Pattie Schiele, '86: An Encouraging Voice for Current and Prospective Students
By Lia Kizilbash Gillet
Pattie Schiele, '86, (left) shares volunteer duties with Kendall Hampton, '21, (right) to hand out snacks and postcards with words of encouragement to hundreds of students across multiple campus locations in preparation for finals week as part of the Huskie Postcard Care Package Delivery project. (Photo: Kate Haupt, NIU)
In 2020, Pattie Schiele, ’86, saw an opportunity to volunteer remotely for her alma mater.
The opportunity—the Huskie Postcard Project—was so simple and significant that Schiele has volunteered ever since.
“It’s extremely rewarding, fulfilling, and uplifting to feel like you’re positively impacting NIU,” Schiele said.
NIU alumni volunteers write postcards to potential students to introduce them to NIU and to help admissions with overall recruitment efforts. Postcards are mailed directly to the volunteer, and when they are complete, the volunteer mails them back in a postage-paid envelope.
Schiele has participated in other various volunteer opportunities, from writing notes of encouragement delivered to students during finals week to coaching students during Career Fair Prep Workshops. She has also volunteered at the Huskie Food Pantry, served as a judge for the Conference in Undergraduate Research & Engagement (CURE), and communicated with students online for various projects connecting students with alumni. Most recently, Schiele co-staffed the NIU Alumni Association information table at NIU Preview Day, helping answer prospective students’ questions and demonstrating how alumni contribute to NIU students' achievements and success.
“I was extremely fortunate to have had exceptional mentors and role models while attending NIU, and once I had more time to devote to volunteering, I wanted to contribute to students’ experiences in the same way I received coaching and guidance,” Schiele said.
While at NIU, Schiele was active in dorm life, serving as floor president and working at the front desk of Gilbert Hall. She was a member of the swing choir and joined the student chapter of Women in Communications, Inc. (WICI), holding several board positions, including president and editor. She has fond memories of selling donuts in DuSable Hall to raise money to send WICI members to an annual career conference in Chicago. After graduation, she joined the Chicago Professional WICI Chapter and was once again fortunate to hold several board positions over the years, including president.
Remembering her NIU roots, Schiele has plans to volunteer again in 2025, starting with assembling Huskie Notecard Project care packages. She believes NIU alumni can play an important role in providing students with encouragement and fresh ideas—two things she tries to incorporate into her postcard messages.
As a communications professional, it’s no surprise Schiele enjoys speaking to and corresponding with students. She spent over 35 years in communications, the majority of which were at the global corporations of Motorola and Aon.
“I am fortunate to have led talented, high-performing internal communications teams that collaborated regularly and had a strong passion for effectively communicating key strategic initiatives with employees worldwide,” said Schiele.
One of her most rewarding professional experiences was working with Motorola's integrated supply chain leader who, during Schiele's tenure, received the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) EXCEL Leadership Award based on the company's best-in-class strategic communications.
“We were all very proud of not only our business achievements but also the supply chain leader's unwavering support of, and investment and belief in, his communications team members," said Schiele.
Learning from exceptional leaders like this one, Schiele wants NIU students to feel equally supported and invested in by the alumni community. She encourages others to get involved with many of the volunteer opportunities available–whether virtual or in person–even if it’s just once per year. She believes alumni will be eager to do more after feeling inspired and energized.
“Alumni volunteers can help prepare students for life beyond NIU and DeKalb,” she said. “I feel like we can assist them in connecting the dots, perhaps seeing things from a different perspective, and offering students additional insight into themselves. We can field questions in a safe, non-judgmental environment and further build their confidence. It is a critical time in their lives as they continue to identify who they are and what they want to be in the world.”
NIU alumni volunteer their time in meaningful ways. Want to brainstorm ways you can get involved? Contact Liz McKee, M.S.Ed. '14 at lmckee1@niu.edu or 815-753-7400.