洛里·林德斯特伦·莱弗，78届毕业生
杰出校友奖
Lori Lindstrom Leifer’s first encounter with North Park was at a Covenant camp. “I saw the counselors’ vibrant faith and decided then to emulate what I saw in them, 所以我把目光投向了北公园,”她说。. Luckily, generous scholarships made it possible for her to attend and earn her degree in biology.
Lindstrom Leifer went on to earn her Doctor of Medicine from the University of Kansas Medical Center and is now an associate clinical professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and a radiation oncologist at the University of Kansas Cancer Center.
In 2013, however, Lindstrom Leifer became a cancer patient herself.
Following her journey through testing and surgeries into survivorship, 她和她的丈夫, 约翰leifei一起, authored a “survival guide for patients and their families,” After You Hear It’s Cancer: A Guide to Navigating the Difficult Journey Ahead.
多年来, Lindstrom Leifer has been an active member of the North Park community, from contributing to the creation of the Johnson Center to supporting the research of science students to attending choir trips overseas. She also served on the Board of Trustees from 2008–11 and was a member of the campaign committee.
南希·瓦伦丁，13届文学学士
杰出青年校友奖
土生土长的芝加哥人, Nancy Valentin has spent her entire career working to create a more equitable city.
Valentin currently serves as director of health equity at Northwest Center, a nonprofit founded in 2003 to address the housing crisis in Belmont Cragin. 此后，该组织的使命扩大了, encompassing 项目 that increase financial literacy, 促进社区活动, and improve the quality of life in 芝加哥’s northwest neighborhoods.
Valentin has led notable initiatives at Northwest Center, 包括芝加哥妇女前进组织, a financial education program for Latina mothers that has produced more than 194 graduates. In 2022, Northwest Center received the City of 芝加哥 Mayor’s Medal of Honor for its work as a member of the Racial Equity Rapid Response team.
“I found people here who believe in me the same way people at North Park did.——南希·瓦伦丁
今天, Valentin is a co-leader in the City of 芝加哥’s Healthy 芝加哥 Equity Zones initiative, which seeks to close the city’s racial life expectancy gap via regional agency networks. More than 50 organizations on the northwest side comprise the network Valentin oversees. 关于这次机会, 她说, “I found people here who believe in me the same way people at North Park did.”
Always searching for ways to increase her and Northwest Center’s impact, Valentin became a fellow with the Aspen Tech Policy Hub last summer in its inaugural nonprofit cohort. The subsequent policy training Valentin received will allow her to create an even more significant policy influence in 芝加哥.
大卫(73届文学士)和珍妮丝 (BS ’73) 德怀特
杰出校友奖
大卫和珍妮丝德怀特来自, 这是北帕克人的口头语, “亚游集团官方网站遗产家族.” David earned his degree in psychology, and Janice earned her degree in nursing. 他们的儿子, Jonathan 德怀特 BA ’10; daughter, Jennifer 德怀特; David’s father and mother; and Janice’s father, 哥哥, 和妹妹都上过北园.
The 德怀特s’ history with the university doesn’t end there—David served as a member of the Axelson Center Advisory Board and North Park’s Corporate/Foundation Advisory Board. 他是董事会的现任成员, having begun his term in 2019 and now holding the advancement committee chair.
David retired as president of Covenant Ministries of Benevolence in 2017 after 37 years of service. Janice is a registered nurse and worked at Holy Family Medical Center. Together, they have been giving to North Park for 45 years, 28 consecutively. 在给德怀特夫妇颁奖时, 萨里奇校长说, “These faithful alumni say the greatest gift North Park could have given them was each other.”