my career as an entertainment writer and editor, and I haven’t stopped. Medill not only gave me the tools to thrive in journalism but also the friendships and mentorships to flourish in life. I’m grateful I can give back now as a Cherub guest lecturer and instructor, paying it forward for a new generation.”

“Medill faculty kindled in me a lifelong passion to be a storyteller and a critical thinker, starting with the Cherubs program. That, coupled with the opportunity to work simultaneously at a Chicago TV newsroom weeknights and on weekends as a writer and assignment editor, gave me exceptional opportunities to learn and to develop skills still applicable nearly a half-century later.”