Giving Back from the Beginning
When Julie Ix Genovese ’95 graduated from St. Lawrence, her parents offered a piece of advice that has stayed with her ever since.
“Even if you give $10 a year,” they told her, “Just give.”
That simple philosophy eventually led Julie and her husband, David, to make another meaningful decision. Just eight years after graduating from St. Lawrence—and shortly after welcoming their first child—they created their estate plan. Among the organizations they chose to support were their alma maters: St. Lawrence for Julie and Colby College for David.
“My mom and dad always talked to us about the importance of supporting the people and places that helped shape you,” Genovese says. “St. Lawrence absolutely did. That’s where my giving started, and I really never stopped.”
During her time at St. Lawrence, Genovese was a Dean’s List student, a four-year diver on the women’s Swimming and Diving team, and a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, SLU Advocates, and the Mountain Biking Club. “I completely thrived at St. Lawrence,” she says. “I always say, ‘Thank goodness I didn’t end up somewhere else.’”
More than three decades later, she describes SLU as a part of her every day. “My lifelong friendships are from St. Lawrence,” she says. “We’re still together at least once a month. I feel so blessed to have gone to that school and to have the friendships and opportunities it gave me.”
Genovese loves the constant reminders of how far the St. Lawrence network reaches. Whether she’s at an alumni gathering in Connecticut, wearing a St. Lawrence hat on vacation, or unexpectedly meeting fellow Laurentians on a college tour with her children—the SLU community is everywhere. “It’s such a gift,” she says.
In addition to her legacy gift, Genovese also makes annual scholarship gifts. “Helping students overcome financial barriers so they can attend St. Lawrence and have the same experience that I had—that really matters,” she says.
“We are so grateful to Julie and others like her who recognize all the incredible ways St. Lawrence has impacted their lives, and how they can pass on those same opportunities to future Laurentians,” says Kim Hissong, vice president for University Advancement.
“Her story is a good reminder that it’s never too early to start giving back to the people and organizations that matter most to you.”
Genovese believes many alumni may take for granted how important St. Lawrence has been to their journey, or how important they can be to the University’s future. For her, giving—whether through an annual gift or by including the University in her estate plans—is simply one way to honor that lasting impact.
“I hope other people will think about including St. Lawrence in their will,” she says. “It’s an easy way to give, and it helps you stay connected to a place that meant so much.”