W&L Students Explore Career Paths Over February Break Washington and Lee’s Office of Career and Professional Development recently took students to New York City for an immersive week of alumni networking and career exploration.

By Kelsey Goodwin
March 25, 2026

This past February, Washington and Lee’s Office of Career and Professional Development took students to New York City for an immersive week of alumni networking and career exploration during Washington Break. Across four tracks — law, business, social sciences, and healthcare — students hit the city armed with research and tailored questions and returned to campus with a clearer picture of where they’re headed.

Students interested in pursuing careers in law experienced the full spectrum of what a legal career can look like.

For Lucas Radcliffe ’28, a prospective American politics and American history double major from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, one conversation captured what W&L had been quietly preparing him for all along. Speaking with Leigh Dannhauser ’14 at Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, he heard how her time on campus had shaped her entire professional approach.

“Leigh discussed how the social environment of Washington and Lee, through elements like the Speaking Tradition, prepared her to build community and connections at her firm,” Radcliffe says. “She also discussed her passion for service that she developed in the Peace Corps and now channels through pro bono work.”

Dannhauser’s path from W&L to the Peace Corps to mergers and acquisitions, Radcliffe says, was a reminder that a legal career can take many shapes.

Audrey Foss ’28, a global politics major from Pensacola, Florida, with minors in Law, Justice and Society and education policy, started the trip with a broad interest in law and ended it with sharper focus. Previously, she was unsure whether corporate, public interest, international or criminal law was the right direction. The trip helped her see the distinction more clearly.

“The trip helped me gain enough perspective to eliminate things I know I don’t want to do and narrow in on things I do like,” she says, noting that a visit to NYU School of Law, with its urban energy and global orientation, made her feel certain that a law school in a city like New York could be the right fit.

Students on the Careers in Business trip gathered insight into fields as diverse as real estate, consulting and investment banking. Evan Lee ’29, an economics and mathematics double major from Great Falls, Virginia, came in with a passion for finance and left with newfound perspective.

“I view finance as the ultimate intellectual exercise,” he says. “You aren’t just observing trends; you are providing the capital that determines which companies win out.”

He says the trip pushed him beyond his initial focus.

“Initially, I put myself in a box by only wanting to pursue investment banking,” he says. “However, I learned that several other career opportunities such as private equity and alternative asset management also piqued my interest. After the trip, I was able to network with alumni in those fields and am now interested in recruiting for roles in said areas.”

Noelle Fogarty ’29, a business administration major from Philadelphia, was moved by the stories of alumni she met throughout the week, noting that by the end of the trip, she felt that W&L’s alumni network was truly her own.

“I now feel like I gained 50-plus alumni contacts who will happily assist me in pursuing my career,” she says. “I am really thankful to have been given this opportunity as a first-year, as it emphasizes how much W&L cares for their students’ future success.”

Tolu Bakare ’28, a cognitive and behavioral science major with minors in data science and poverty studies from La Mirada, California, came in hoping to narrow her options. The trip, she says, had other ideas.

“I went into this trip thinking it would help narrow my career options and interests,” she says. “Instead, meeting such awesome alumni with inspiring journeys opened my mind to even more career possibilities than ever before. Even though it has been a challenge thinking of all these pathways, it has been a delightful challenge to learn about different professional settings and do research to expand my knowledge.”

A visit with recent W&L grads was a particular highlight.

“It was inspiring to meet people who had recently left W&L and started their journey through life, and hear their stories,” she says.

Biochemistry major and Cincinnati native Elizabeth Zimmerman ’28 came into the trip curious about health care careers beyond the traditional medical school path.

“I was very interested to see so many different types of jobs and careers that blended health care with things like business, nonprofit organizations and research,” she says.

A tour of NYU’s Grossman School of Medicine and an alumni dinner conversation with a 2024 W&L graduate now at Columbia Medical School made the road ahead feel tangible.

“It meant a lot to me to be able to connect with someone who’s on a path I’m really interested in,” she says, “especially coming from the same school. Talking with her made the whole process feel more real and gave me a lot of reassurance and motivation about pursuing a career in medicine.”

Aleah Schurr ’28, a biology and classics double major from Edmond, Oklahoma, left New York feeling ready to tackle her future. Connecting with alumni who had taken classes with some of her current professors and who were happy to share advice about how to make the most of her time at W&L made those big-city connections feel surprisingly close to home.

“I feel much more confident moving forward with my ambitions for graduate school,” she says.