During her speech at Northwestern Engineering’s Fall 2025 PhD Hooding and Master’s Recognition Ceremony held Dec. 13 at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Christine Schyvinck (MEM ’99) told graduates that when she was younger, she did not have a career plan. Instead, she had many interests that called for exploration. She loved music and science. She dreamed of being an astronaut or a musician.

She won an Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps scholarship to help her pursue that interest. Meanwhile, she talked with her French horn teacher about the challenges of a regular paycheck. One day, during her journey, a conversation with her father planted the seed that her math and science chops might be best utilized in an engineering career.

It was then that Schyvinck knew which direction to take.

“That observation changed my life. It opened a door I didn’t even know existed,” Schyvinck said.

As Schyvinck emphasized during her address, that conversation showed her how to merge her interests and strengths and defined her life.

Schyvinck is president, CEO, and chairman of Shure Incorporated, a global leader in audio technology trusted by performers, creators, and innovators around the world. Since Schyvinck became president and CEO in 2016, Shure has expanded international operations, boosted sales, and enhanced delivery performance. Personally, she serves on various advisory and nonprofit boards, including the Executives’ Club of Chicago and Blessings in a Backpack. Schyvinck also is a member of the MEM Advisory Board at McCormick.

“I can confidently tell you this: engineering is a remarkable way to help shape the world,” Schyvinck said.

Schyvinck was introduced by Christopher A. Schuh (PhD ’01), Dean of the McCormick School of Engineering. Addressing the graduates, Schuh said humanity’s challenges are increasingly complex and interconnected, making the work of engineers more critical than ever. He noted that Northwestern engineers draw on scientific rigor and whole-brain thinking, serving as the link between ideas developed in labs or conference rooms and the innovations that ultimately reach society.

“Whether you are starting new careers or moving up in current ones, whether you plan to join academia or industry, embrace your role as the bridge between these two worlds,” Schuh said.

Schyvinck has done that, and she shared three principles that have guided her career.

Find your operating system

Schyvinck told graduates that every engineered system depends on a core operating system, and that people do as well. She said her own “OS” formed at the intersection of music and engineering, recounting that she married her college partner, moved to Chicago, and started her first job at Shure all in the same month after earning her mechanical engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

View an Instagram gallery of photos from the event >>

The birth of her children in 1998 and 2001 further refined Schyvinck’s ability to multitask, prioritize, and adapt, which she said strengthened her identity as an engineer and leader.

“Your “OS” may be rooted in research, entrepreneurship, or designing solutions that make life better for the people you love,” Schyvinck said. “Whatever it is, honor it. Let it guide your choices. And don’t forget to update it as you grow.”

Run regular system checks

Schyvinck urged the graduates to approach their careers like they would an engineered system: regularly checking in to see if they are learning, energized by their work, supported by their colleagues, and headed in the right direction. She shared a personal story about how, early in her career, she realized that she wanted to lead, but never spoke up and assumed that her work would speak for itself. When she was passed over for a management role, she asked why and discovered no one knew she was interested.

That moment was a turning point. It pushed her to clearly communicate her goals, pursue a master’s degree through McCormick’s MEM program, and take on leadership roles.

“Don’t keep your aspirations quiet,” Schyvinck said. “Make sure the right people know what you want, and that you’re ready for it.”

Always be ready to iterate

Schyvinck highlighted that in both engineering and life, version 1.0 is just the beginning.

Real progress comes from iteration, experimentation, and adjustment. She shared how Shure adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic when live sound work came to a sudden stop, quickly shifting to conferencing and collaboration products while also supporting the surge of people making music from home.

The company didn’t abandon its mission, she said, but it evolved.

She encouraged graduates to see new challenges as opportunities to learn and contribute, to lean in, ask questions, and bring their perspective to the table. And she quipped that anyone who has debugged a circuit or design concept at 3 a.m. already knows caffeine is an essential part of the engineering process.

“Even the best ideas and boldest pivots don’t happen in isolation,” she said. “Innovation thrives in community, when we share knowledge, challenge each other, and lift one another up.”

After sharing her three principles, Schyvinck emphasized that no one achieves success alone, crediting mentors like the late Rose Shure for teaching her that leadership is about creating the conditions for others to succeed. She encouraged graduates to seek out diverse thinkers, collaborate boldly, and open doors for others.

She also urged graduates to create opportunities for others and to give back and support future generations of engineers. She concluded by returning to the lesson from her father, who told her she is an engineer. She told the graduates that the same now applies to them.

“You have the creativity, the compassion, and the courage to engineer a future that improves how people live, learn, and connect,” Schyvinck said. “Northwestern Engineers, go build something extraordinary.”