Currie Wins Inaugural Elaine & Irving Kabiller Dedication Award
5/3/2023 1:24:00 PM | David G. Kabiller NU for Life Program
Melissa Currie, mother of cross country's Whitney, earns first honor for Wildcats parents, guardians or caregivers
EVANSTON, Illinois – Melissa Currie, mother of Wildcats cross country student-athlete Whitney Currie, has been named the inaugural winner of the Elaine and Irving Kabiller Dedication Award, Northwestern Athletics and Recreation announced Monday.
Thanks to the incredible vision and generosity of University Trustee David G. Kabiller '85, '87 MBA, Northwestern announced during the fall of 2022 that it will annually recognize the people most central to building the foundation of student-athlete success. In honor of Kabiller's parents, the Elaine and Irving Kabiller Dedication Endowment will acknowledge one Wildcats parent, guardian or caregiver who embodies the core values of David's mother and father.
"I am honored and humbled to receive the inaugural Elaine and Irving Kabillar Dedication Award," Melissa Currie said. "I am blessed beyond measure to be Whitney's mom and am so proud of her and all she embodies. Go 'Cats!"
In her nomination, Whitney Currie wrote of her mother: "She supports more than me, more than my family, but every single person in her life. I hold myself to her expectation of who I am because I know if I jump and miss, she will be at the ground to catch me, pick me up, and push me to make take off again to try and reach it the next time. She raised me to fight for what I want, stand up for the person I am, and be the competitor she knows I have the potential to be."
Each year Northwestern will open the nomination process to all of its more-than-500 student-athletes to submit recommendations of a parent or caregiver who embodies the following characteristics of Elaine and Irving Kabiller: strength, courage and grace; loyalty and devotion; intelligence and judgment; humor and authenticity; kindness, compassion and tenacity. Nominations are reviewed by an award committee, and the honoree will be honored at the department's annual NESPYs ceremony, the 2023 edition of which will take place tonight at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Proceeds from the endowment will be awarded to the honoree's student's sport, to be used at the head coach's discretion.
"I wanted to create this award in memory of my parents and to honor their endless love and guidance. I hope this award can serve as a reminder to our student-athletes to appreciate the love and sacrifices our parents and caregivers have made to help us get to where we are today," said Kabiller.
"David Kabiller's visionary commitment to Northwestern student-athletes is extraordinary," said Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Dr. Derrick Gragg. "You need a great team around you to achieve success in any endeavor, and the parents, guardians and caregivers of our Wildcats have set them up to thrive in college and long after graduation. This new award shines a deserved spotlight on people who have made a remarkable impact."
The Elaine and Irving Kabiller Dedication Endowment is just the latest example of David Kabiller's remarkable support of Northwestern and its students. In recognition of a multimillion-dollar commitment, the University named the David G. Kabiller NU for Life Program in his honor in 2019.
A key differentiator for Northwestern Athletics and Recreation, the Kabiller NU for Life Program empowers Wildcats to think about how their unique experiences as student-athletes at a premier research university translate into their lives after graduation. This is accomplished through a comprehensive, four-year curriculum that helps students develop professional skills, explore different career fields and trajectories, access job and internship opportunities, and build their networks. Through personalized career coaching, alumni mentoring, employer outreach and training in job-search skills, program participants gain the tools and confidence to succeed post-graduation — whether in their sport, an advanced degree program or the workforce.
Since launching ten years ago, the Kabiller NU for Life Program has become an integral component of the student-athlete experience at Northwestern. More than 1,500 student-athlete alumni across every sport and undergraduate major have participated in the program, and over 1,000 of whom have benefited from the program throughout their entire undergraduate careers. Alumni engagement in the program also has grown exponentially, with more graduates serving as mentors, shadowing hosts and employers.
An alumnus of both Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and Kellogg School of Management, Kabiller was himself a student-athlete. As an undergraduate, he received an athletic scholarship to play tennis at Northwestern and was named to the Big Ten Conference Academic All-Conference team. He conceived of and ultimately endowed the Kabiller NU for Life Program to help educate students about their professional options and to inspire them through alumni mentoring.
In addition to his service on the University's Board of Trustees, Kabiller was co-chair of the New York Regional Campaign Committee for We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern, chair of the Nanotechnology Executive Council and a life member of the Kellogg Global Advisory Board. A generous and longtime benefactor to Northwestern, Kabiller is a platinum-level member of NU Loyal, Northwestern's giving society recognizing consistent annual giving to the University, with 25 consecutive years of giving.
Kabiller is also a passionate advocate for nanotechnology research at Northwestern. In 2015, he introduced the international Kabiller awards, which biennially recognize two top scholars — one pioneer and one rising star — in the field of nanoscience and nanomedicine. In 2018, Kabiller endowed both honors, ensuring that this recognition continues in perpetuity. The 2019 awards honored Northwestern professor Chad Mirkin with the $250,000 Kabiller Prize, the world's largest monetary award for achievement in nanotechnology, and Molly Stevens of Imperial College London with the $10,000 Kabiller Young Investigator Award.
