Should parents weekend be rebranded as family weekend? The internal debate has been stirring in me all weekend, and I officially concluded my answer to be YES. Although, I should give credit where it is due. My nine-year-old little brother, José.
“Yeah, it was cool. College is actually fun.”
Esteemed words from him. Now, if you understand anything about children, you know it is extremely hard to impress them, especially a kid whose only values are playing baseball, competing with his friends on Fortnite, watching Youtube, and dissecting his fantasy football team to a T. José will never fully admit it, but I could tell that he enjoyed himself more than he expected to. Surprisingly, he actually sacrificed College GameDay on the couch to tailgate at Villanova.
Expanding parents weekend to other family members provides students with a unique opportunity to introduce their families to their lives here at Nova.
Sophomore student, Gabrielle Mazzini, commented, “My whole family came. It was so nice for my sister and brother to be here, especially when they get to meet all my friends that I talk about.”
She raised a great point. Most of our family members have never met all of our friends and their families. So, the chance to put faces to names is exceedingly important. As college students, it is always hard being away from home, whether you are from New Jersey or California. But, the opportunity to show our families the Villanova life is strikingly heartwarming. We want our families to believe that we love it at Villanova and for them to understand the strong community that we are a part of.
At home. Those were the words that sophomore, Ella Girzadas, used to describe her weekend. Given that Villanova is her new home, it meant the world to her that she was able to intersect her Chicago family with her Villanova one. Her older brother, Peter, attended as well. Ella felt nervous at first because her brother could be picky given his college career at Wisconsin. Obviously, they take football tailgates a little more seriously. It was Peter’s first time coming to Villanova, so she wanted to make sure it was a good experience. But, her expectations were greatly exceeded.
“It was so fun to have my whole family here and spend time all together because now that Peter moved to New Hampshire for work, we are not able to all see each other as much.”
Ella’s experience is similar to many. Introducing your families to your new life is always a little nerve wracking, but ultimately, the experience pays off.
In the end, the thing that all of our families share is their love for us. When they are able to see how much we succeed here, they feel a sense of joy and pride.
My mom, Luz Elena Chapa, shared, “I have comfort in knowing Luz has found her college home where she is happy and thriving surrounded by many who have embraced her. I know she has a sense of belonging at Villanova because she behaves as her true, authentic self without hesitation. That to me speaks volumes.”
I am sure if you ask your parents, they would share a similar sentiment. College offers the freedom to establish a sense of self and figure out what you want to do with your life. I was proud to show off the new life that I am creating for myself through Villanova. So, the weekend rebranding is significant because as many family members as possible should be initiated to the Villanova life. The Villanova community is already one big family. What are a few more?
