A huge thank you to our alumni who submitted over seventy well wishes to our students! The overall themes of being a lifelong learner, embracing your path wherever it may take you, building a strong and diverse network of mentors, and relying on your strong economic principles to guide you were prevalent throughout. Thanks again to our amazing alums!
To view the full list of alumni quotes, click here.
- Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. -Robert Brookby ’94
- You do not have to plan your whole career out up front! Choose work you are interested in – it will lead to more opportunities you are interested in and a career trajectory will build from there. -Catherine Henderson ’07
- Believe in yourself enough to be different and do something unique. -Travis Dziubla ’08
- Never say no to at least hearing about an opportunity! I recently got a new position after talking to someone about a position at another company-when I didn’t go further in the interview process, they suggested I learn about another opportunity that they had heard about. I said sure and after a successful interview process, I started my new job! So make sure to not turn down opportunities-you never know what you might find. -Will DeCaluwe ’19
- I have learned from playing Tetris that once you fit in you disappear. -Jesse De Lille ’08 PhD
- Keep learning as hard as you were in school. Feel empowered to take risks early on in your career when given a choice to leap versus playing it safe. -Tulsi Patel ’11
- “If you’re not failing, you’re not pushing your limits, and if you’re not pushing your limits, you’re not maximizing your potential” -Gerhardt „Kiko“ Kalterherberg ’03
- Remember everything you can of what Mark Witte has said to you! -Scott Constance ’96
- Friends are more important than money. -Jeffrey Wissink ’93
- Keep in touch with your college friends. It’s worth the effort to share each others’ joys and sorrows throughout your life. -Gregory Graves ’91
- Do not define yourself by your job functions, yet your aspirations & competencies…and let your aperture of possibilities be broad. Then have the courage to go for those in your career that give you the best chance of delivering on the promise of your fulfillment. -Scott Freidheim ’87
- Be not afraid to take risks. Embrace the excitement and challenge of pursuing your dreams and forging a new path. -Jeffrey Witherite ’95
- First and foremost, congratulations on graduating with a degree in Econ from NU! What I would share with you is thinking of your degree and training as a benchmark from which to jump off from. Whether you go into business, government, or public sector, those skills are transferable and will have given you the basis for thinking critically and acting thoughtfully. -Shirley Bloomfield ’83
- Don’t despair if you don’t get your “dream job” right out of college. Your first job — and maybe even your first few jobs — don’t need to be “perfect.” They just have to lead you in the right direction. Your working life will be long and prosperous; there is plenty of time to steer your career to where you want to go. -Bojan Manojlovic ’10
- Ideas are cheap. Execution is valuable. -Spencer Worley ’03
- Follow your curiosity! The tools that you’ve picked up in economics can help answer important and interesting questions. Use those tools in your job, but also volunteering on young professional boards, in rec sports leagues, and on grand adventures anywhere the wind blows! -Jake Byl ’05
- Economics is something you can use every day in any business. Seeing the big picture helps understand many small things. -Peter Johnson ’71
- Congratulations class of 2021 Econ grads! You are armed with a structured and data-driven way to understand opportunities/problems around you, and it will be such an asset to the organizations you find yourselves. Remember to have some fun and explore your interests as you embark on your journeys ahead! -Amy Zhu ’10
- It is a marathon and it is resilience that counts the most. -Costas Anastassiadis ’93
- Finding your ultimate place in life does not have to depend on any particular path. A lot of the reward will come from the exploring and learning required to navigate and handle various challenges and projects from year to year. Just don’t forget to have fun along the way! If you look hard enough there will always be new opportunities. -Michael Szanto ’98
- Flexibility is key. The world operates in strange cycles, where jobs are abundant and then incredibly scarce. Nothing really beats a foot-in-the-door, though, as in the immediacy what may seem exhausting and repetitive can quickly graduate into a juicy career path. I’ve seen inside sellers become product marketers, lawyers become COOs, and consultants become VCs (that last one was me). Stick with it, dig deep, and take advantage of everything. -Abhishek Lahoti ’07
