Northwestern University Athletics
What's Next For The Class of 2017
6/21/2017 1:27:00 PM | Softball
With Northwestern's commencement recently completed, graduated Wildcat student-athletes shared their plans for the future. While locations are as varied as Chicago and Norway and industries as distinct as public affairs and finance, one thing remains clear — NU student-athletes are immensely prepared for life after athletics.
BASEBALL
"I'm moving to Washington, D.C., to work in renewable energy consulting, and plan to eventually pursue a joint MBA-MS Environmental Policy graduate program." - Cooper Wetherbee
"I am excited to start a new chapter as an analyst at a real estate development firm and to pursue a Master's degree in Real Estate starting in September." - Grant Peikert
"After graduation, I am moving back to Minneapolis where I will be working for Aldi as a District Manager." - Matt Hopfner
"I am so lucky to have been able to spend my college years here at Northwestern. After graduation, I will be moving to Portland, Oregon, where I will be working for a real estate private equity firm." - Joe Schindler
"This summer, I will begin studying in the MSMS graduate program through the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern." - Joe Hoscheit
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
"I will be joining Goldman Sachs as an Investment Banking Analyst for the Real Estate Financing Group." - Ashley Deary
"I'll be completing EMT training this summer and hopefully working as an EMT in Chicago by the fall." - Allie Tuttle
MEN'S BASKETBALL
"I will be pursuing playing professional basketball overseas where I will try to make a new name for myself in a different place. After that, who knows what will be the next step in pursuing a new career and using my Northwestern School of Communications degree to look for something new." - Nathan Taphorn
CROSS COUNTRY
"Following graduation, I plan to move to San Francisco, California, and begin working as a Business Associate for Visa. I am so grateful for my time at Northwestern and extremely excited for what's to come." - Jena Pianin
"I could not have asked for a better college experience. I am going to miss the Northwestern Family dearly; however, I am excited to move to San Francisco, California to work as an Investment Analyst for Makena Capital Management." - Elena Miller
"After graduation I'll be working as a Public Relations Specialist for Apple in a rotational program in California." – Ellen Schmitz
WOMEN'S FENCING
"I will be joining LinkedIn's prestigious and highly selective Business Strategy & Analytics Leadership Rotational Program. I am looking forward to moving to San Francisco in July and will be cheering for the 'Cats from the West Coast." - Julia Abelsky
"I will be moving to Washington, D.C., to work in public affairs for MacAndrews and Forbes, a New York-based holding company." - Cindy Oh
"I will be taking a year off before I go to dental school. In my year off I plan on obtaining a job in the medical field and potentially applying to a one year masters program." - Kayla Kelch
"I'm excited to move to New York City where I will be working at Macy's in the planning/buying department." - Stella Pointeau
"I am excited to be moving to San Francisco to work at Facebook as a software engineer!" - Helen Foster
"After graduation I will be moving to New York City and will be working at inVentiv. At inVentiv, I will be working with their digital and social strategy team." - Mandeep Bhinder
"Following graduation, I will be moving to New York City to work at Starpower LLC, an entertainment marketing agency. While I am sad to be leaving the Northwestern community, I am beyond excited to see what the future holds! Go 'Cats!" - Kimmy Fishman
"I am excited to be moving to San Francisco, California, to begin work as an investment analyst at a private wealth management firm." - Alex Kain
"I'll be staying in Chicago working for Yelp! as an Account Executive starting in September." - Alisha Gomez-Shah
FIELD HOCKEY
"I will continue my education by studying Human Geography and Urban Planning at Amsterdam University and hope to eventually graduate with a Master's degree in Human Geography or International Development Studies." - Isabel Flens
"I will be pursuing a two-year Graduate degree in Student Personnel Administration at Saint Louis University. I will also be a graduate assistant coach to their field hockey team." - Dominique Masters
"After graduation I will be pursuing a career in the outdoors or travel industry and hopefully do some freelance art and design work." - Lindsay von der Luft
FOOTBALL
"Now that my time at NU has come to a close, I will be working at Alliance Bernstein as a Private Wealth Management Associate in downtown Chicago. I was afforded the opportunity to intern with them through NU for Life, and was able to turn that internship into a full-time position." - Josh Roberts
"I am very fortunate to be able to live my dream out in playing in the National Football League. Go 'Cats!" - Anthony Walker, Jr.
