It gives us great pleasure to welcome all of you on behalf of Gonzaga’s Parent/Family Council. As parents of a sophomore student, we know and share in your excitement and the array of emotions you are surely experiencing. The journey you have begun, as my wife Mary Beth and I are still discovering, will be filled with highs and lows, questions and new discoveries. We are constantly learning, and, because Rebecca is a first-generation student, we are eager to absorb every new experience.

At home, being natives of Colorado, we spend a great amount of time enjoying the outdoors with both of our children, Rebecca and Jessica, a sophomore in high school. I work as a firefighter and my wife as a floral designer. The roots of our family spread from Mexico to Alabama and beyond. And what continues to amaze us is how Gonzaga has become such a big part of our tight-knit family.

The first time our daughter mentioned Gonzaga our first thought was, “Where is that? Spokane?” Though it was further than we expected her to travel, we knew that most importantly she needed our support. And as we soon realized, WE, as parents needed much of the same. We received this support, a wealth of knowledge, and sincere hospitality at the send-off event for new students that summer.  Many of our questions were answered, but out of our own insecurity of not wanting to ask a ‘dumb question’ in front of everyone, we decided to wait to speak with one of the many representatives in person. We carefully stalked our prey and pounced when we felt the time was right! Our victim was Amy Swank, Director of the Parent/Family Office. At the time, we had no idea where this meeting would eventually take us, but after speaking with Amy we knew that she and her office would be a resource that we would tap into on many levels.

It was during our time at Orientation weekend that we fell in love with Gonzaga and came to a place that we felt very comfortable in leaving our daughter over a thousand miles from home. We also were asked by Amy if we would join the Parent/Family Council. My wife and I were both initially apprehensive. We wondered what it was we would be able to offer Gonzaga University. It’s only with a bit of hindsight that we now truly appreciate her offer. And it’s with great pride we were recently asked to be the national chairs for the Council.

Many of you are just now discovering what homesickness, no communication and the “how do I do laundry?” syndrome feel like. We share your concerns and laughter. Witnessing our daughter’s growth has been such a life-changing experience for our entire family, and it has only just begun.  We expect to be faced with many more “syndrome” moments in Rebecca’s career at Gonzaga!

On behalf of the Parent/Family Council, we want to welcome you to the Gonzaga Family. If you are on campus for Fall Family Weekend, please take the opportunity to learn as much as you can about your student’s home-away-from-home. We also want to welcome you to the ups (and downs) of the next four years; it’s sure to be a rollercoaster of growth… for both you and your student!