Hillary Chabot

Northeastern University graduate Thai-Anh Hoang’s company EmBeba makes 100% sustainable diaper balm and skin protection for the entire family. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

How Amazon helped to smooth sales for this baby rash balm entrepreneur in the pandemic economy

Thai-Anh Hoang was set to launch her new, family-friendly skincare line EmBeba when it hit a bumpy patch thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mother of two, who earned her international business degree at Northeastern in 2006, pivoted her marketing plan and sold the all-natural, healing diaper balm through Amazon.

by Hillary Chabot July 26, 2021

Illustration of a personal stylist meeting with a client online

How a personal stylist refashioned her business during the pandemic lockdown

Amy Salinger, who earned her communications studies degree from Northeastern University in 2002, wanted a lifestyle change after running her successful personal stylist business for 15 years. The quarantine allowed her to redesign her business model and craft a new virtual service that fit her lifestyle to a T.

by Hillary Chabot July 22, 2021

Cities survived the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the disease could prompt healthier cityscapes, such as more public parks. Photo by Mathias Wasik/picture alliance via Getty Images

Cities don’t spread disease. Inequality does.

Many predicted a severe exodus from cities at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that the highly contagious disease would savage areas with more people. But Northeastern architecture professor Sara Jensen Carr says there's been a historical bias against cities and super-spreader events are caused by poor conditions like access to ventilation and clean water.

by Hillary Chabot July 21, 2021

A Northeastern University youth police academy cadet fights off a pretend assailant played by a Northeastern University police officer during a self-defense class simulation. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

Pushing teens out of their comfort zone energizes cadets at Youth Police Academy

Boston-area teens learn to overcome obstacles at Northeastern Police Department’s Youth Police Academy, where they spend a week on the Boston campus learning skills like self defense and first aid.

by Hillary Chabot July 19, 2021

A Word Detectives student uses a magnifying glass to inspect a word during an activity at the Northeastern University summer reading program. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

Word Detectives crack the case of child literacy

A reading comprehension summer camp called Word Detectives is back on the Boston campus helping students from second to seventh grade who are reading below grade level. Taught by faculty and speech-language pathology graduate students, the month-long program also packs in plenty of fun to keep the kids engaged.

by Hillary Chabot July 16, 2021

Gina Izerel has learned how to create computer-generated landscapes and highly-realistic wolves during her global co-op at Cinegestix in South Africa this summer. The company provides special effects and CGI for movies, television, and commercials.

Animation gets real at this global co-op, starring a robot-wolf

Gina Izerel will breathe life into her fantasy character—a half robot, half wolf—using computer-generated imaging and photorealism during a global co-op at Cinegestix, a special effects company in South Africa.

by Hillary Chabot July 15, 2021

A man waves a Cuban flag in the street near of Versailles, a Cuban restaurant in the Little Havana neighborhood, at a demonstration in support of the protests in Cuba on July 11, 2021 in Miami, Florida. Thousands took to the streets across Cuba to protest pandemic restrictions, the pace of Covid-19 vaccinations and the Cuban government. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Can Democracy come to Cuba? Impoverished, frustrated Cubans face an uphill battle

An unexpected eruption of protesters in Cuba Sunday decried food and medicine shortages during the continued COVID-19 pandemic. José Buscaglia, professor of cultures, societies and global studies at Northeastern, says protesters are also demanding democratic civil liberties long opposed by the country’s communist regime.

by Hillary Chabot July 14, 2021

G-Form staff inspect protective equipment throughout the production process at the Smithfield, Rhode Island facility. During the pandemic the revolutionary sportswear company pivoted to make face shields for first responders. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

This former Northeastern hockey star scored with a rebound during the COVID-19 downturn

Glen Giovanucci, CEO of G-Form protective sports gear, was on the brink of bankruptcy one month after the pandemic froze his customer base. But Giovanucci, who earned his business degree at Northeastern in 1983, was able to keep G-Form in play by retrofitting the company to manufacture personal protective equipment in the form of face shields for front-line workers.

by Hillary Chabot July 9, 2021

Ornami founder Yewande Masi, who earned her criminal justice degree at Northeastern in 2009, says she found happiness through a process of elimination—cutting toxic ingredients from her skincare and toxic relationships from her life. Photo courtesy of Yewande Masi

How a boost from Beyoncé helped sustain her skin care business

Yewande Masi, who earned her criminal justice degree at Northeastern in 2009, wanted to sell a mango-butter infused homemade lotion that she originally created for her ex-boyfriend. The all-natural product launched in April 2020, just as the pandemic struck, but her focus on e-commerce and self-care resonated with customers. The $10,000 grant Masi received from ‘Single Ladies’ singer Beyoncé last October didn’t hurt, either.

by Hillary Chabot July 8, 2021

Boston Microgreens co-founder Oliver Homberg inspects the variety of microgreens growing at their South Boston location. Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

A sprouting subscription service kept this microgreens farmer growing during the pandemic

Northeastern graduate Oliver Homberg had just collected his first paycheck from Boston Microgreens, a company he started in 2018, when the COVID-19 pandemic shriveled his customer base. A slim operating budget and help from a community of fellow farmers helped him grow again.

by Hillary Chabot July 7, 2021

Posts by Hillary Chabot