Anita Lukic sat down with Jen Bivens, Lead Business Analyst with WITS, to ask her six questions.
How long have you been at the university and what’s your current role?
I’ve been a full-time employee just over 11 years, but I was a student here. I came here in 1990. My current role is in Weinberg College IT (WITS). I am Lead Business Analyst. My first job was with former university president-elect and professor of economics, Rebecca Blank. I was her work–study assistant for two years right after she started at Northwestern.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of the job is that it’s different every day. I get to work with different people and disciplines, solving different kinds of problems. I like the changing scenery, and working in IT is an ever-changing landscape, and I feel assured it always will be.
What’s your secret talent?
I can juggle … I enjoy juggling. I can juggle three balls at a time.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to read, watch movies, go outside into nature with my kids. We like to travel when we can. Before the pandemic, I also enjoyed volunteering with the math club at my kids’ school.
What is your perfect idea of a relaxing day?
Going to the lake, being in nature, going to the museum, having a nice lunch with friends. And now that my daughter is in one of the jazz bands at ETHS, I would want the day to end with one of their amazing concerts.
For people looking to try out something new (food, TV shows, places, etc.), what would you recommend?
I highly recommend the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen. It’s free, and they just received a huge grant from billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. They offer free workshops. We participated in the printmaking workshop with our kids a few years ago. Closer to Evanston, I recommend the Loyola Park Natural Area near the end of Pratt Blvd in Rogers Park. The community has done a great job with indigenous plants and grasses right by the water. You don’t feel like you are in the city there, but, when you emerge from one end, you see the cool painted benches that change every year.