Medill alum Omar Jimenez takes CNN by storm

By SIMONE GARBER the daily northwestern @simonegarber

Content warning: This story contains mentions of death.

Whether on or off the court, Omar Jimenez (Medill ’15) is consistently on his game.

The nationally-renowned CNN correspondent didn’t get to where he is today without thinking on his feet, a skill he honed through balancing his roles as a Northwestern student and varsity basketball player. Even now, his work-life balance is a juggling act, but it wasn’t something he learned overnight.

“You’ve just got to be honest with what your schedule is going to be,” Jimenez said. “If you’re honest with your friends about what you can and can’t do, everybody’s happier in the end.”

For Jimenez, who grew up in Atlanta, becoming a Wildcat wasn’t initially in the cards during his college search. But he said his complementary passions for journalism and basketball ultimately pushed him to attend NU.

A CNN internship after his sophomore year inspired him to commit himself to journalism, he said.

While Jimenez credits the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications for providing him with a critical journalistic framework, he said real-world experience has been one of his most valuable tools for success. After his nationally-televised arrest in 2020 during a Minneapolis protest over the death of George Floyd, he put that experience to use.

“There was the attention of the world on me,” Jimenez said. “It brought so much more exposure to the story. I was trying to incorporate some of my personal experiences into my professional (experiences) without sullying the professional product.”

Off the screen, friends and colleagues emphasized Jimenez’s ability to connect with others and make an impression on those he meets, both personally and professionally.

Medill Prof. Patti Wolter called Jimenez naturally charismatic.

“(Jimenez) is a super genuine person,” said Wolter, who served as Jimenez’s academic adviser. “It’s part of who he is to seek out relationships with people that end up being meaningful for them and him. I truly think the world of him.”

Jimenez recently relocated from Chicago to the CNN offices in New York City, where he plans to continue reporting and anchoring whenever he can.

He returned to NU in January to moderate a panel for the News Literacy Project, bringing him face-to-face with current Medill students poised to enter a competitive job market.

Jimenez attributes his success in the industry and his work ethic to the advice of a colleague during his CNN internship, who said there will always be “one hundred thousand other people” working just as hard as him.

“Those words have really had an impact on how I chase stories and pursue opportunities,” he said. “I just assume that if I don’t go after it, somebody’s going to. So it might as well be me.”

In less formal settings, Jimenez can be found making music, shooting hoops and playing video games.

Longtime friend Nick Petro said he and Jimenez once stayed up all night playing Xbox at the end of their freshman year.

The two met over a decade ago in their freshman orientation group and have remained close ever since, Petro said. In fact, Jimenez will officiate his wedding in 2024.

“(Jimenez) is the type of person I want to surround myself with every day,” Petro said.

“I feel like he helps make me a better person.” sgarber@u.northwestern.edu

Pickleball

Cashless

wonderful game because of the community.”

The local pickleball crowd consists of players of all abilities and ages, some of whom play every day. The scene features father-son duos, married couples and some who simply wish to stay active and lose themselves in the spirit of the game.

From a woman who recently recovered from brain surgery to a Ukrainian expatriate, the players each carry their own unique story. They come together to see each other’s highs and lows, Chicago resident Uma Murthy said.

“It’s a great place to come and meet people and socialize,” Murthy said. “If you get a great shot, people are happy for you, and if you miss a shot, nobody (says), ‘You lost my game.’”

Though Olsavsky and Clear said Evanston pickleball has seen “exponential growth,” Evanston Haitian Community Festival President Gerald Daye said the sport should improve outreach to the local Black community.

Daye picked up pickleball after playing tennis and now coaches other players. He said he hopes to expand the game to Evanston’s Black community by bringing the game closer to it.

“There’s over a hundred players in our group at the YMCA, but only five or six Black players,” Daye said. “I’d love to bring the game to the 5th Ward and encourage everybody to play.”

Daye said he spoke with Parks & Recreation Director Audrey Thompson about lining pickleball courts at the Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center so 5th Ward residents can join the expanding pickleball community.

Olsavsky said he hopes people of all ages will pick up a paddle and join the community. He called pickleball “better than any dating app, since you really get to know your partner.”

“I’ve met hundreds of people, and these are great friends,” Olsavsky said. “This is more than a competition. It’s a social event, and I’ve never seen this before.”

From page 1 MGC

From page 1 jacobepstein2026@u.northwestern.edu to build up each individual member.

ODPhi member and Weinberg junior Marcelo Barillas said his fraternity not only offers him a space to meet students with similar backgrounds but it also bolsters his professional development through help from members and alumni with internship applications and interviews.

In recent years, the Abolish Greek Life movement at NU has pushed MGC chapters to reconsider their place on campus as Greek life organizations, according to De La Isla. However, he said AGL eventually shifted its focus away from MGC.

In response to the AGL movement, ODPhi and MGC have tried to return to their purpose of supporting those who feel out of place at a

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said he thinks the city should still move forward with the ban.

“I think it will ensure that as we move further into the future, we don’t have a problem that becomes compounding,” he said. “We (could) cut this off pretty early.”

From page 1 IZZO

Matthei said she has great empathy for people

From page 1 at Austin senior Alison Purcell in the High School Reunion Tournament quarterfinals.

Jack Izzo himself was in the Norris crowd — the San Diego native recorded the episode in January, and since then, has fended off friends and acquaintances who’ve begged him to spoil the results, he said.

“It’s been really funny going through this entire experience a second time because a lot of the things the people asked me the first time, they’ve been asking me the second time,” Jack Izzo said.

His appearance in the Teen Tournament concluded with $10,000 in the semifinals round. Since then, Izzo’s trivia practice has come through his efforts on Northwestern’s Quizbowl team and LearnedLeague, an online, invitation-only global quiz league.

