In The Light: Sammie Steinfeld
Ask senior Sammi Steinfield why she chose Colgate, and she’ll give you anenthusiastic, somewhat practiced response.
“Sorry, I know it sounds really rehearsed,” Steinfield laughed. “But, I am a tour guide.”
Interestingly enough, this religion major from Chappaqua, New York never seriously thought about attending a rural school, let alone Colgate.
“I always wanted to go to a big city school where I would be anonymous,” Steinfield explained. “But, my guidance counselor suggested I look into Colgate. It was so beautiful when I visited. I applied, got accepted and everything fell into place.”
Steinfield has had no regrets about her decision to attend Colgate. In fact, when studying abroad at St. Andrews University in Scotland, she even missed the school.
“Being abroad definitely makes you appreciate everything about Colgate,” Steinfield explained. “The school provides all the things a student should want. It’s this utopian intellectual community that gave me everything I needed.”
Citing “personalized leadership” as one of Colgate’s greatest offerings, Steinfield is actively involved in many organizations. In addition to her role as a tour guide, she is also the co-captain of the club field hockey team and the former co-president of the Colgate Jewish Union (CJU). It is her involvement with the CJU that Steinfield views as her best Colgate experience.
“My parents told me to go to college and ‘be Jewish’,” Steinfield said with a laugh. “It was very top-down orders. But, I found that Judaism was so available to me at Colgate and I was able to grow in my beliefs. I got involved in the CJU and it’s where I met some of my best friends.”
Steinfield explains that being a religion major helped contextualize her belief in Judaism and allowed her to examine how being Jewish fits into her life. A law school hopeful, Steinfield aims to incorporate her study of religion into her future profession.
Steinfield, whose sister Sarah is in the class of 2014, has ample advice for both new and seasoned Colgate students. Above all, Steinfeld encouraged students to put themselves out there and get involved.
“Colgate gives you a unique opportunity to listen to smart people speak about important issues and have candid debates with other smart people. Take advantage of every opportunity presented to you,” she said.
