ALUMNI EVENTS AT NLU 2024 REACH ALUMNI AWARDS
Milestone Reunion Attendees from the Class of 1974. Front row, left to right: Sharon Burstein, Miraflor Metropoulos, Lisa Loane, Nancy Ginsburg. Back row, left to right: Cindy Jackson, Jane Lee Ritchie, Brenda LaMothe, Shirley Pitts
O n October 18, 2024, NLU faculty, staff, and alumni gathered at the Chicago campus to celebrate the 2024 REACH Alumni Award recipients. These honorees embody NLU’s tradition of excellence and have made meaningful contributions in their careers, volunteer work, and communities.
From left to right: Dr. Shenika Jackson, Alumni Service Award; Dr. Barbara Schneider, Distinguished Alumni Award; Marshall Galbreath, Recent Alumni Professional Achievement Award.
2024 MILESTONE CLASS REUNION LUNCHEON
Dr. Shenika Jackson ‘05 MA, ‘10 MS, ‘11 Cert, ‘12 Cert, ‘18 PhD received the 2024 Alumni Service Award for her outstanding philanthropic and volunteer engagement with NLU. A dedicated alumna in education and community advocacy, she has mentored students, supported research, and applied her nonprofit expertise to create pathways for underserved communities. A Chicago native, Dr. Jackson earned her PhD in Community Psychology from NLU, focusing on the educational challenges of African American males. Through her nonprofit, MY Foundation: Street Smarts to Great Starts Corp., she has secured funding and led initiatives preparing minority high school students for college and careers. Dr. Barbara Schneider ‘67, ‘76 MS, a pioneering scholar in education and sociology, received the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award for her remarkable achievements, leadership, and dedication to social justice. She currently serves as John A. Hannah University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, and previously held positions at the University of Chicago and Northwestern. Her research on student learning, educational policy, and inequality has shaped national and international discourse. She has mentored many graduate students and postdocs, and is a member of NLU’s National College of Education Brain Trust, the National Academy of Education, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Marshall L. Galbreath ‘21 received the 2024 Recent Alumni Professional Achievement Award for his contributions to the culinary field and commitment to community service. As Food Service Director and Executive Chef at A Safe Haven Foundation, Marshall leads a team that prepares and serves 1,200 meals daily for veterans, families, and individuals facing food insecurity. He also teaches culinary arts, certifying students with City of Chicago and ServSafe Manager credentials to empower their careers. Beyond the kitchen, he oversees off-site programs delivering nutrition education in food deserts and manages A Safe Haven’s community food pantry for low-income families. His leadership has secured key partnerships, reducing operational costs by $500,000 annually.
SAVE THE DATE! The next REACH Alumni Awards Ceremony will take place on Friday, October 17 , followed by the Milestone Class Reunion on Saturday, October 18, 2025 . This special reunion will honor alumni celebrating their 1st, 10th, 25th, and 50th anniversaries — classes of ’24, ’15, ’00, and ’75, respectively. On October 19, 2024, NLU relaunched the tradition of the annual Milestone Class Reunion Luncheon to celebrate the classes of ‘74, ‘84, ‘94, ‘04, and ‘14. Alumni reconnected with each other over a wonderful meal prepared by faculty and students of Kendall College at NLU, reminisced about their cherished memories at NLU, explored a curated archive of NLU artifacts and yearbooks, and learned about the exciting new programs introduced since their graduation. Notably, eight members of the Class of ‘74 celebrated their 50th anniversary as NLU alumnae.
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