He also occasionally shows up to dominate Tuesday Trivia at Bob’s Pizza.

At NU, Jack Izzo considers himself a multihyphenate: He’s double majoring in journalism and psychology with minors in data science and Italian. Outside the classroom, he solves Rubik’s Cubes, watches YouTube essays and is a DJ on two shows for WNUR, NU’s flagship student radio station.

“I’m like ‘I know that guy,’” Weinberg senior Gretchen Faliszek, who’s been friends with Jack Izzo since their freshman year, said. “I tell people my friend is on ‘Jeopardy!’ and they’re like ‘what?’” predominantly white institution, De La Isla said. ODPhi developed a social justice curriculum, covering topics such as racism and classism, which is an annual requirement for prospective and returning members alike.

MGC chapters — like other Greek life organizations on campus — still have required dues for their members, though some chapters aim to limit financial barriers for members.

At ODPhi, Barillas said he had to apply to the Student Activities Assistance Fund for financial assistance. He received a response to his application within two days.

“(The scholarship) really eliminates that barrier to entry, which makes it just the question of whether you have the time or not and whether you want to join the brotherhood,” Barillas said.

De La Isla said since many ODPhi members

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facing financial difficulties and houselessness in Evanston. Hewn gives leftover food to local food pantries every day and donates to nonprofits each year.

At the same time, she said the city should pursue initiatives that connect the unbanked population to financial institutions and leave small business owners to decide whether they accept cash.

Loellbach said the cashless ban may not have a significant practical impact, especially because people can already buy necessities from grocery stores like

Jack Izzo said he was surprised to be invited back to “Jeopardy!” to film the reunion. To his knowledge, reunion episodes are very rare, so he never expected the invite.

In preparation for the contest, Jack Izzo studied multiple topics but focused especially on religion, literature and classical music.

“I’ve studied trivia before, so I already have a lot of knowledge,” he said. “It was just bringing it back to the surface.”

During the first round of Tuesday’s episode, Jack Izzo led the trio, scoring points on questions about political science, music and etymology.

Jack Izzo’s favorite question from the episode appeared in the first round. The question, filed under the College Towns category, asked about a town located near New York’s Cayuga Lake. Gupta answered the question incorrectly with “Syracuse” before Jack Izzo followed up with the correct “Ithaca,” ultimately netting $1,000 for his answer.

“My family is from upstate New York, and I know I made them really happy by getting that,” Jack Izzo said.

He concluded the round with a total of $11,200, higher than Purcell and Gupta’s $4,800 and $1,000, respectively.

Jack Izzo’s mom, Christine Izzo, said she was proud of her son for his ability to present himself with class while performing well under pressure throughout the competition.

“He’s always enjoyed and always had a knack for absorbing the factoids and pieces of trivia both at NU and nationally are first-generation, low-income students, expensive dues are a barrier that contradicts the chapter’s mission of inclusivity.

But, MGC’s overall fundraising often centers on philanthropic causes instead of efforts to pay for chapter members’ dues.

Sigma Psi Zeta, which focuses on combating violence against women, recently fundraised with candygrams for Sarah’s Circle, an organization aiming to support houseless women.

Zeng said she joined the sorority in part because of its efforts to prevent violence against women and support survivors’ efforts to speak out about their experiences.

“The little things we do like donating to women-oriented organizations, that’s what we can do, and I feel like it adds up,” Zeng said. “We’re a very small part of it, but I feel like it contributes

Jewel-Osco with cash. But she agreed it can improve equity in Evanston because it removes a barrier for unbanked people to shop at any store of their choosing.

“That’s a tough decision I think that councilmembers are going to have to make,” Loellbach said. “What’s good for the businesses may be inequitable for lower-income people.” caseyhe2026@u.northwestern.edu about all kinds of different things — be it geography, music, sports, pop culture — from a very young age,” Christine Izzo said.

McCormick senior Beni Keown, also a “Jeopardy!” alum, supported Jack Izzo in the Norris crowd. He first met Jack Izzo while on a housing tour during Purple Preview, NU’s admitted students’ day. Though Keown hadn’t yet appeared on Jeopardy at the time, he joined NU QuizBowl with Jack Izzo soon after.

Since then, Jack Izzo and Keown have played with and against each other in trivia competitions around campus.

“It’s normally hard for me to watch this show because I get too stressed out, but you get to root for your friend,” Keown said. “It helps to be on the same team.”

During the Double Jeopardy! round of the episode, Jack Izzo’s lead narrowed, with Purcell netting points on pop culture and Gupta catching up with a Daily Double answer. Jack Izzo led with $19,200. Gupta followed with $16,800, and Purcell was third with $10,600.

However, a question on world leaders switched up the rankings.

By the final standings, Gupta ended with $21,300, Jack Izzo with $4,799 and Purcell with $1 — in addition to the $5,000 all contestants receive.

“Regardless of where he ended up at the very final round, he did himself proud,” Christine Izzo said. alexperry20@u.northwestern.edu to a larger cause, and that’s why it’s so important that we continue to spread our philanthropy.” kaavyabutaney2026@u.northwestern.edu

Every year, ODPhi invites the whole University to a Cesar Chavez Day, which hosts a speaker and sends students to multiple volunteering sites.

Zeng said one of her goals as president is to expand MGC’s physical presence on campus, beyond its office on the Norris University Center ground floor. She also hopes to hold more fun events and connect the MGC fraternities and sororities more.

However, despite the changes MGC hopes to implement, its founding mission remains the same.

“The most important thing is just giving a voice to everyone and advocating for the organizations on this campus,” Zeng said.

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