"I will be returning for a fifth year of football with the Cats' and I will also be attending the MSMS program through Kellogg. I am very excited to be coming back to NU for another year!" - Graham Bullmore
"I will be using my fifth year of eligibility to receive a Master's in Sports Administration in the School of Professional Studies." - Keith Watkins II
"I am working in Chicago in engineering sales for a company called Keyence Corporation." - Tommy Odell
"I will be working as a management consultant for Kenway Consulting in Chicago." - Quinn Baker
"I will be back for my fifth year of eligibility and will be attending graduate school at the School of Communications' MSLCE program." - Warren Long
WOMEN'S GOLF
"After graduation, I will pursue a career as a professional golfer. I look forward to traveling abroad during my professional pursuits because I will get to experience different cultures while continuing to play the sport I love." - Kacie Komoto
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
"After graduation, I plan to return next year for a fifth year. I am applying to the Predictive Analytics Masters program." - Sheila Nesselbush
WOMEN'S SOCCER
"I will be serving as a Catholic missionary with FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and I am so excited to see what God has in store!" - Maria Grygleski
"After graduation, I will be working as a Production Assistant for Triple Threat TV, a production company based out of Connecticut that specializes in documentary filmmaking." - Jenna Hascher
MEN'S SOCCER
"After Northwestern, I'll be staying in the city I love, Chicago. I'll be working in investment banking with a firm that was founded in 1935... in Chicago!" - Brandon Medina
"I will be staying at Northwestern but moving downtown to study in the MSMS program at the Kellogg School of Management." - Drew Rosenberg
"Following graduation, I will be attending the University of New Hampshire to pursue a Master's in Public Policy. " – Willis Griffith
"I'm taking part in a management program at a software (SaaS) company called Meltwater. I plan to use the teamwork and leadership skills I've garnered from my experiences at Northwestern to help propel me into leadership roles in the corporate world." - Nathan Dearth
"After graduation I'm excited to pursue a career in finance where I will be working for Bernstein Private Wealth Management. I am also excited to be staying in Chicago and enjoying all that it has to offer, as well as staying connected with Northwestern athletics." - Mike Roberge
"My plan after graduation is to take a gap year and then go to medical school." - Getenet Tuji
"Next year I will be working for Martin Investments in Evanston. I am excited to be starting a new career while still being close to the Northwestern community." - Jeffrey Hopson
SOFTBALL
"After graduating, I will be working full time as an analytics consultant for FTI Consulting's heath care division." - Krista Williams
"I will be pursuing a Master's in Integrated Marketing Communications from the Medill School of Journalism, as well as competing with the Northwestern softball team during my fifth year of eligibility!" - Nicole Bond
"I will be joining Northrop Grumman this fall, helping to design and build air defense electronics that protect our nation's Air Force pilots." - Anna Petersen
MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING
"I'll be working at KraftHeinz in Chicago as a Corporate Trainee." - Joao Steiner
"My amazing experience as a Northwestern University varsity student-athlete has prepared me to dedicate myself to the study of law at DePaul University's College of Law. In the few short months prior, I plan to scuba dive, ride my motorcycle, and spend time with my 11-month old Siberian Husky puppy named Onyx until she kicks me out of 'her' apartment for not paying rent or cleaning the dishes in a timely manner." - Andy Jovanovic
"Next year I will be working at Indiana University Medical School as a Clinical Research Assistant. During this time, I will be applying to post-baccalaureate programs for medical school." - Andrew Cramer
"I'm excited to serve in the military after graduation. I'll be heading to Air Force Officer Training School, and then to pilot training after that." - Stephen Shull
"I am currently looking for a controls system engineering or technical consulting position in Minneapolis or Chicago." - Jonathan Lieberman
"Next year I will be continuing to swim, with the hopes of competing in the Tokyo 2020 at my second Olympics." - Jordan Wilimovsky
WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING
"I've absolutely loved my time at Northwestern and all the people I've gotten a chance to know and love, but I'm very excited to start my next chapter as part of the Marketing Team at Peet's Coffee in California." - Jackie Doyle
"I will be pursuing a Master's degree in public health with a concentration in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh ... though I will always remember a certain football game in December 2016!" - Melissa Postoll
