Sharing the Power of a Global Start

In 2013, Wyatt Lillie was touring colleges in Denver, Miami, and Boston. Then he was accepted to Northeastern’s N.U.in program, which sends students abroad for their first fall semester.

Did he want to study in Greece? Costa Rica? Australia? England? He chose England.

“I’d traveled around the world with my fam­ily,” Lillie says, “but N.U.in was an immersive, exhilarating experience. The world is your classroom.” In classes at London’s Foundation for International Education, he discovered the city’s mosaic of ethnic and cultural enclaves and then explored them, visiting markets, religious centers, and businesses.

Arriving at Northeastern for the spring semester, Lillie, DMSB’18, dove into business, global eco­nomics, and political science. He also joined the Kappa Sigma fra­ternity, winning election as presi­dent for the 2016–2017 academic year. He’s worked co-ops at Trans­america and The Boston Consult­ing Group. And in July, he flew back across the pond for classes at the London School of Economics.

“Best decision of my life,” Lillie says of N.U.in and Northeastern. “Unfortunately, I’ve met kids who couldn’t afford either and missed out on an amazing opportunity.” Inspired by his concern, his par­ents, Jim and Lisa, will fund the first N.U.in scholarships for sev­eral years.

“Northeastern is a place where Wyatt can be a leader,” Lisa says. “This gift enables students to take advantage of N.U.in who would otherwise miss a life-shaping experience due to a lack of financial aid for the program.”

By defraying travel and other costs, Wyatt adds, “these scholarships will open more students’ eyes to the world.”