This Torch Medal is given to Geoff Holm, Associate Professor of Biology, by Sandra Hsu Hnin Mon ’12.
Torch Medals honor a Colgate faculty or staff member who made a meaningful impact on an alum during their time at Colgate. Alumni in the reunion classes of 2007 and 2012 are invited to give a Torch Medal, delivered virtually, to a present or past member of the faculty or staff. See more Torch Medals, and give yours here.
“Geoff Holm was my academic advisor and lab/research mentor throughout Colgate. I came to Colgate from Myanmar with a fairly myopic perspective on health/science careers – I knew I wanted to do health-related work back in Myanmar/Southeast Asia, but thought the only way to do so was via med school. This rapidly changed when I took Prof. Holm’s CORE Outbreaks class in my first semester, which exposed me to the incredible fields of microbiology and epidemiology. Despite primarily advising me in molecular biology, Prof. Holm never discouraged me from pursuing other interests/classes at Colgate, even though it wasn’t always clear how they were going to factor into my future. Happily, I’ve gone on to apply most of these interests – and valuable lab skills – in my work at the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights, coordinating and managing international epidemiological studies (including ones in Myanmar). I would not have found my path so smoothly or quickly were it not for Prof. Holm’s unfaltering support, patience, and mentorship. Thanks, Prof., for helping me get to where I am now!”
— Sandra Hsu Hnin Mon ’12