"Next year, I will be teaching English in Madrid, Spain, and applying to medical school." - Megan Purdy
"My plan is to pursue the Human Values and Human Rights MSc program in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham in England. After this year-long program, I plan to go to medical school in the US and become a physician." - Lauren Abruzzo
"I will be returning to my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, to continue my education in naturopathic medicine." - Katie Branch
"I am excited to move to San Francisco where I will be working as a consultant at Aon." - Georgie Pettibone
"After graduation I plan on attending medical school in Oslo, Norway." - Annika Winsnes
"I'm so happy I had the opportunity to be a Wildcat and have loved being a part of such a wonderful NU athletic community. I am excited for my next adventure in Dallas as a member of the Neiman Marcus Executive Development Program to become a part of their merchant team." - Ellen Stello
"I plan to stay in Chicago, the city that I love and be the best and proudest NU alumnae ever!" - Lacey Locke
WOMEN'S TENNIS
"I am excited to be graduating and even more excited to be coming back for my fifth year of eligibility. I will be competing on the women's tennis team and studying in the MSMS Program at Kellogg." - Maddie Lipp
"I am beyond excited to be working as an Equities Analyst in the Securities division at Goldman Sachs following graduation. I am looking forward to being based in the Chicago office, so it will only be a short trip back to Evanston to support my Northwestern Wildcats. I am eternally grateful for all the opportunities that I have had through my time as an athlete here, and I am very thankful to all the faculty who have made my experience so incredibly special." - Brooke Rischbieth
"I plan to continue my education for the next year at Northwestern and receive my Masters in Sports Administration in the School of Professional Studies." – Manon Peri
VOLLEYBALL
"Next year, I'll be attending Yale Law School to pursue a J.D." - Kayla Morin
"I am so excited to be graduating Northwestern and to be staying in Chicago next year! I will be working as an analyst at SMI Alcott, a small market research firm." - Rafae Strobos
WRESTLING
"I am extremely excited to be staying for a fifth year. I will be using my last year of eligibility to compete while pursuing a post-baccalaureate degree." - Mitch Sliga
Playing at Northwestern sets you up for life. See what #B1GCats are doing next. #NU2017
— #B1GCats (@NU_Sports) June 20, 2017
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BASEBALL
"I'm moving to Washington, D.C., to work in renewable energy consulting, and plan to eventually pursue a joint MBA-MS Environmental Policy graduate program." - Cooper Wetherbee
"I am excited to start a new chapter as an analyst at a real estate development firm and to pursue a Master's degree in Real Estate starting in September." - Grant Peikert
"After graduation, I am moving back to Minneapolis where I will be working for Aldi as a District Manager." - Matt Hopfner
"I am so lucky to have been able to spend my college years here at Northwestern. After graduation, I will be moving to Portland, Oregon, where I will be working for a real estate private equity firm." - Joe Schindler
"This summer, I will begin studying in the MSMS graduate program through the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern." - Joe Hoscheit
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
"I will be joining Goldman Sachs as an Investment Banking Analyst for the Real Estate Financing Group." - Ashley Deary
"I'll be completing EMT training this summer and hopefully working as an EMT in Chicago by the fall." - Allie Tuttle
MEN'S BASKETBALL
"I will be pursuing playing professional basketball overseas where I will try to make a new name for myself in a different place. After that, who knows what will be the next step in pursuing a new career and using my Northwestern School of Communications degree to look for something new." - Nathan Taphorn
CROSS COUNTRY
"Following graduation, I plan to move to San Francisco, California, and begin working as a Business Associate for Visa. I am so grateful for my time at Northwestern and extremely excited for what's to come." - Jena Pianin
"I could not have asked for a better college experience. I am going to miss the Northwestern Family dearly; however, I am excited to move to San Francisco, California to work as an Investment Analyst for Makena Capital Management." - Elena Miller
"After graduation I'll be working as a Public Relations Specialist for Apple in a rotational program in California." – Ellen Schmitz
WOMEN'S FENCING
"I will be joining LinkedIn's prestigious and highly selective Business Strategy & Analytics Leadership Rotational Program. I am looking forward to moving to San Francisco in July and will be cheering for the 'Cats from the West Coast." - Julia Abelsky
