Member spotlight on WLC Member Jessica Christ ʼ01, as interviewed by Stephanie Boland.
“Women tend to be really thoughtful and introspective when it comes to their giving,” says Jessica Parshley Christ ’01. “I think it’s because we're so relational and want to connect on a meaningful level to people and places.”
A Women’s Leadership Council member since 2021, Jessica leans into the relationships she’s had in her life when considering her philanthropy. Her time at Colgate fostered a number of strong relationships that have endured for more than 25 years.
“At Colgate, you form uniquely tight bonds with others. I think it has a lot to do with where the school is located. It is a world unto itself.”
The importance of relationships informs Jessica’s philosophy of giving. “It's always started with a connection,” she says. “It has started with an important relationship to a person or place, and then turned into a desire to make an impact.”
“My experience as a donor and a volunteer has tended to be about wanting to really feel like I’m helping,” Jessica shares. “I want to make a difference in places that matter to our family, and I want our contributions to help others.”
Colgate is fortunate to be one of those places. Jessica’s giving to Colgate began with supporting the Colgate Fund and the Parshley Family Endowed Scholarship, which her father, Paul Parshley ʼ72, established in 1996. She’s also passionate about supporting first-generation Colgate students through the First@Colgate program and has been generous to the Office of Undergraduate Studies to ensure that students from underprivileged backgrounds have the resources they need to succeed at Colgate.
Jessica and her husband, Bill Christ, live in Milton, Mass. They have three children, the youngest of whom has special needs. Caring and advocating for him has been a big focus of Jessica’s time and attention for the past several years.
She says, “I’ve been trying to find windows where I can reemerge and start doing more for myself and for my own edification, learning, and growth. [The WLC] is a great way for me to do it around something I love. I'm looking forward to engaging more deeply with women's philanthropy.”
Her most recent gift was directed to Colgate’s renowned Living Writers program, established in 1980 as a for-credit, on-campus course introducing students to active, published writers and their works. Since 2010, it has invited alumni, parents, and friends of Colgate to participate through readings and book discussions. Jessica was drawn to the program as both a former English major and as someone who seeks connection to the Colgate experience and Colgate community to this day. The Parshley Christ Endowment for Living Writers will support the program in perpetuity.
“Bill and I wanted to give to Living Writers because we love Colgate and the life-long connections it has afforded me, and this program is all about connecting to authors, to material, and to one another. I'm so grateful that, through the process of planning our gift to Living Writers, I’ve been given a doorway through which I can feel like I'm part of the community again,” Jessica shares. “Living Writers is emblematic of what a liberal arts education should be.”
As Jessica reengages with Colgate through Living Writers and the WLC, she reflects: “There's something about women’s approach to giving, a level of thoughtfulness that makes the whole process richer. I want to know what's happening. I want to know, did my gift help? Did it move the needle for somebody? Did it create an opportunity? I think that's the whole point.”