- I hope that all graduates pursue careers that make them happy. -Robert Moylan ‘84
- Technology will be the main driver of growth and innovation. Make every effort to continuously learn about new developments in your chosen field to stay relevant. -Randall Hines ’07
- Identify, interact, and assist people doing something you value and respect by generating a complementary paper, technique, or product that builds off their work. They can not only teach you, but provide valuable indirect support via contacts and subtle recommendations. Everyone likes flattery, they only differ on the subtlety preferred. -Eric Falkenstein ’94 PhD
- Select a job in a city where you would like to live. -Diane Singleton ’64
- Put your head down and do good work. When you do you’ll be surprised how much of life takes care of itself when you do that. -David Finch ’88
- Learn from others, gain experience from others, but be willing to take risks and invest in yourself. -Brian Bernick, MD ’91
- School is over but your education continues. Prioritize learning over title and money at this stage of your life. -Arik Ahitov ’98
- The more you learn, the more you will grow. Find a job that consistently challenges you to learn, and look for a career in an area that you are deeply, naturally curious about. -Robb Hutchins ’10
- Show the world that, far from being “the dismal science”, Economics can be the means for all of humanity to make the most and best use of all we are given in our time on Earth. -James Shehigian ’98
- In the future remember that economic justice is social justice and work towards that in all that you do. -Nima Krodel ’00
- Make sure you find an industry or career where you can continue to scratch the itch of curiosity. And try to work for a global organization. It’s nice to see far parts of the world on someone else’s tab. -Holly Devine ’90
- “If we worry too much about ourselves, we won’t have time for others. -St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta” -Charles Vorbach ’81
- Do not be afraid to take on things that are not familiar to you. Be confident in yourself, figure it out, ask for help when needed and make sure you are continuously learning. Congrats and good luck! -Katie Anderson ’04
- Your first job won’t be your last. Be agile, open-minded, and don’t be afraid to leverage the NU network because it’s wider and stronger than you can imagine. Congrats and Go Cats! -Jae Kim ’91
- The learning does not stop at graduation. You are a perpetual student. Continue to seek out challenges and put yourself in new and uncomfortable situations – that is the only way you will continue to grow. -Shruthi Chandramouli ’04
- Be strategic by leveraging the Northwestern alumni network (and specifically the Economics alumni network) to find your desired post-graduation job! -David Saxe ’00
- Keep integrity and honesty at the forefront of everything you do. -Deron Johnson ’95
- Learn from every calculated risk… but take them! -Sandor Kolkey ’83
- No matter where you’re headed, take time these next few years to learn new skills, seek out genuine mentors, and reflect on what brings you great joy. Combine these, and you’ll be more motivated to jump out of bed in the morning as you work towards your purpose and passions. Keep in touch with your classmates too! Everyone will gradually branch off into different paths, but don’t be intimidated or compare yourself to them. You all share the wonderful experience of being NU Wildcats! -Heeju Suh ’13
- Maximize utility. -Robert Green ’05
- Load up on DOGECOIN and remember DIAMOND HANDS. On a serious note…don’t put too much emphasis on EARNING in your 20s, put more emphasis on LEARNING…specifically, learning about what you are passionate about. Explore as much as you can during this unique time and pursue self-discovery. -Steve Uhlir ’91
- Studying Economics gives you a rigorous way of thinking about many things and making decisions. Use it in your career and your life. -Adair Waldenberg ’72
- 2 actually: Life DOES NOT HAPPEN TO YOU, YOU MAKE LIFE HAPPEN, SO LIVE and LOVE and HUSTLE TILL YOU DIE and TREAT EACH PERSON AND EACH MOMENT AS IF FOR THE LAST TIME YOU BREATHE. 2. FOLLOW THE MANTRA : THE MORE I LEARN, THE LESS I KNOW! HUMILITY TO SEEKING THE TRUTH and ONLY LOYALTY TO THE TRUTH to APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE YOU SEEK, ELSE, IT IS USELESS and FUTILE -Amy Dabbouseh ’01
- Interpersonal and communication skills are more important than academic knowledge. -Phillip Jay Matthews ’87
- Explore careers in Risk Management and Decision Analytics in Financial Services – great roles for Econ majors. Don’t ever forget you provide a perspective that others ‘who love numbers’ such as accountants and finance majors might forget: it’s all about the shape of the curve! -Denise Brown ’93
