Junior Jumpstart is an annual conference with a significant presence on campus every May. The university brings more than 60 speakers from the St. Louis area and across the country to share advice with students during this uniquely tailored event. A paramount experience, Junior Jumpstart initiates the final stages of the academic journey as students rise up into their final year at WashU.
The day after final exam period, students engage with recent alumni, field experts, and leaders to learn how to transition into life after graduation. Last year, the conference was fully in-person for the first time since the pandemic and had a strong turnout of students from all schools and majors. This year will continue Junior Jumpstart’s post-Covid revitalization with new-and-improved networking opportunities and hot topic panels.
Some of the myriad of sessions students can find at the conference include:
- Advice from young alumni who have broken into competitive fields
- Tips and timelines for medical, law, and graduate school applications
- Resume and interviewing techniques from HR professionals
- Information on national scholarship and fellowship opportunities
- Financial management tips and tools
- Networking opportunities
- And much more!
Due to this variety, the conference is perfect for students who know exactly what they want to do after graduation as well as those who are undecided.
Organizing this conference is no small feat. A planning committee — consisting of deans, directors, and advisors from across campus — collaborates year-round to plan the event, coordinate logistics, market Junior Jumpstart, and more. The student perspective is indispensable to ensure a fresh and relevant conference. For the Class of 2025, the Junior Jumpstart committee enthusiastically welcomes Katie Feeney to serve on the planning committee and be the official Junior Jumpstart Ambassador!
Katie Feeney is a senior majoring in biomedical engineering and minoring in materials science and engineering. She is from Memphis, Missouri, which is a very small town in the northeast corner of the state. Katie is an active member of Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) and Club Softball on campus and works part-time as a barista at Kaldi’s on Demun. She is in the process of applying to graduate school, with which she plans on earning her master's of science in prosthetics and orthotics. Often, Katie shadows at a local prosthetic and orthotic facility to get more experience in this field. She and her roommates have three cats, Paris, Sterling, and Nico, who are always down to play. She is an avid thoroughbred horse racing fan and works with them often. Her partner trains and Katie has her grooms license. They are always at the races at FanDuel every Saturday. Junior Jumpstart was a great opportunity for Katie to get focused on life after college. She hadn’t yet figured out what she really wanted to do but got a lot of information about what that could be. The conference was helpful to hear about the many options that she didn’t know about before, and it helped her focus her search for schools, jobs, and people to talk to.
Find out more about Junior Jumpstart and follow @juniorjumpstartwustl for junior year updates & opportunities. Register for the 2024 conference today!
