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Since 1926, our school has been a close-knit community of students, faculty, and staff committed to improving lives for individuals and communities. See what makes us special.
SESP students, faculty, and alumni are catalysts of broad and meaningful change for individuals and systems alike. Meet some of our people making a difference in SESP and beyond, through both their work and service.
At SESP, we partner with the community, where our research findings can make the greatest difference. These mutually beneficial collaborations let us to test new ideas, develop better practices, and spread discoveries to benefit as many people as possible.
The Morton Schapiro Northwestern Academy for Chicago Public Schools increases access and successful matriculation of underrepresented, academically motivated Chicago Public Schools students. Thanks to the Academy, these talented students are put on a path to attend some of the country’s top-tier colleges and universities. To date, graduates have attended more than 115 different colleges and universities, including Northwestern, Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Black Kids Predict gets students interested in data science to revamp the pipeline of talent. The curriculum expands 6th-12th grade kids' idea of data and computer sciences from a geeky desk job they don’t want, to a superpower. Led by college-aged students from diverse backgrounds, the program emphasizes the practical uses of STEM education and learning to see data differently.
STEAMbassadors trains college-bound 18 to 24-year-olds from under resourced communities to work with youngsters whose neighborhoods lack learning opportunities and role models in the fields of computer science, engineering, and the arts. STEAMbassadors are assigned to a neighborhood organization that partners with Chicago Department of Family Support Services programs in parks, libraries, and schools to help build an out-of-school learning ecosystem across the city.
When David Rapp was in high school, he worked in one of his favorite places in the world: The public library. There, the teenager was put in charge of literary classics, magazines, science fiction, and humor sections, all genres he still adores.
Frequent, in-person tutoring sessions combined with the strategic use of technology can reduce costs and help overcome pandemic-related learning loss, according to new research co-authored by Northwestern University’s Jonathan Guryan.
Black women will be listening closely to speakers at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, says Northwestern University scholar Sally Nuamah, who has explored their role in American politics.
Softball Hall of Famer Tammy Williams wasn’t quite sure which direction to take her career after graduation. She kept playing her sport at elite levels, earned a master’s in business administration, and soon realized she had a knack for both numbers and helping people.
Graduate student Julia de Oliveira Callegari received a 2024- 2025 Northwestern Cognitive Science Advanced Research Fellowship to support her work looking at the interplay between identity, culture, and learning in children.