By Jo Ann Mitchell Brasington ’89
Catie Cronister ’20
Catie Cronister ’20 is excited about being back in Chicago.
She came to Wofford from Chicago as an NCAA Division I volleyball studentathlete, had a stellar career in the classroom and on the court, and secured work after graduation as a data scientist in Nashville, Tenn. She’s now manager and enterprise data scientist with Community Health Systems, a job that’s fully remote, which allowed her to migrate back to her hometown.
“I always knew I wanted to return. I love living in Chicago and enjoy being able to walk everywhere, play beach volleyball and spend as much time outdoors as possible,” says Cronister. “There is always something to do, whether it is trying new restaurants, visiting museums or attending local festivals. Chicago never gives you an excuse to be bored!”
Cronister was heavily involved in the Nashville Junior Chamber of Commerce, professional networking and Wofford in Nashville alumni circles. She was selected to the 2025 class of Nashville’s Top 30 Under 30 Professional and Philanthropic Leaders, presented by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for her work in support of the foundation. That intensity of engagement made remote work an adjustment, but Cronister says she enjoys the challenge of balancing technical work with the interpersonal demands of management.
“I’m finding ways to connect and look forward to growing in this role,” says Cronister. She says Wofford taught her the importance of community. “Moving frequently since graduation has highlighted the value of making connections. My positive experience at Wofford truly shaped how I prioritize both my social and professional relationships.”
Hugh Dubose ’04
Hugh DuBose ’04 says an afternoon at Wrigley Field is unbeatable!
Hugh and his wife, Erin, moved to Chicago a decade ago so he could attend graduate school at Northwestern University following active-duty military service in Germany.
“Whether it’s a new restaurant in the city, a museum or a sporting event, there are so many fun things to do. Spring and summer seasons in Chicago are the reason people stick it out through the tough winters,” says DuBose, who works as senior counsel at Ace Hardware corporate headquarters, focusing primarily on merchandising and international issues.
“Ace is an interesting place to work, supporting over 5,000 locally owned and operated hardware stores in the U.S. and abroad,” says DuBose. “I am also a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, serving as the staff judge advocate at Grissom Air Reserve Base in Indiana.”
Six years ago, following the birth of twin sons, DuBose and his family relocated to the western suburb of Hinsdale, Ill.
“Our twin boys are very active in youth sports and are big fans of the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Fire and FC Kaiserslautern,” says DuBose, who remains a Terrier and Carolina Panthers fan as well. He also continues to appreciate his Wofford education and the people he developed relationships with as a student.
“I really appreciate the hard work the professors put in to encourage critical thinking,” he says. “Dr. Tim Schmitz and Dr. Phillip Racine were two particularly great professors that taught interesting classes and pushed me as a student.”
Kendall Hinson Martin ’19
Kendall Hinson Martin ’19 says Wofford shaped her work ethic, sense of professionalism and commitment to supporting others — three things that helped her step outside of her comfort zone and move to Chicago after graduation to attend Adler University to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology.
Now a licensed clinical psychologist at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Martin works in a hospital setting with patients adjusting to injuries and complex medical conditions.
“It’s a fast-paced, team-based environment, which I love, and no two days look the same,” says Martin, who also has a private practice working with individuals navigating stress, life transitions and health-related challenges.
Martin, who recently married, spends lots of time staying active, trying new workout classes, exploring Chicago restaurants and spending time with family and friends.
“Chicago has such a good mix of opportunity and fun,” says Martin. “Professionally, I get to work in some incredible, cutting-edge hospital systems. Personally, there’s always something going on, especially in the summer. Between the lake, restaurants and sports, it’s a really fun and energetic place to live.”
Meredith Hoff ’24
Meredith Hoff ’24 says the same focus on connection and collaboration she discovered at Wofford continues to define her research at Northwestern University in Chicago.
“What has stayed with me most from my Wofford experience is the strong sense of community fostered on campus,” says Hoff. “The close-knit environment is truly unique, and I continue to value the relationships I built with friends and professors.”
Hoff’s research focuses on developing novel nanomaterials for electrochemical biosensing, which, more specifically, means detecting the HER2 protein, a biomarker used in the diagnosis and prognosis of breast cancer.
“Through this research, my colleagues and I aim to contribute to more sensitive and accessible diagnostic technologies to improve patient outcomes,” says Hoff, who majored in chemistry with minors in physics and mathematics at Wofford. She was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and is using those resources to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry at Northwestern. “I moved to Chicago to pursue the research opportunities available at Northwestern, but I was also excited about a change of pace and the experience of living in a large city. One of my favorite aspects of Chicago is the easy access to Lake Michigan, along with the abundance of concerts and musicals throughout the year.”
Julia Richardson ’24
Julia Richardson ’24 graduated in June with a master’s degree from the University of Chicago Divinity School. She says Wofford prepared her well.
“I credit my success at the University of Chicago — excelling in a rigorous, fast-paced and demanding academic environment — entirely to the Wofford mentors, professors and coursework that allowed me to blossom as a thinker and writer,” says Richardson. “Spending every day learning and feeling myself evolve both as a student and as a person has been tremendously rewarding. I’m constantly amazed that I got to have the experience of a lifetime in the greatest city in the world!”
