F&M Stories
Ensuring the Success of the College That Brought Them Together
Katja Seim ’95 and John Parapatt ’95 count many reasons for being grateful to F&M, but most importantly for bringing them together for the first time at the French House in 1992. Today, they live in New Haven, Conn., and have two teenage children.
Katja came to F&M from Germany and majored in economics and mathematics. John, who grew up in Zambia and India, majored in philosophy and mathematics. They both worked in economic consulting after graduation. Katja subsequently earned her doctorate in economics, while John attended law school and business school.
Katja is a professor at Yale and teaches in both the economics department and Yale’s School of Management. Her research is in industrial organization at the intersection of strategy and government. John is a vice president in strategy and consulting at Pfizer, supporting the company’s International Commercial Division.
And they are supporters of F&M, giving generously to the Franklin & Marshall Fund each year and providing a bequest for the College in their estate plan.
“Our giving is motivated by a desire for other students to have the opportunities
that we had, including financial support.”
Katja and John are grateful for the solid educational foundation F&M provided, which enabled them to move on to excellent graduate schools and fulfilling careers.
“We have reflected on how we were lucky to have great professors and to develop relationships with them,” they said. “And, we count classmates from F&M among our closest friends.”
John says Glenn Ross, the Dr. Elijah E. Kresge Professor of Philosophy, was his adviser. “I loved my classes with him, and we became friends,” John remembered. “Once, I house-sat for his family; unfortunately, when they returned, they discovered that their dog had a new habit of climbing onto the couch!”
Katja especially remembers William Whitesell, the Henry P. and Mary B. Stager Professor of Economics, who was secretary of banking for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania before becoming a professor. “Professor Whitesell taught ‘Money and Banking,’ which was a very popular class,” Katja said. “Seeing the link between theory and practice was exciting and encouraged me to study economics beyond F&M.”
Katja and John both participated in the mentorship program through F&M’s Center for Career and Professional Development. They shared their appreciation for how F&M has “stayed committed to attracting international students, an economically diverse student body, and great faculty.”
“Our giving is motivated by a desire for other students to have the opportunities that we had, including financial support,” John said. “Our giving expanded in recent years…perhaps this greater commitment comes from a realization that we are the College and we want to do our part to ensure its success.”
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