Thanks to the incredible vision and generosity of University Trustee David G. Kabiller '85, '87 MBA, Northwestern announced during the fall of 2022 that it will annually recognize the people most central to building the foundation of student-athlete success. In honor of Kabiller's parents, the Elaine and Irving Kabiller Dedication Endowment will acknowledge one Wildcats parent, guardian or caregiver who embodies the core values of David's mother and father.
"I am honored and humbled to receive the inaugural Elaine and Irving Kabillar Dedication Award," Melissa Currie said. "I am blessed beyond measure to be Whitney's mom and am so proud of her and all she embodies. Go 'Cats!"
In her nomination, Whitney Currie wrote of her mother: "She supports more than me, more than my family, but every single person in her life. I hold myself to her expectation of who I am because I know if I jump and miss, she will be at the ground to catch me, pick me up, and push me to make take off again to try and reach it the next time. She raised me to fight for what I want, stand up for the person I am, and be the competitor she knows I have the potential to be."
Each year Northwestern will open the nomination process to all of its more-than-500 student-athletes to submit recommendations of a parent or caregiver who embodies the following characteristics of Elaine and Irving Kabiller: strength, courage and grace; loyalty and devotion; intelligence and judgment; humor and authenticity; kindness, compassion and tenacity. Nominations are reviewed by an award committee, and the honoree will be honored at the department's annual NESPYs ceremony, the 2023 edition of which will take place tonight at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Proceeds from the endowment will be awarded to the honoree's student's sport, to be used at the head coach's discretion.
"I wanted to create this award in memory of my parents and to honor their endless love and guidance. I hope this award can serve as a reminder to our student-athletes to appreciate the love and sacrifices our parents and caregivers have made to help us get to where we are today," said Kabiller.
"David Kabiller's visionary commitment to Northwestern student-athletes is extraordinary," said Combe Family Vice President for Athletics and Recreation Dr. Derrick Gragg. "You need a great team around you to achieve success in any endeavor, and the parents, guardians and caregivers of our Wildcats have set them up to thrive in college and long after graduation. This new award shines a deserved spotlight on people who have made a remarkable impact."
The Elaine and Irving Kabiller Dedication Endowment is just the latest example of David Kabiller's remarkable support of Northwestern and its students. In recognition of a multimillion-dollar commitment, the University named the David G. Kabiller NU for Life Program in his honor in 2019.
A key differentiator for Northwestern Athletics and Recreation, the Kabiller NU for Life Program empowers Wildcats to think about how their unique experiences as student-athletes at a premier research university translate into their lives after graduation. This is accomplished through a comprehensive, four-year curriculum that helps students develop professional skills, explore different career fields and trajectories, access job and internship opportunities, and build their networks. Through personalized career coaching, alumni mentoring, employer outreach and training in job-search skills, program participants gain the tools and confidence to succeed post-graduation — whether in their sport, an advanced degree program or the workforce.
Since launching ten years ago, the Kabiller NU for Life Program has become an integral component of the student-athlete experience at Northwestern. More than 1,500 student-athlete alumni across every sport and undergraduate major have participated in the program, and over 1,000 of whom have benefited from the program throughout their entire undergraduate careers. Alumni engagement in the program also has grown exponentially, with more graduates serving as mentors, shadowing hosts and employers.
An alumnus of both Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and Kellogg School of Management, Kabiller was himself a student-athlete. As an undergraduate, he received an athletic scholarship to play tennis at Northwestern and was named to the Big Ten Conference Academic All-Conference team. He conceived of and ultimately endowed the Kabiller NU for Life Program to help educate students about their professional options and to inspire them through alumni mentoring.
In addition to his service on the University's Board of Trustees, Kabiller was co-chair of the New York Regional Campaign Committee for We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern, chair of the Nanotechnology Executive Council and a life member of the Kellogg Global Advisory Board. A generous and longtime benefactor to Northwestern, Kabiller is a platinum-level member of NU Loyal, Northwestern's giving society recognizing consistent annual giving to the University, with 25 consecutive years of giving.
Kabiller is also a passionate advocate for nanotechnology research at Northwestern. In 2015, he introduced the international Kabiller awards, which biennially recognize two top scholars — one pioneer and one rising star — in the field of nanoscience and nanomedicine. In 2018, Kabiller endowed both honors, ensuring that this recognition continues in perpetuity. The 2019 awards honored Northwestern professor Chad Mirkin with the $250,000 Kabiller Prize, the world's largest monetary award for achievement in nanotechnology, and Molly Stevens of Imperial College London with the $10,000 Kabiller Young Investigator Award.
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