1.Where have you been living in your first full year as a W&L grad?Katie: I have been living in Charlottesville, Va. for a year now, and I’m enjoying it so much. Charlottesville is a really laid back city, so it’s been super easy living here in terms of being close to family and friends, as well as low cost of living and minimal stress! I recently moved to the downtown mall (it’s a bricked in pedestrian mall with lots of boutique-type shops), and I love it. I walk to work, walk to the gym, and live around the corner from a small little grocery. I rarely drive my car, and I absolutely adore my new apartment and my roommate- UVA ’09 grad, Augusta, so I am very happy.
2. Where do you work?
2. Where do you work?
Katie: Since August of last year I have been with SNL Financial (SNL). It is a sector-focused research firm, and I recently took a position in the client services/ account management group. I travel to our clients—mostly banks, in the case of my accounts— and maintain the SNL relationship. I do things like help our clients use SNL’s product to map their bank branches to figuring out how their competitors are raising capital. It’s been a steep learning curve, but a really fascinating time to be in the Financial Institutions space.
One fun fact: The director of my group at SNL, Ellen Ritsch Boyle, was a W&L lacrosse player! She graduated in 2001, and I have enjoyed talking with her when I catch her in the office… about the cold winter days on the practice fields and even how bummed we are about the fire at the Southern Inn. Don’t worry, I genuinely tried to get her to play in the Alumni game in October, but she just had her first child and not enough time on her hands… 
3. Are you enjoying your job?
3. Are you enjoying your job?Katie: I love my job! I started as an analyst in the research group and have recently been able to transition into the account management position, which is so much better suited for my personality. I love going places and meeting new people. I have no sales goals, so I just basically travel around the Southeast (my regional assignment—Currently, I’m in Atlanta) and meet our clients to make sure that SNL services suit the client’s needs. It’s challenging trying to figure out how our products can be solutions to so many different people’s workflows!
4. Do you have any future career or school plans?
4. Do you have any future career or school plans?
Katie: My future plans are continuing to work for SNL. I’m so happy with how things are going that I can see myself staying in this job for a number of years. It may be that I move to Richmond in a year or two to work on my MBA. But, at this point, I’m just speculating… 
5. What do you like to do in your free time?
5. What do you like to do in your free time?Katie: I’ve participated in some social sports leagues, like a sand volleyball team I was on this summer and my favorite weekly class at the gym: Body Pump (ha!) Charlottesville has so much to offer in terms of the outdoors, so I spend a lot of time at the Farmer’s market or wine tasting or hiking… I also travel a bunch to DC and back to Norfolk/ Virginia Beach to see family and friends. 
6. What has been the biggest adjustment from life as a student to life after college?
6. What has been the biggest adjustment from life as a student to life after college?Katie: Hmmm—for me, a big adjustment has been sticking to a routine. At W&L, I was so busy with so many different teams, clubs, and activities, that now my work and social life has been relatively steady and consistent. I felt like at W&L, a group meeting for a class would randomly crop up on a Tuesday night or a game got rescheduled due to bad weather on a Thursday afternoon… etc. Now, I enjoy having some more control of my schedule, but I miss my hectic, busy W&L days too. I keep myself very occupied by cooking dinner and going running with my roommate, going to concerts, and traveling. Now I can sleep in on Saturday mornings instead of rushing to the bus in the Liberty Hall parking lot!
7. What do you miss most about W&L and Lexington?
7. What do you miss most about W&L and Lexington?
Katie: What don’t I miss about W&L and Lexington!?!? I really miss being outside for practice in the spring time and the beautiful campus and Blue Sky, Southern Inn, the Bistro…! I also resent Charlottesville / James River because you have to pay $20 to RENT a tube for hot days when you just need to float down the river! Charlottesville and Lexington are not too much differentexcept for size. Charlottesville is also a college town with UVA being right down the road, but it’s more urban. I’m still minutes from the mountains and great outdoors but have all of the benefits of living downtown!
8. Have you kept in touch with your fellow Generals Lax alums?Katie: I keep in touch with everyone that I can! I am extremely excited to be back in a few short weeks for the Alumni game and am so eager to see everyone. I recently saw Colleen in early August, which was HUGE since she moved across the country… and it had been a year since I saw her last. I was lucky enough to catch up with the entire Evans family for the evening. I also made it up to DC for Kelsi’s birthday about a month ago, and we partied with J-Got, Britto, and Cav! Mr. and Mrs. Robinson as well as Kelsi’s older bro and sis were in town—so I felt like I was just back with my extended lacrosse family. I miss everyone tremendously!
