鈥淭he things I treasure most from North Park are the relationships I formed with people who influenced me in a significant way.鈥�
鈥擯aula Lewis Devitt C鈥�77
Paula Lewis Devitt C鈥�77
萝莉社 Distinguished Alumni Award
As the daughter of devoted missionaries serving in Brazil, Paula Lewis Devitt was inspired to pursue a life of medical service to those in need. At age 16, Paula was guided by Sylvia Schmidt Larson, RN, a Swedish Covenant Hospital graduate also working in Brazil, who told her about North Park College, 鈥渢he best nursing program in the United States.鈥�
鈥淕od opened doors for me I could not have imagined. I only was able to attend through work study and the scholarships I received from generous alumni support,鈥� says Paula. 鈥淭hat is what made it possible for me.鈥�
Paula quickly bonded with her roommates Sharon Holmstead C鈥�77, Julie Swanson C鈥�77, and Robin Hart C鈥�77, and nursing classmate Allison Phillips C鈥�77: 鈥淚 knew I had come to the right place,鈥� she says. After graduation, at her first job, Paula cared for a patient just out of open heart surgery. Her prompt and accurate assessment of cardiac tamponade helped save the patient鈥檚 life. 鈥淚 knew North Park had prepared me well for the real world.鈥�
Paula and her husband Dr. Neal Devitt moved their family to Santa Fe, N.M., where she joined St. Vincent Hospital as a critical nurse educator. Paula went on to co-develop the Heart Saver program, training hundreds in CPR and earning her recognition as one of 鈥�10 people who make a difference鈥� in Santa Fe.
She moved to La Familia Medical Center, where she developed a community health workers program. This innovative outreach and education program, which recruited patients to promote health in their own communities, also received numerous awards. Paula is nationally recognized for more than 20 years of work in diabetes education, earning New Mexico鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Health Services Award.
Paula reflects: 鈥淭he things I treasure most from North Park are the relationships I formed with people who influenced me in a significant way.鈥� Honored to be recognized, she says: 鈥淚 hope sharing my story inspires others to invest in today鈥檚 students and ensure their success.鈥�
Johan Eldebo C鈥�07
萝莉社 Distinguished Young Alumni Award
Johan Eldebo鈥檚 work in humanitarian service began with 鈥渁n empty fridge.鈥� During a class to help teach English to refugee families in Rogers Park, Johan recalls the father of one family gesturing toward an empty refrigerator to show they had no food. The message was jarring to an international student from Sweden, but it also was a turning point 鈥渨hen statistics became real people and helping those in need in the most difficult places in the world became a big part of my life.鈥�
At North Park, Johan valued friends and classmates from different continents and cultures, and 鈥減rofessors who actually invested time in you and encouraged you to ask the right questions.鈥� Faculty support enabled him to start a campus chapter of the United Nations Society and participate in Model UN conferences in New York, Chicago, and Armenia. He recalls: 鈥淛oining with thousands of students to debate current affairs and explore the inner-world of the United Nations helped shape and fuel my passion to see a better world created through international cooperation.鈥�
After graduation Johan completed a United Nations internship in Brussels and earned his master鈥檚 degree at King鈥檚 College London. He joined World Vision, serving as part of the organization鈥檚 emergency response team as Senior Humanitarian Policy Adviser in South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Burundi, and Afghanistan.
This May, Johan accepted a new position as Senior Coordinator of Humanitarian Learning for the International Rescue Committee, where he works to connect humanitarian experience with academic research for practical impact in difficult and dangerous contexts. He also is a visiting scholar at the NYU Center on International Cooperation, focusing on humanitarian decision-making.
鈥淭his honor,鈥� says Johan, 鈥渕akes me grateful for the inspiration and values from my North Park faculty and friends that guided my journey there and since.鈥�
Arthur A.R. Nelson A鈥�52 C鈥�55 S鈥�60
North Park Academy Distinguished Alumni Award
North Park is embedded in the life of Art Nelson, a graduate of North Park Academy, North Park College, and North Park Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity. His service in church ministry spans more than 50 years, from coast to coast, in Covenant churches. In Chicago, as the former senior pastor of LaSalle Street Church, he served the residents of Cabrini Green with legal aid, tutoring, senior housing, and help for the homeless.
Art continues to support Habitat for Humanity and other causes to promote justice and compassion.
Devoted to higher education, Art twice served as chair of North Park鈥檚 Board of Trustees and as interim president (1979-1980), when he was instrumental in reconfirming North Park鈥檚 decision to stay in Chicago: 鈥淲e are renewing our commitment to the city and to the spiritual values of our founders鈥� sense of mission and education. If the school left the city, it would lose its rich diversity of students.鈥�
Art鈥檚 North Park Academy years were 鈥渃rucial in shaping how I would engage, pursue, embrace, and discard options to become a more responsible and hopefully wiser person.鈥� His advice to students today: 鈥淐ollege helps you find not so much the answers as the questions. Learn to love all your neighbors as yourself, and embrace the city with all of its joy and pain, and wonderful diversity.鈥�
A 鈥渕uch more life-changing experience鈥� happened when he met Laurel Freedell during his first week of college in 1952. This past September Art and Laurel C鈥�54 celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Art and Laurel鈥檚 three children, their spouses, and five of their eight grandchildren all have graduated from North Park.