Rocio Mendez-Rozo, Graduate Fellow
Graduate Fellowship Recipient, 2021
Rocio Mendez-Rozo, earned her BA in English and Latino/a Studies from Northwestern in 2017. She was selected to address her fellow graduates at commencement that year, capping a distinguished undergraduate career. Rocio was selected as a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, pursuing research exploring the roots of salsa and poetry in Nuyorican neighborhoods. Her work was recognized with the Best Senior Thesis Award by the Latino/a Studies Program. Rocio was one of two students selected to participate in the Weinberg College curricular review, and she was active in orientation programs for new students. She served on the New Student and Family Programs Board of Directors and oversaw staff training and curriculum development for 200+ student orientation leaders. Since graduation she has worked as a bilingual copywriter, and has volunteered as a translator at The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights. Her experience at Northwestern has inspired her to pursue a Master’s degree in Higher Education, where she plans to explore educational policy and access to improve the experience of underrepresented students.
David Meza, STEM Scholar
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2021
David Meza (McC ‘23), from Doral, Fla., has double majors in industrial engineering and economics. He hopes to use his education to work in the business arena. He has family living in Venezuela who lack sufficient medicine, food and other basics; he would like to help his many relatives there. Some of David’s many academic and athletic honors include the Hispanic Heritage Youth Award, National AP Scholar, and Top Scorer in the American Association of Physics Teachers’ Physics Bowl
Hajra Malik, STEM Scholar
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2021
Hajra Malik, McC ‘24, from Huntington Station, NY, is majoring in materials science and engineering. She lived in the ancient city of Lahore, Pakistan, and became interested in preservation of art and artifacts. Her goal is to gain knowledge in the techniques that study, modify and preserve materials that make up a city’s art and archeology. Hajra is a Harvard Mittal Institute’s Seeds for Change grant recipient. She is also a Murphy scholar and received honors from McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Irena Petryk, STEM Scholar
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2021
Irena Petryk, WCAS ‘24, is from Morton Grove, Ill., studying economics and international studies. She works as a volunteer at Expanding Lives, a nonprofit that promotes women’s education in West Africa. Irena hopes to create an economic solution that bridges educational and economic inequities for girls. She has been on Northwestern’s Dean’s List every quarter, was honored with a math/science award from the Society of Women Engineers, and achieved the DAR Good Citizen Award for her work at Expanding Lives. She is also a National Merit Scholar and an AP Scholar with Distinction.
Kelly Bates, STEM Scholar
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2021
Kelly Bates, WCAS ’22, from Orange, Calif., is majoring in neuroscience. Her goal is to attend medical school and become a pediatrician. She joined the Adolescent Development and Preventive Treatment Lab at Northwestern, which focuses on early signs of psychosis in children and teens. She has been on Northwestern Dean’s List every Quarter. In high school, Kelly was a Science Laureate, the highest achievement for students in all AP science courses.
Milina Miulli, STEM Scholar
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2021
Milina Miulli, WCAS ’24, from Park Ridge, Ill., is majoring in neuroscience and global health studies, with a minor in Italian. She has been on the Dean’s List every quarter at Northwestern and plays the flute in both the Marching Band and Concert Band. She is an undergraduate research assistant at Northwestern’s Rad Lab and secretary of the Catholic Student Association. In high school Milina won the Arion Award for Woodwinds, was a member of a select orchestra (the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory School), and received the Central Suburban League Scholar award for running both varsity cross country and track and field. Her future plans include attending medical school and becoming a pediatric neurologist.
Ingrid Cheung, STEM Scholar
STEM Scholarship Recipient, 2021
Ingrid Cheung, McC ’22, from Cleveland, Ohio, is a double major in biomedical engineering and Asian languages and culture. One of her goals is to conduct research in South Korea in the biomaterials area after receiving her PhD. Ingrid is a Questbridge National College Math Scholar and has participated in the Summer Excel Program for incoming first-year scholars in the field of engineering. She also studied the Korean language at the Ewha Womans University in Seoul with the Undergraduate Language Grant and a grant from the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship for study abroad.
Emily Harriott, Sr. Woman's Volunteer Service Awardee
Senior Woman's Award for Volunteer Service Recipient, 2019
Lucia Brunel, Sr. Woman's Volunteer Service Awardee
Senior Woman's Award for Volunteer Service Recipient, 2018
Heather Headley, Alumnae Award Recipient
Alumnae Award Recipient, 2020
The Alumnae Award recognizes a woman who has brought honor to Northwestern University through outstanding professional contributions in her field and who has attained national recognition. Established in 1976, the Alumnae Award has been presented every year to an alumna who has had a significant impact in her field of endeavor. Educators, journalists, doctors, scientists, and artists are included among The Alumnae’s roster of awardees.
Heather Headley, singer, songwriter, and actress, is the recipient of The Alumnae of Northwestern University’s 2020 Alumnae Award. She was honored with the 2000 Tony Award for Leading Actress in a Musical for her role in Aida. “As the 44th recipient of our Alumnae Award, Heather will join a distinguished group of women bringing honor to Northwestern University,” say Alumnae Award committee co-chairs Mary Schuette and Susie Stein.
Following high school participation in choir and musicals, the multi-faceted Headley attended Northwestern University, studying communications and musical theater until the last day of her junior year on 1996, when she made the decision to become part of the musical Ragtime and drop out of school. In 1997, she originated the role of Nala in the Broadway musical The Lion King. Following, she originated the title role of the Nubian princess in the Broadway adaptation of Aida, earning the Tony Award for Best Actress in 2000.She has performed in other musicals including Do Re Mi, Dreamgirls, and Promises, Promises. From November 2012 until August 2013, Headley played the role of Rachel Marron in the musical adaptation of Whitney Houston’s 1992 movie, The Bodyguard, at London’s Adelphi Theatre. She was nominated for an Olivier Award and a What’s On Stage Award for this performance.2In 2016, she assumed the role of Shug Avery from Jennifer Hudson in a revival of the Tony-Award winning The Color Purple and co-starred in the Spike Lee reboot of She’s Gotta Have It as Dr. Clara Jamison.Musically, she released her debut album, This Is Who I Am, in October 2002 with RCA Records. The work on this album earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and for Best New Artist, making her the first Tony Award winner to be nominated for this award. Two songs from this album emerged as Top 5 R&B and Dance chart hits. A song from her second album, In My Mind, served to promote Headley’s March of Dimes educational campaign “I Want My 9 months.”In 2010, she won her first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album for Audience of One on the EMI Gospel label. She has appeared with Andrea Bocelli on his Christmas tour and on America’s Got Talent television show.In 2017, Headley began appearing in recurring roles on the TV series She’s Gotta Have It and the following year, she began appearing as Gwen Garrett in a recurring role on the TV series Chicago Med. In 2019, Headley was cast as one of the three leads in the Netflix series Sweet Magnolias, which has been renewed for a second season.
She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and three children.Among her many awards, Headley received the coveted Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and was listed as one of People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People and Essence magazine’s 30 Women to Watch.Heather Headley will receive her award virtually on Monday, October 19, 2020, at 10 a.m. She will be introduced by noted opera singer Nancy Gustafson (The Alumnae’s 2007 Alumnae Award recipient), and Dominic Missimi (founder and former director of Northwestern’s Music Theater Program and former director of Waa-Mu, having staged 17 of the original student reviews).