Students and alumni gather during Sophomore Connections 2026.
In January 2026, nearly 500 sophomores and 130 alumni gathered on campus for the 14th annual Sophomore Connections. This immersive two-day program, hosted by Career Services, shifted the focus from finding a job to "finding your thread." Through 17 career panels and a keynote by Christopher Nulty ’09, head of external communications at Anthropic, students learned that the "zigzag" path isn't just common — it’s often the secret to a fulfilling career.
WLC members were eager to share the lessons they learned in the decades since graduation, serving on panels and inspiring students with their own professional evolutions, like Melissa Graham ’91 and Katie Roberts ’01.
Melissa Graham ’91
Melissa Graham ’91 is a "professional dot-connector" whose career journey embodies the power of the purposeful zigzag. After establishing herself as a successful law partner at McDermott Will & Emery, Melissa pivoted from law to follow a path that felt more fulfilling to her, founding Purple Asparagus, a nonprofit dedicated to healthy eating education for families.
Driven by a commitment to mission-driven leadership, she later earned her MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management to deepen her impact in the philanthropic sector. Today she serves as a major gifts officer at Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, where she builds lasting relationships to create opportunities for impactful giving.
A firm believer in the value of relationship building and authentic conversation, Melissa encourages students to embrace their own meandering paths. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Michael, and is a proud Colgate parent to her son, Thor ’26.
"My best advice is to show up and develop soft social skills, like conversation." — Melissa Graham ’91
Katie Roberts ’01
An expert in environmental strategy, Katie Roberts ’01 serves as the vice president of regulatory assurance at Longenecker & Associates. She currently holds a senior leadership role at the Hanford site in Washington State — the nation’s largest cleanup facility — where she oversees the compliant treatment and disposal of 56 million gallons of radioactive waste.
Katie’s career trajectory is a testament to the strength of the Colgate network; her first undergraduate internship was secured through Gary Ross ʼ77, a connection that eventually led to her specialized work across the Department of Energy complex. An environmental geography major at Colgate, she later earned her Master of Environmental Management from Duke University.
Katie encourages students to leverage the invaluable, lifelong community that starts growing during those early years in Hamilton, remarking that no matter where they wear Colgate gear, they will inevitably have alumni approach them to say hello.
"Don’t be afraid. You’re at a time to get out of your comfort zone when you don’t have any attachments." — Katie Roberts ’01
From rapid-fire networking to deep-dive industry sessions, the weekend empowered students to embrace the unknown and lean into the strength of the Colgate network. As the students begin their own internship searches, they do so with the confidence that the alumni community is a lifelong support system. By humanizing the career process, Sophomore Connections ensures that the next generation of Colgate leaders is ready to pull their own "thread" toward a meaningful future.