Pirates’ Toolmaker
Like millions of other kids, Charlie Young, ’20 LAS, dreamed of being a big-league baseball player—and never made it past high school ball. “Fortunately, I was better at computer science.”
Alumni Interview: Elizabeth Hausler
If you look at my LinkedIn page, you’ll see that I identify as a social entrepreneur, safe housing advocate, and bricklayer. I was a bricklayer first. My dad owned a
Reformer at Heart
Sharone R. Mitchell, Jr., ’05 LAS, is Chicago South Side born and bred. It is a fact he proudly states. It is a communal and cultural identity that grounds him
Alumni Interview: Tatyana McFadden
I was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, with spina bifida. My birth mom couldn’t afford to take care of me, so I lived in an orphanage for six years without
Alumni Interview: Kevin Jackson
When I arrived at Illinois in 1990, a kid out of a tough neighborhood south of Chicago, I had no idea I’d become a research scientist. I was a football
Alumni Interview: Amanda McGrory
It’s summer 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, and I’m holding a Paralympic silver medal in the 1,500 meters. Beside me is my teammate Tatyana McFadden, ’13 ACES, EDM ’19, one
Union Leader
It’s Rebecca “Becki” Salzman’s favorite campus event of the year: the LateNighter. As executive director of the Illini Union, Salzman ’94 LAS, MA ’07 ED, marvels at seeing thousands of
Alumni Interview: Tim Lapetino
As a teenager, I spent long hours in Chicago playing Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and other classic video games. The games themselves were thrilling, but for me the experience went deeper
Toymaker
Many people can trace a line from their current occupations back to some childhood interest. In the case of toy designer Michael J. Lichodziejewski, ’92 FAA, there is practically a
A Material Guy
Taeghwan Hyeon, PHD ’96 LAS, received the university’s 2025 Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement. As director of the Center for Nanoparticle Research in the
