2023 Alumni Awards At a dinner and ceremony during Homecoming Weekend, North Central honored seven remarkable alumni for their achievements and impact in their careers and communities. All are examples of Cardinals who embody the College’s mission by being curious, engaged, ethical, and purposeful citizens and leaders in local, national and global contexts.
In receiving their awards, each recipient reflected on how being a Cardinal shaped their lives — from what they learned in the classroom to the relationships they forged and the memories they made. Here are some of the heartfelt words shared that evening by the honorees.
2023 OUTSTANDING ALUMNI AWARDS PABLO ARAYA ’83
NeANGELA MARSHALL ’04 DIXON
U.S. Navy Veteran and Retired FBI Special Agent President of Squad 8-B Solutions, Inc.
Program Officer, Criminal Justice Team John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Board Commissioner, Rockford (Illinois) Housing Authority
I’ve got to give North Central credit for … shaping me into who I became after graduation. I found that in the Navy, I was able to comfortably communicate up and down the chain of command with disparate officers and enlisted sailors. In the FBI, I was able to empathize with criminals and gain their trust while conducting interviews and cultivating sources. During my assignments in India, London, Mexico and Santiago, I was able to engage with ambassadors and foreign ministers as comfortably as I did with criminals and spies. Why is that? Because of the various viewpoints and ideas (that) a liberal arts education affords an individual.”
I found North Central by accident. I met a recruiter in my hometown, and halfway through the tour, I realized that the place I thought I was visiting? This wasn’t that. I got here and it completely changed my life. I thought I was just supposed to come here and be the best student I could be, get a job, and that would be that. I didn’t know that people would pour into me emotionally and spiritually and form relationships that would last forever, and that it would really shape what I would do and how I would feel about what I do when I left college. It’s ironic that the place that I found by accident is the place where I found my purpose.”
Above, left to right: NeAngela Marshall ’04 Dixon, Nadia Ruth Kanhai ’89, Peter Sipla ’07, James Lenz ’53, Dr. Maureen Ryan ’83, and Pablo Araya ’83; not pictured: Jayne Baron Sherman S ’68.
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