Deering Meadow

To many, Deering Meadow is one of the prettiest places on Northwestern’s campus. According to Communication second-year Kelly Killorin, it is also the best spot to build a snowman. After the first big snowfall of January 2021, Killorin and her friends found that Deering Meadow, with its trees wrapped in lights, was the perfect place to play in the snow at night. According to Killorin, the experience made her reminisce about the winter before.

“It was my first time seeing the lights lit up again since I was on campus freshman year,” she says.

They made a bunch of snowballs and had a big snowball fight, which made Killorin nostalgic.

“It was just the happiest thing ever,” she says. “I felt like a kid.”

When constructing their snowmen, Killorin made the bases easily, impressing her friends and giving tips as they built them. They made two snowmen with sticks for arms and Killorin’s friend placed her hat on one of them.

Afterward, Killorin and her friends took photos of their creations with Deering Library, the trees and lights in the background.

“All night, we were just admiring how pretty it was. I feel like I grew a lot closer with the friends that were there,” Killorin says.

Kellogg Global Hub

The Kellogg Global Hub opened for the first time in March 2017. For Shea Christian, a Weinberg fourth-year, it quickly became one of her favorite places to do work on campus. It was the perfect spot for her to stay focused when studying.

“The well-dressed people and the aura of industry and professionalism always drove me to finish assignments in record time,” Christian says. “I knew immediately that this was the perfect place to keep myself on track.”

She spent countless Sundays in Kellogg staring at her computer, and the buzz of the building inspired her to remain motivated. It became a place Christian always knew she could go to if she was stressed and she could reliably get things done.

Kellogg was not just a place to study and work. When Christian worked in a psychology lab over the summer, it was an ideal spot to have lunch or relax in the middle of the day.

“I remember sitting on the Kellogg porch in the summertime feeling the breeze coming in from the lake and enjoying the view,” Christian says. “It always made me feel so lucky to be at Northwestern.”

Kresge Courtyard

Photo shoots are always something Communication third-year Grace Frome looks forward to. They’ve been a fun part of her Northwestern experience since she started doing them with friends her freshman year. Each photo shoot takes place at a new location, and Frome’s favorite was one she did at the garden courtyard between Kresge and Crowe Hall which her friend showed her.

“We turned the other way and it just opens up into this beautiful, empty courtyard. I had no idea that it ever existed,” Frome says.

Once there, Frome knew the photos would turn out great. The weather was perfect – clear and sunny. Frome remembers watching her friend take advantage of the surroundings by climbing a stair banister to reach a tree so he would be framed by the leaves.

“There are so many beautiful places all around campus, and I love it, getting to see people interact with these surroundings and really feel themselves and find beauty and happiness in the space,” Frome says.

Looking back at the photos always makes Frome happy. She won’t ever forget that day in the courtyard. For her, those photos are among the best she’s ever taken.

The Lakefill

The lakefill is a special spot for many Northwestern students. Claire Bugos, a Medill class of ‘20 alum, remembers it fondly, especially when she watched the sunrise for the final time this past summer. Coming from California, the outdoors has been a big part of her life, so having a natural body of water like Lake Michigan nearby was something she found comfort in.

On the walk to the lake with her friends, they noticed how it was a perfect sunrise. The clouds were wispy, mixed with purple and pink hues, and the sun rose as they sat by the rock that Bugos and her friends had painted the night before.

While watching the sun come up, there was a mixed martial arts group simultaneously having a celebration.

“They were all lined up with these big drums and as the sun rose they were beating their drums and cheering making music,” Bugos says. “And it was a total accident but it just made our experience feel so much more meaningful because you have this drumline for just you.”

For Bugos, it was almost like the music was a perfect send-off for her time at Northwestern.

“I was feeling really nostalgic because it was like the second to last weekend before I was going to be gone,” Bugos says. “I was definitely present taking in all the beauty of the campus.”

For Bugos, it was a moment of nostalgia and a way to say goodbye to a place she had called home for the past four years. It will always be something she’ll remember.