Courtesy of Patty Esposito

Patty Esposito ‘80 (bottom middle) is a loyal Villanovan and basketball season ticket holder.

The Villanova community becomes a family from the small 260-acre campus to the Sunday evening Masses. In a sense, it is a home away from home for many students, as well as alumni. 

For Patty Esposito (’80), Villanova is still a part of her life 45 years after graduation. During her time at Villanova, she was a cheerleader for the basketball and football teams. She also met her husband, Jim (’79), at Villanova. Esposito still cheers for Villanova, but now, she cheers from her seat inside the Finneran Pavilion as a season ticket holder.

“[Villanova] is not a four-year [thing],” Esposito said. “I think some people go to college for four years and they move on, but Villanova, it just kind of stays with you.”

Esposito graduated from Villanova in 1980 with a degree in sociology and criminal justice. She took up that degree intending to become an FBI agent.

Unfortunately for Esposito, her graduation lined up with President Jimmy Carter’s federal job freeze, which lasted from March 14, 1980, to January of 1981. She was the first in her family to graduate from college, and her father was putting pressure on her to find a job.

On Aug. 4, 1980, Esposito started her job not as an FBI agent, but as an insurance broker at one of the world’s largest insurance companies, Marsh McLennan. Since her start at the company in August of 1980, she has raised three kids, Connor (‘10), Emily (‘13) and Reily (‘16), and has worked there ever since.

From having a 45-year career at one company to being a 45-year Villanova basketball season ticket holder, Esposito’s dedication to Villanova is not to be questioned.

In 2016, Esposito was awarded with the University’s oldest award, the Loyalty Award.

Per Villanova’s website, “The Loyalty Award is presented to Villanova alumni who have rendered distinguished service to the University. Instituted in 1932 by the Villanova University Club of Greater Philadelphia, this award is the oldest in the University’s history.”

Esposito’s loyalty is her way of paying back what Villanova gave her. Her three kids, Connor (‘10), Emily (‘13) and Reily (‘16) all went to Villanova, as well. Her son, Connor Esposito (‘10), played soccer at Villanova from 2006 to 2010. Family and Villanova are two things that complement each other perfectly.

“I can say that everything good that’s happened in my life, I can bring back to Villanova,” Esposito said. “My marriage, I met my husband at Villanova, my career, my degree. My lifelong friends are from Villanova. I think Villanova molded me into the person that I am today. The freshman that I came in as is not the same person as the senior I came out as.”

What Villanova gave Esposito makes her feel like she owes something back to the University. She still helps the cheer and dance teams out financially. From 2011 to 2016, she served two, three-year terms on the Villanova University Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Due to the fact that her son, Connor, played soccer for Villanova, the Esposito family decided to help fund the program. In 2012,  Esposito and her husband, Jim, created the James T. Esposito (’79) and Patricia M. Esposito (’80) Family Endowed Fund for Men’s Soccer. The goal of the fund is to enhance the Villanova men’s soccer program. 

Despite living an hour and 40 minutes away from campus, the Espositos still attend every men’s basketball home game. Esposito could count on her hands the amount of home games she has missed over the last 45 years.

“You don’t go to Villanova for four years,” Esposito said. “You go for a lifetime.”