"I will be moving to Washington, D.C., to work in public affairs for MacAndrews and Forbes, a New York-based holding company." - Cindy Oh
"I will be taking a year off before I go to dental school. In my year off I plan on obtaining a job in the medical field and potentially applying to a one year masters program." - Kayla Kelch
"I'm excited to move to New York City where I will be working at Macy's in the planning/buying department." - Stella Pointeau
"I am excited to be moving to San Francisco to work at Facebook as a software engineer!" - Helen Foster
"After graduation I will be moving to New York City and will be working at inVentiv. At inVentiv, I will be working with their digital and social strategy team." - Mandeep Bhinder
"Following graduation, I will be moving to New York City to work at Starpower LLC, an entertainment marketing agency. While I am sad to be leaving the Northwestern community, I am beyond excited to see what the future holds! Go 'Cats!" - Kimmy Fishman
"I am excited to be moving to San Francisco, California, to begin work as an investment analyst at a private wealth management firm." - Alex Kain
"I'll be staying in Chicago working for Yelp! as an Account Executive starting in September." - Alisha Gomez-Shah
FIELD HOCKEY
"I will continue my education by studying Human Geography and Urban Planning at Amsterdam University and hope to eventually graduate with a Master's degree in Human Geography or International Development Studies." - Isabel Flens
"I will be pursuing a two-year Graduate degree in Student Personnel Administration at Saint Louis University. I will also be a graduate assistant coach to their field hockey team." - Dominique Masters
"After graduation I will be pursuing a career in the outdoors or travel industry and hopefully do some freelance art and design work." - Lindsay von der Luft
FOOTBALL
"Now that my time at NU has come to a close, I will be working at Alliance Bernstein as a Private Wealth Management Associate in downtown Chicago. I was afforded the opportunity to intern with them through NU for Life, and was able to turn that internship into a full-time position." - Josh Roberts
"I am very fortunate to be able to live my dream out in playing in the National Football League. Go 'Cats!" - Anthony Walker, Jr.
"I will be returning for a fifth year of football with the Cats' and I will also be attending the MSMS program through Kellogg. I am very excited to be coming back to NU for another year!" - Graham Bullmore
"I will be using my fifth year of eligibility to receive a Master's in Sports Administration in the School of Professional Studies." - Keith Watkins II
"I am working in Chicago in engineering sales for a company called Keyence Corporation." - Tommy Odell
"I will be working as a management consultant for Kenway Consulting in Chicago." - Quinn Baker
"I will be back for my fifth year of eligibility and will be attending graduate school at the School of Communications' MSLCE program." - Warren Long
WOMEN'S GOLF
"After graduation, I will pursue a career as a professional golfer. I look forward to traveling abroad during my professional pursuits because I will get to experience different cultures while continuing to play the sport I love." - Kacie Komoto
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
"After graduation, I plan to return next year for a fifth year. I am applying to the Predictive Analytics Masters program." - Sheila Nesselbush
WOMEN'S SOCCER
"I will be serving as a Catholic missionary with FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and I am so excited to see what God has in store!" - Maria Grygleski
"After graduation, I will be working as a Production Assistant for Triple Threat TV, a production company based out of Connecticut that specializes in documentary filmmaking." - Jenna Hascher
MEN'S SOCCER
"After Northwestern, I'll be staying in the city I love, Chicago. I'll be working in investment banking with a firm that was founded in 1935... in Chicago!" - Brandon Medina
"I will be staying at Northwestern but moving downtown to study in the MSMS program at the Kellogg School of Management." - Drew Rosenberg
"Following graduation, I will be attending the University of New Hampshire to pursue a Master's in Public Policy. " – Willis Griffith
"I'm taking part in a management program at a software (SaaS) company called Meltwater. I plan to use the teamwork and leadership skills I've garnered from my experiences at Northwestern to help propel me into leadership roles in the corporate world." - Nathan Dearth
"After graduation I'm excited to pursue a career in finance where I will be working for Bernstein Private Wealth Management. I am also excited to be staying in Chicago and enjoying all that it has to offer, as well as staying connected with Northwestern athletics." - Mike Roberge