Richardson, who will return to South Carolina after she finishes her degree, chose Chicago because of the quality of educational opportunities at the University of Chicago. She enjoyed the intellectual challenges, but she also loved exploring the city, from the Art Institute of Chicago to the coffee shops and vintage stores of Wicker Park.
Erin Simmonds ’15
Erin Simmonds ’15 says experiences she had as a Wofford student — studying abroad, deep conversation with faculty and staff mentors, undergraduate research, academic challenge and writing for the Old Gold & Black — helped her develop confidence and courage.
Now Chicago has given her opportunities to practice and expand those qualities.
“The professors at Wofford laid the foundation for the academic and professional pursuits I have undertaken since graduating,” says Simmonds. “I am forever indebted to them for fostering the skills and confidence I needed to build my career.”
Simmonds moved to Chicago immediately following graduation to pursue a master's degree at The University of Chicago Divinity School. Then she discovered a passion for the law. She switched directions and enrolled in law school, earning the Herbert L. Caplan Prize for Reform in Public and Constitutional Law for her paper on “Abortion and the Establishment Clause: A New Constitutional Method and Case Student,” which examined whether religious freedom arguments could be used in opposing anti-abortion laws that were religiously motivated but justified on secular grounds. A 2023 University of Chicago Law School graduate, she is now an associate with Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, an international litigation law firm specializing in high-stakes trials and corporate disputes. Her work focuses on commercial litigation and intellectual property lawsuits.
“I’ve lived here over 10 years now! Chicago has all the benefits of a big city while retaining the friendliness and ease of the Midwest,” says Simmonds. “I've found it to be a great fit for me, and my friends from Wofford love to come visit!”
Dr. Will Sharp ’89
Dr. Will Sharp ’89 remembers Dr. George Shiflet, at the time professor of biology, going out of his way to help design an independent Interim analyzing radiation in commercial milk samples in Norway following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. He also has fond memories of Dr. Charlie Bass, Dr. Don Castillo, Kay Castillo, Dr. Donald Dobbs and Dr. Lewis P. Jones ’38.
“The thing I remember most was how willing the faculty were to help us grow professionally and personally,” says Sharp. “I was also impressed by the invited faculty and scholars who came on occasion to talk on world events and the role we all had to play in the bigger world.”
Now Sharp is contributing to that bigger world as part of the Illinois medical community.
An emergency medicine physician and associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, Sharp is past president of the Illinois College of Emergency Physicians. He runs a National Institutes of Health-funded research program that investigates the role of mitochondrial injury and oxygen in post-cardiac arrest and co-directs an undergraduate course on cardiovascular and neuronal responses to stress. He’s also a regular medical volunteer at the Maria Shelter for Women’s free medical clinic.
Sharp completed his Ph.D. at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine then did a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He returned to USC to finish his M.D., during which he completed a Rotary Ambassadorial Fellowship at the University of Oxford in England. After an emergency medicine residency at the University of Michigan, he joined the faculty at the University of Chicago.
He and his wife of 27 years, Elaine, live in Chicago’s Hyde Park area. They have two children, Zach, a graduate of the University of Chicago and a financial analyst at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, N.C., and Elizabeth Grace, a student at Rice University.
Sharp has an active presence on LinkedIn, so reach out if you want to connect.
James Sutton ’19
James Sutton ’19 developed a love of Chicago during Interim his sophomore year.
“I spent the month living and working on a sales and trading desk in the city,” says Sutton, who now works in sales and trading derivatives for Wells Fargo in Chicago. “That experience sparked my interest in the business and ultimately led me to where I am today.”
Sutton says he loves the “fast-paced nature of the work and collaborating closely with clients and colleagues on complex strategies.” Outside of work, he enjoys exploring the city, the lake and golf courses. Staying active, keeping up with friends and following Chicago sports are other favorite pastimes.
After Wofford, Sutton began his career in Charlotte, where a classmate and friend working as a recruiter connected him with an opportunity in banking.
“That early support from the Wofford network played a big role in getting my career started,” says Sutton. “Wofford’s close-knit community has stayed with me the most, particularly the friendships that came from it. Being surrounded by classmates who quickly became lifelong friends, along with professors who genuinely cared about my growth, created an environment built on accountability and connection.”
Audrey Wiseman ’22
Audrey Wiseman ’22 loves Chicago for the same reasons she loved Wofford.
“When I started at Wofford, trying something and failing to meet my definition of success was the worst-case scenario,” says Wiseman. “Wofford gave me the space to step outside my comfort zone knowing I had an entire community behind me, regardless of the outcome.”
In Chicago she’s found that same type of community support from friends and colleagues she calls “some of the kindest, most humble people I’ve ever met. … Living in Chicago can be quite difficult during certain parts of the year, but everyone here would walk through snow, ice and wind to help a neighbor.”
Wiseman, who spent the first half of her childhood in the Midwest, says she listed Chicago as her first-choice destination on her Bank of America job application. When she got the job, she moved to the city without knowing another person. Wiseman, a computer science major at Wofford, began her Bank of America career in post-trade technology. She’s now assistant vice president and software engineer on the global market data team. She works from her West Loop office three times a week and from her home on the northwest side of the city the remaining two days.
“When I am not working, I love walking with my dog, Sonny, around the city as well as playing volleyball on North Avenue Beach, attending professional sporting events and trying as many new restaurants as possible,” says Wiseman.