Senior Sarah Catterson is the daughter of two Colgate alumni. She knew she wanted to come to from Colgate the first time she visited.

“Everyone was beyond nice, they had all of the programs I wanted (especially study abroad), and of course, how do you say no to a Chipwich? I always tell this embarrassing story when I give a tour about the time I stood on the quad, looked around and bawled my eyes out because I was so nervous I wouldn’t get in,” Catterson said.

Catterson concentrates in history and English. She says she is lucky because her parents encouraged her to study what she loved.

“I came into Colgate wanting to study history. In a very nerdy way I loved – and still do love – living vicariously through the people and places I study. English was a little bit of a surprise. I have always been a voracious reader but never considered it something I could major in. But, I took a couple of English classes and decided that if Colgate would offer me a degree simply to read then that was something I wanted to do,” Catterson said.

On campus, Catterson is a member of Link staff, an Illustrator and Tour Guide for the Office of Admission, on the women’s club water polo team and is a member of a Greek-letter organization.

In December, Catterson will be taking the LSATs in hopes to attend law school next fall. Catterson believes that she will miss the campus community most after she leaves.

“I think I’m going to miss living and learning in a community with people that are not only my closest friends but also challenge me to grow and expand to become a better person … Colgate has been simultaneously the most wonderful and the hardest four years of my life and I’ve met the most amazing people, both faculty and students,” Catterson said.

Further reflecting on her time at Colgate, Catterson encouraged underclassman to leave their comfort zone and be okay with being by yourself to explore your own interests.

“Go on that OE trip, listen to that lecture or concert or play, do things you want to do. I didn’t really learn that until I studied abroad my junior year when I did a lot of things alone … It felt extremely empowering and freeing to know that I could do all of these things that I wanted to do by myself. It wasn’t because I didn’t have friends or couldn’t find anyone to do other things with. It was that I had different interests and wanted to do different things than my friends and the things I did made me happy. So please, be okay being by yourself, I think that’s a huge accomplishment,” Catterson said. 

Contact Tessa Ruff at [email protected].