WIB-Chicago: Year-End Spark & Celebration

Our December 18 celebration at the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago was a vibrant year-end holiday party that beautifully combined meaningful updates with festive fun. The event brought together 97 attendees to reflect on achievements, connect over great food, and enjoy engaging activities like a holiday-themed photo booth.

The evening began with an advisory board meeting, followed by networking over festive drinks and a delicious spread featuring mac and cheese, eggplant parmesan, and Nutella cream puffs for dessert. Remarks from sponsors TalentCraft and CZ Biohub set the tone for the night, highlighting the collaborative spirit that defines our community. Leadership updates were both inspiring and celebratory. Key takeaways from the steering recap included surpassing all 2024 goals, hosting 18 WIB-registered events, engaging over 50 volunteers, and securing five board placements through our 3.8 Program. A major highlight was the announcement that WIB-Chicago is now an official partner of CBRE’s Thrive Fund, receiving a prestigious grant to support our mission. This exciting news was met with enthusiastic applause.

A fun and reflective activity asked attendees to describe the year in three words, creating a word cloud where “Growth” emerged as the dominant theme—perfectly capturing the year’s momentum. Steering committee members shared recaps of each committee’s accomplishments and plans for the upcoming year, emphasizing the progress made in 2024 and the goals for 2025. In a special moment, outgoing co-chairs Ellita Williams and Ashley Nagle passed the baton to incoming co-chairs Eleonora Gatta and Dorys Lopez, marking a seamless leadership transition. The evening concluded with more networking and holiday-themed photo booth fun, complete with festive props and accessories. It was a memorable night filled with celebration, reflection, and anticipation for an even brighter year ahead!

Submitted by Ashmita Baral