#talented people we love
NU alum works for American Cancer Society after eight years with Relay For Life
Landing a job with a major non-profit company right after college is no easy feat, but 2012 Northwestern alum Jenna Kastan has beaten the occupational odds, in large part thanks to her Northwestern experience with Relay for Life. Find out her secrets, after the jump. more 
U NU arts night founder recounts his motivations and creative interests
Joshua Brechner first expressed himself artistically when he was 3 years old and wrote a silent book titled El Camudo Rudo. It was a picture book with no words, about a guy in the desert walking around on his horse. In second grade, he created another storybook, Dinosaurs and Sports, which depicted an arrangement of dinosaurs playing basketball. more 
From Evanston to exhibition: Recent Northwestern graduate included in national art biennial
Next month, 51 world-renowned artists will meet at the Whitney Museum of American Art for the 67th Whitney Biennial in New York City. Among this rough survey of contemporary art in the United States is 28-year-old Cameron Crawford, one of the youngest artists to participate in the exhibition as well as a Northwestern graduate. more
NU has always managed to hold its own when it comes to high-brow culture. Theatre shows, dance performances, freshmen roommates debating the syncopation of a Bach concerto—just normal college stuff. But this year NU surprised us by proving itself as a bastion for the low-brow from fratty rappers to satirical Twitter accounts. A roundup of our cultural coverage from the past year after the jump. more
Former Miss Illinois recounts her time at Northwestern and on stage
Correction appended
Northwestern alum Jenny Powers understands what it’s like having it all. During her time at NU, she balanced schoolwork, a social life, and a thriving career in both campus and professional dramatic productions. Oh, we forgot to mention: not only was she crowned Miss Illinois, but she also won the talent portion of Miss America during her sophomore year.
Powers recently starred as Rizzo in the Broadway production Grease and just released her debut album, Gonna Make You Love Me, co-featuring her Broadway leading man and husband, Matt Cavanaugh. Lucky for us, she found some time to reminisce about her journey to stardom that began with a few lucky breaks at Northwestern. Read on for more. more
NU grad dishes on love of the stage, fear of Spice Girls
NU Alum Catherine Brookman is no stranger to the limelight. With several stints on Broadway—including the revival of Hair—under her belt, she is a veritable jack-of-all trades in the world of music and theater. Read on to see what she has to say about her days at NU, experience on the Great White Way, and what’s to come. more
After they moved to the “axis of hipster evil,” ’08 NU grads Andrea Bartz and Brenna Ehrlich took an anthropologic approach to analyzing their indifferent, anti-mainstream Brooklyn co-eds. The result? A blog-to-book fairytale, in which their website, Stuff Hipsters Hate, took off. more
NU alum Jason Kessler on writing for Sacha Baron Cohen and The Office
Self-proclaimed south campus guy Jason Kessler’s jokes have worked their way into into shows like America’s Best Dance Crew and The Office. Remember when Jim puts Andy’s phone in the ceiling? That trick’s based on a prank Jason pulled during the first season. The Mee-Ow alum majored in theater and performance studies. He talked to NU Intel about what he’s learned from the BK Lounge, his perfect NU moment, and the best way to cook bacon. more
Although their singles only hit public ears in September, Evans and his L.A. based-partner Dan Griffith have been building up a fan base and booking shows. And they ain’t cheap. “It’s recently become a substantial amount of money,” Evans says. “We have shows lined up pretty much every weekend now. We can’t do birthday parties for free.”
Two weeks ago, the duo was fresh off of a 300-person frat party at SMU in Dallas, held in a three-story venue typically used for weddings. Last weekend, White Panda headed to Dartmouth College for a midnight rendezvous at the Phi Upsilon house in front of 500-600 fratstars. Either way, fans are there to greet them after the shows. The interview, after the jump. more
Katy Perry’s “Hot and Cold” v. Fat Joe’s “Make It Rain.” Passion Pit’s “Little Secrets” v. T.I.’s “What You Know.” They might not sound like they’re meant for each other, but Weinberg senior Tom Evans has spent the past year mixing samples like these into danceable party music.
Evans is one of two DJs in The White Panda, a mashup duo that is quickly becoming an Internet favorite. Several of their tracks have risen to the tops of popular playlists on The Hype Machine and their debut mixtape, Versus, garnered thousands of downloads. “If you’re into mashups, the mothafuckin White Panda is the act to watch,” wrote Pigeon and Planes, a popular music blog. more
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