Stories

November 23, 2021 - ‘You are a product of your environment’ rings true for Aaisha, DMSB’23 and Abhishek Balakrishnan, DMSB’20 raised in the Middle East—a big start-up hub. At five, Aaisha was fascinated by the ability to elicit emotion through marketing. “My mom has a love for old ads and would show us case studies,” says Aaisha. When not learning from her mother—professor of international business and marketing, she was participating in end world hunger events with her father—human resources manager for Yum! Brands, Inc. “I was debating between international relations and international business,” says Aaisha, “but business is a tool that we can use to do good, which is why I went into it.”

November 23, 2021 - Now, more than ever, organizations are becoming more intentional in their efforts to create diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. Assistant Director for the West Coast and Cooperative Education Faculty for the College of Engineering in Seattle, Kelsey Kaul, EdD’22 is on a mission to guide STEM start-ups in their hiring process to increase representation of women and historically underrepresented groups. I sat down with Kaul to learn more about her research in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

November 23, 2021 - After nearly eight years of working at Northeastern, Meghan Brisson, MBA’18, joined LogMeIn –—a pioneer in work-from-anywhere software. This industry change was accompanied by another adjustment, a fully flexible setup. “I like knowing that my company trusts me to manage my time,” says Meghan. “I can decide on the best approach to my work, whether it’s from home, at the Boston office, or any place with internet connection.” From the comfort of her couch in a sunny living room, Meghan discussed her transition and shared advice for success.

October 29, 2021 - As leaders think through a remote-centric approach to work, the traditional office structure is changing. But Jude Arbogast, E’19 isn’t setting up shop at a local café or spare room in an apartment. You may have read about Arbogast’s honorable involvement with The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)—from his inclusion in the 2019 New Faces of Civil Engineering in the College category, to his former role as President. Arbogast shares the inside scoop on memorable moments and lessons learned at Northeastern.

October 18, 2021 - Alex McCullough, AS’09 was reluctant to face his depression in high school, and silenced his mental health journey until it resurfaced in spring of 2009. “A weird aspect of our culture is that we stress that the way to fulfill your purpose in life is through your job,” says McCullough. “As I saw other friends getting jobs I wondered how I could be excited about what comes after college, and was left with a blank.”

October 12, 2021 - On a bronze plaque in the lobby of Ell Hall, Gamma Phi Kappa’s name appears proudly alongside many student organizations that contributed to the erection of the building. Founded as a local fraternity at Northeastern University in 1925 by Professor Stanley G. Estes and a dozen undergraduates, GPK’s spirit was born and firmly embedded in Boston’s and Northeastern’s history, its earliest members having attended classes at the YMCA.

References are the overlooked secret sauce of the job search. Supporters’ enthusiasm for your work can lead to an offer and reinforce the company’s decision to hire you over another candidate. The art of selecting and coaching references is as important as polishing your resume and practicing for an interview, so show some love for […]

Changes in the workplace have accelerated, particularly regarding remote work and diversity equity and inclusion (DEI) awareness and initiatives. To better understand these changes and their implications, we reached out to two alumnae for insights: Brie Reynolds, AS’04, a Career Development Manager at FlexJobs and Karina Barreto, DMSB’94, MBA’05, an experienced diversity, equity and inclusion […]

AS'05

While TV medical dramas have ruled entertainment for decades, Dr. Washington, AS’05, was putting in the real work. She received her medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, and was the first Black woman to be admitted into the residency program. From a private practice in Texas to a prestigious surgery fellowship in Oregon, Dr. Washington is a lifelong learner, now specializing in liver and pancreatic procedures.

By Joe Cronin, DMSB’67 Young, ambitious professionals are seeking to reach the top of their company, but are finding fewer mentoring opportunities than ever before. This definite lack of mentoring in modern business has only intensified during the pandemic.  There are several reasons mentoring is on the decline:  First, management skills in general are lacking […]

Start-ups are rooted in innovation—striving to fill product gaps, build something new, and grow rapidly. But the startup life is not for everyone! It requires a tenacious and scrappy spirit, hard work, a high-risk tolerance, and an ability to stay ahead of the curve. Alexis Brinkman, SSH’14, and Zack Williamson, AMD’14, met while working at […]

Northeastern alumni can be found around the world—there over 275,000 people who are connected by one global university. Every day our alumni volunteers give their time and talent to make the Northeastern network even stronger.  In this episode, Ilana Gensler, MA’19 Assistant Director of Affinity and Domestic Engagement will speak with a few of our […]