- No matter where you take your NU Econ degree, you’ll remember it’s all about the margins. -Andrew Abtahi ’14
- All of us will have ups and downs in our careers due to circumstances not within our control. One controllable behavior to do all the time is to make daily fitness and/or outdoor time a “must have” and not a “nice to have”. Combine that with (mostly) healthy eating and you will be your most focused energetic, and resilient self to handle professional challenged and opportunities with equanimity. -Mark Blankstein ’91
- I wish I knew then the things that I know now. -Jan-Willem Dikkers ’94
- Work hard, be honest, take risks, be nice. Luck is where preparation meets opportunity. -Matt Huebner ’02
- What you learn about economics will prove of critical importance even if you enter a different profession. I became a lawyer, then a law professor, and then an appellate judge and often applied economic analysis in briefs, law review articles, and judicial opinions. -Earl Johnson Jr. ’55
- Be true to yourself by finding your gift and relently pursuing an opportunity to share that gift with the world. -William Germanetti ’84
- Always believe there is something greater in you than the circumstances dictate. Play for the long run. -Priyanka Agarwal Mehta ’07
- Don’t plan too far out into the future. The world is changing fast and you risk missing a trend that will shake everything up. Live in the moment intentionally! -Steven Traykovski ’99
- As an economist, do not form your opinions in accordance with who your employer might be; form them only according to your accumulation of knowledge and experience. That is true professionalism; the opposite, regardless of what the popular opinion might be, is only intellectual prostitution. -Okan Altiparmak ’84
- Embrace the complexity and contradictions of the world around you, but act boldly and simply. -William Haney ’87
- NU has given you a great foundation. Be a life-long learner and share your knowledge and talents with the world! -Tim Schmidt ’90
- Your life is just beginning. It is going to be a long road, taking you in directions you cannot anticipate. Always keep your eyes open for opportunity. Live it, love it, and work hard. -Rajesh Bindal ’91
- You have the opportunity to shape the future. Take it and make our world better. -Justin Rose ’01
- Your career is not linear, so do take (calculated) risks even if it means not maximizing short-term gain. -Pan Pan ’98
- When I was a student, I regarded Economics as a theoretical subject. Only years later did I see the multitude of ways it permeate everyday life. So the advice – always try to apply the theory to everyday applications. -Mark Schneider ’82
- Bring persistence, focus, and humility into everything you touch. -Nayan Greg Parekh ’97
- Seize the opportunity: NU grads are resilient and resourceful. Graduating during the pandemic will give you that drive and window of opportunity to do something great and help move the world toward a better place! -Seva Rodnyansky ’09
- Stay connected to the friends and mentors you made at Northwestern. You’ll get busy, and it won’t always be easy. But this community can be a tremendous source of support and opportunity – if you take the time to nurture it. -Girish Pendse ’13
- Congratulations! My advice: (1) learn to communicate crisply and confidently early in your career, (2) work to be happy and make someone else happy each day, (3) marry someone who loves your dreams and (4) life goes fast… consciously craft a life you love! -Danielle Bozarth ’99
- Don’t ever lose both your curiosity for continuous learning that Northwestern helps to foster, but also your ambition to change the world. -Joseph Lischwe ’10
- Always remember that whatever you end up doing you will have an impact on real people, not “economic units”. Make sure you are proud of the impact you make. -Marvin Tenenbaum ’73
- To quote the great Vince Lombardi: “ Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” -Michael Merlin ’97
- Congratulations! An economics major is very versatile and you’ll have a wealth of career opportunities at your fingertips. Keep an open mind on career paths, as you never know where your career may take you. -Anjali Kase ’03
- Maintain close connections with your classmate friends as that will have even more of a positive impact on your happiness over many years as your future great career success will. -Bob Zapfel ’77
- Use guiding principles: Have empathy, take responsibility, have integrity, embrace diversity, learn and grow. Make sure that your company uses these principles. Be patient. Strive for excellence. Listen to others. Be prepared. -Michael Douglas Graham ’75
- Nihil Nisi Optimum -Augustin Fosu ’79