Window of Opportunity

A spur-of-the-moment decision cements a successful future.

I had the privilege of visiting my friend Sonya Lee-Chung ’85, P’21 on one of the final days of her battle with cancer. While it was difficult to say goodbye, it gave us the opportunity to talk about life in a different way. I ended up asking her why she had spent four back-breaking years on a pre-med path at Colgate only to end up having an amazing career in retail. Sonya’s early career was spent as a buyer at Bloomingdale’s, and she later went on to achieve a senior management role at Ann Taylor, eventually launching her own retail brand.

Sonya’s answer really surprised me. She said, “Steve Errico ’85 changed the direction of my life, and he never even knew it.” She went on to explain the series of events that led to her career path.

In the spring of senior year, Sonya was sitting in a room overlooking the quad and having some serious doubts about her plans for the future. The pre-med coursework was exhausting, and the remaining commitments required to achieve a career in medicine seemed daunting. She was beginning to wonder if she’d made a mistake in planning her future. Looking down on the quad below, she saw classmate Steve Errico striding down the sidewalk, dressed in a business suit and carrying a leather briefcase. This unexpected attire reminded Sonya that on-site interviews for career day were underway. She’d heard they were happening but, at the time, didn’t think she’d need them.

On a whim, Sonya hightailed it over to the career center and asked if there were any slots for interviews available. Remarkably, Bloomingdale’s had an opening. She got the interview. She got the job. She launched a very successful and satisfying career. She had a happy life.

I like this story for a bunch of different reasons. I found it fascinating that Sonya recognized the precise moment her life took a full-stop turn as it clicked into place. I also love that Steve had no idea of the influence he generated. It’s a reminder of how interconnected humanity is, at even the simplest level.

Of course, the story also illustrates how Colgate offered us an infinite range of paths and supported us with the tools to make decisions, understand ourselves, seek guidance, and take educated risks. The interactions with our classmates, professors, teammates, and coaches arguably benefited us even more than the book knowledge we gained. The connections through Colgate’s network opened up many opportunities and showed us possibilities we might not have seen otherwise. For most of us, the positive personal growth we experienced those four years shaped our trajectory for the decades to follow.