Jamil Jude ’09 delivers SophoMORE Connections keynote

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Sophomores got a taste of life after Colgate when freelance director, producer, and playwright Jamil Jude ’09 returned to campus as the SophoMORE Connections keynote speaker on January 20.

During his presentation, Jude focused on the importance of taking risks, trying new things, and never turning down any type of opportunity. Drawing on his experience in the arts, Jude likened the search for a career to a role in improv theater: “One of the rules of improv is to say ‘yes and.’ The improv dies when you say ‘no,’” he said. “Say yes to every single opportunity that you get.”

A hallmark of Colgate University’s career services programming, SophoMORE Connections offers three days of workshops, lectures, panel discussions, conversations, and networking practice. The event encourages second-year students to get an early start on exploring their various career and academic interests. At the keynote dinner, students and alumni have an additional opportunity to form important connections and share insights.

More than half of the sophomore class participated in the program, and another 175 Colgate alumni, faculty, staff, and upperclassmen came to share their experiences and career advice over the weekend.