From a cold call to a cherished connection

The Wheaton College community is built on a foundation of lifelong connection and mutual support. Inspired by the powerful stories and connections between alumni, writer Christine Koh ’95 has set out to chronicle the unique ways our alumni impact one another’s lives.

Originally featured in the Fall 2025 Wheaton Magazine, this series brings to light how graduates across different generations are shifting trajectories and creating meaningful relationships. Read the first feature about Shiwei Julia Huang ’15 and Sandra Sable Gilpatrick ’95.

Share Your Story
Do you have a story of alumni connection or support? We’d love to hear it. Submit your story here.

The book publishing industry is not for the faint of heart, but Janis Robinson Daly ’84 and Ashley Sweeney ’79 know that the journey of a writer—even in moments of uncertainty or rejection—can be joyful and collaborative.

Robinson Daly and Sweeney’s relationship started with a cold call. Cold, that is, save Wheaton College as the common thread. 

Robinson Daly (photo, left)—who was working on the first draft of her first book—learned through the Wheaton Quarterly class notes that Sweeney, who graduated five years ahead of her, had released her first historical fiction title, Eliza Waite. Robinson Daly sent Sweeney a cold email through Sweeney’s website, asking if she might be willing to impart advice about writing historical fiction. Robinson Daly made that ask trusting in what she knew about the type of person who attended Wheaton.

“My time at Wheaton was all about meeting other women and developing relationships and friendships in a very supportive atmosphere,” said Robinson Daly, a historical fiction author and author marketing consultant who majored in psychology at Wheaton. “That support extended after graduation and I was pretty confident Ashley would respond to my email because we were from that same era of Wheaton’s history.”

Sweeney (photo, right), a historical fiction author who completed a combined major in American literature and history at Wheaton, responded to Robinson Daly’s email immediately. “I responded quickly because of the Wheaton connection,” shared Sweeney. “I adored my time at Wheaton and was so fortunate to have incredible mentors and supporters in Sam Coale, Nancy Norton, and Sharon Howard. There was no way I could ignore that email.”

That small digital moment sparked a relationship that swiftly moved from writing mentorship to marketing support to friendship. Sweeney mentored Robinson Daly through the writing and publishing process, reading each of Robinson Daly’s now three manuscripts and providing critical feedback based on her expertise writing critically acclaimed historical fiction. Robinson Daly then leveraged her professional marketing experience to help Sweeney promote her four novels. The two keep in touch regularly via text.

It also turned out that because the women graduated five years apart they could connect in person at Wheaton’s Commencement & Reunion. While both women have been active alumni volunteers—Robinson Daly has served on the Alumni Recognition Committee, as a class secretary, and as an Admission Office volunteer, and Sweeney wrote class notes and made Annual Fund calls for about 10 years—being on campus together was a reminder of the college’s powerful relational connective tissue.

“I look back on my Wheaton years as some of the best years of my life,” shared Sweeney. Robinson Daly noted that she was a shy wallflower in high school, and that Wheaton gave her the confidence and community to help her grow and thrive. “My classmates have rallied around me, including people I hadn’t talked to in many years. Wheaton has given me so much.”

Both women advise leaning into Wheaton’s unique network to connect and find ways to support one another. Sweeney recommends reading all of the class notes to look for inspiration on how to connect across classes. “We have this one life to live, and for those of us who have received so much, we need to give back at any opportunity,” she noted. 

Robinson Daly acknowledged that it can feel difficult to put yourself out there, but that it’s critical to just go for it. “Don’t reach out assuming the worst,” advised Robinson Daly. “People want to help other people. Anticipate that it will be a positive outcome and know that the person you are reaching out to was probably in the same boat as you are at some point in their lives.”

Sweeney and Robinson Daly are both now established authors and their connection to one another is mutually illuminating and fortifying. Sweeney noted that one of her biggest takeaways from her relationship with Robinson Daly is that when women work together and lift one another up, everyone wins. 

Robinson Daly shared that beyond the tangibles of publishing books, Sweeney’s mentorship helped her believe in herself. “From the get go, she championed my work. She gave me feedback with complete honesty, and her honesty and affirmation that I was on the right path helped me keep doing and dreaming.”

Indeed, one of Sweeney’s core beliefs is that you need to believe in your work and not give up on your dreams. “My first novel [Eliza Waite] received 47 rejections before it was accepted, and it received the Nancy Pearl Book Award. Dreams can become a reality. Some of it has to do with talent, some has to do with sheer opportunity, but some has to do with time. Don’t shortchange your dreams.”

The Wheaton connection doesn’t end at graduation or reunion. Whether you have five minutes to update your info or five hours a month to mentor a student, your involvement strengthens our entire community.

Ways to Engage

No matter how you choose to show up, your engagement makes a meaningful impact on the next generation of Lyons.

Tagged