For some students, Colgate University is more than just a school: It is a tradition and a legacy. For the Class of 2028, 115 children and grandchildren of alumni were admitted and 57 enrolled, continuing down a path their parents charted. Not recorded is the number of kids who have two parents representing Colgate, though there seem to be quite a few.
Junior Carlyn Johnson is one such student. Her parents, alumni Kelly and Robert Johnson, both graduated with the Class of 1994, and her older brother, alumnus Nick Johnson, graduated with the Class of 2024. Kelly Johnson majored in math and Robert Johnson in computer science and psychology. Carlyn Johnson has stayed in the theme of STEM with a biology major. She enjoys the Colgate family connection, especially because she gets the opportunity to see her parents more frequently than she might otherwise.
“I think it’s fun going to the same school as my parents and it’s nice that being alumni gives them an excuse to visit more,” Johnson said.
Senior Catalina King is the latest in a generation of Kings to attend Colgate: Her mom, Pilar King ’89, her dad, Greg King ’87, her grandfather, Dick King ’62 and her siblings, Matthew King ’23 and Izzy King ’23, all attended. Catalina is a sociology major like her mother (who double majored with art history), and embraces her legacy status as a connection to her family but also motivation to set herself apart.
“I love being a legacy at Colgate because it encourages me to continue making my family proud by forging my own path,” King said. “I often have to pinch myself that I get to walk the same campus that they did and this fuels me to enjoy every second. It is wild to think that all six of us love the number 13, have slipped on ice in the treacherous Hamilton winters and, after this year, will have walked down Willow Path with a torch in hand.”
Johnson and King agree that family connections increased Colgate’s appeal, but emphasize that they chose Colgate for reasons beyond their parents’ attendance.
“While I knew that my parents met at Colgate, the first time I even started thinking about going to Colgate was early in high school when my siblings were touring the school,” King said. “I think that Colgate sold itself and that my familial connection to the school was the cherry on top.”
“My parents definitely didn’t push me to go to Colgate but they did really promote going to a Colgate-like school and having my brother here already just made the decision easier,” Johnson said.
That also rings true for sophomore Jessica Lee, whose mother, alumna Debbie Wisbaum, graduated with the Class of 1990.
“I would say [being a legacy] didn’t impact my choice to go here — I didn’t want to come here more or less because of my mom, but I did because of the connections that my mom has and her experience at Colgate,” Lee said. “I knew she had a good time, and I wanted to go to a school that I knew people liked […] and I know that [my mom] would get really excited about meeting Colgate people and people who went to Colgate and that people from Colgate really like the school after [graduating], which was important for me, both as like an ‘existing in the community’ thing and also for jobs later on.”
Controversy over whether legacy applicants should be given preference in university admissions notwithstanding, it is understandable that students may feel pressure one way or the other to attend their parents’ alma mater. Legacy students were exposed to Colgate early on and had to sift through their parent’s memories and experiences as well as the complicated feelings that come with all family ties. At the end of the day, most seem to value the deeper bonds.
“I like being a legacy. I think it’s fun to be able to share Colgate with my mom,” Lee said. “I would say that I feel closer to my mom because of it. It’s just nice to share another important aspect [of life].”
“I definitely feel closer to my family knowing that we have all attended Colgate,” King agreed. “It is so amazing to tell stories to compare and contrast our respective Colgate experiences.”
Living the legacy life can also come with many moments of levity and serendipity.
“One of my favorite anecdotes is that the Willow Path trees that were planted this year — my [graduation] year — are replacing the trees that were planted during my dad’s [graduation] year in ’87,” King said. “This is truly a full circle moment for us since I am the baby of the family. Another fun one is that my mom and brother lived in the same exact room, Andrews 202!”
