Alumna Peggy Yott Packs Positivity as a Volunteer
By Lia Kizilbash Gillet
Peggy Yott (Photo: Peggy Yott)
After Peggy Yott retired in 2019, she was excited to have the time to spend with family and friends.
“I read in the NIU Nexus newsletter about alumni volunteer events and saw possible opportunities to connect with fellow alumni,” Yott said. “My first volunteer activity was talking to students and parents at the prospective student career fair. The students were so poised and inquisitive.”
Soon after Yott’s first volunteer experience, NIU Foundation Senior Director of Alumni Engagement Liz McKee, M.S.Ed. ’14, and Huskie Food Pantry’s Assistant Director Jeanne Baxter, ’96, contacted Yott.
“I was so impressed by their professionalism, enthusiasm and ideas. I felt comfortable with them and wanted to be part of the NIU Alumni Association’s volunteer community,” Yott said.
Since then, Yott has participated in various activities, including packing and distributing student care packages during final exams, writing postcards to students and prospective students, serving as an alumni representative at a campus open house, and reviewing scholarship applications.
She recalls the students’ reactions when delivering the care packages.
“I expected a typical young adult glazed look and grunt, but instead, they were so excited to receive a small package and words of encouragement,” Yott said. “The responses from the students were sincere, and it was great to see the smiles on their faces!”
Yott remembers her own smile when she got to NIU, and has reflected in her Huskie involvement. She grew up in an Irish Catholic neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago and graduated from a small all-girls Catholic high school. Attending NIU opened her up to many different cultures, religions, experiences and academic possibilities. She was an Alpha Delta Pi Sorority member involved in community initiatives. This involvement exposed her to different aspects of DeKalb and NIU life.
“Looking back, the things I learned outside of the classroom, at times, were more important to my growth than the academics,” she said. “NIU immediately felt like home, and I have many great memories. The best tug wars at the lagoon!
“My volunteer work is important because my college years were some of the best in my life,” Yott continued. “Education is very important, as is positive interaction between young and old adults. Volunteering enables me to interact with college students and hopefully plant a seed for the future. I enjoy seeing the continued success of NIU and giving back in a small way.”
In 2023, Yott established the MCGILD Scholarship Fund, named after her children's and grandchildren's initials, which supports the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences’ Project Finish Line. The program helps NIU juniors, seniors and graduate students who are close to graduating but at risk of stopping out due to financial hardship. The goal is to help students finish their degrees by closing small financial gaps that might otherwise prevent them from graduating.
Yott spent most of her career in facilities administration for various financial firms in downtown Chicago. Her work included worldwide construction projects, business continuity planning, telecommunications administration and personnel management. In her roles, she met many people who impacted her journey. She hopes to pay it forward by positively affecting the next generation.
“It's very meaningful to be part of the alumni community,” Yott said. “The Alumni Association is very organized, energizing and inclusive, and it’s worthwhile to be part of an organization that truly cares about the future of NIU and its creative and thoughtful ways of including its alumni.”
NIU alumni volunteer their time in meaningful ways. Want to brainstorm ways you can get involved? Contact Eric Glasby, '15, M.S.Ed. '18, at eglasby1@niu.edu.