"My plan after graduation is to take a gap year and then go to medical school." - Getenet Tuji
"Next year I will be working for Martin Investments in Evanston. I am excited to be starting a new career while still being close to the Northwestern community." - Jeffrey Hopson
SOFTBALL
"After graduating, I will be working full time as an analytics consultant for FTI Consulting's heath care division." - Krista Williams
"I will be pursuing a Master's in Integrated Marketing Communications from the Medill School of Journalism, as well as competing with the Northwestern softball team during my fifth year of eligibility!" - Nicole Bond
"I will be joining Northrop Grumman this fall, helping to design and build air defense electronics that protect our nation's Air Force pilots." - Anna Petersen
MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING
"I'll be working at KraftHeinz in Chicago as a Corporate Trainee." - Joao Steiner
"My amazing experience as a Northwestern University varsity student-athlete has prepared me to dedicate myself to the study of law at DePaul University's College of Law. In the few short months prior, I plan to scuba dive, ride my motorcycle, and spend time with my 11-month old Siberian Husky puppy named Onyx until she kicks me out of 'her' apartment for not paying rent or cleaning the dishes in a timely manner." - Andy Jovanovic
"Next year I will be working at Indiana University Medical School as a Clinical Research Assistant. During this time, I will be applying to post-baccalaureate programs for medical school." - Andrew Cramer
"I'm excited to serve in the military after graduation. I'll be heading to Air Force Officer Training School, and then to pilot training after that." - Stephen Shull
"I am currently looking for a controls system engineering or technical consulting position in Minneapolis or Chicago." - Jonathan Lieberman
"Next year I will be continuing to swim, with the hopes of competing in the Tokyo 2020 at my second Olympics." - Jordan Wilimovsky
WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING
"I've absolutely loved my time at Northwestern and all the people I've gotten a chance to know and love, but I'm very excited to start my next chapter as part of the Marketing Team at Peet's Coffee in California." - Jackie Doyle
"I will be pursuing a Master's degree in public health with a concentration in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh ... though I will always remember a certain football game in December 2016!" - Melissa Postoll
"Next year, I will be teaching English in Madrid, Spain, and applying to medical school." - Megan Purdy
"My plan is to pursue the Human Values and Human Rights MSc program in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham in England. After this year-long program, I plan to go to medical school in the US and become a physician." - Lauren Abruzzo
"I will be returning to my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, to continue my education in naturopathic medicine." - Katie Branch
"I am excited to move to San Francisco where I will be working as a consultant at Aon." - Georgie Pettibone
"After graduation I plan on attending medical school in Oslo, Norway." - Annika Winsnes
"I'm so happy I had the opportunity to be a Wildcat and have loved being a part of such a wonderful NU athletic community. I am excited for my next adventure in Dallas as a member of the Neiman Marcus Executive Development Program to become a part of their merchant team." - Ellen Stello
"I plan to stay in Chicago, the city that I love and be the best and proudest NU alumnae ever!" - Lacey Locke
WOMEN'S TENNIS
"I am excited to be graduating and even more excited to be coming back for my fifth year of eligibility. I will be competing on the women's tennis team and studying in the MSMS Program at Kellogg." - Maddie Lipp
"I am beyond excited to be working as an Equities Analyst in the Securities division at Goldman Sachs following graduation. I am looking forward to being based in the Chicago office, so it will only be a short trip back to Evanston to support my Northwestern Wildcats. I am eternally grateful for all the opportunities that I have had through my time as an athlete here, and I am very thankful to all the faculty who have made my experience so incredibly special." - Brooke Rischbieth
"I plan to continue my education for the next year at Northwestern and receive my Masters in Sports Administration in the School of Professional Studies." – Manon Peri
VOLLEYBALL
"Next year, I'll be attending Yale Law School to pursue a J.D." - Kayla Morin
"I am so excited to be graduating Northwestern and to be staying in Chicago next year! I will be working as an analyst at SMI Alcott, a small market research firm." - Rafae Strobos
WRESTLING
"I am extremely excited to be staying for a fifth year. I will be using my last year of eligibility to compete while pursuing a post-baccalaureate degree." - Mitch Sliga
••••••
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