“I realized why go anywhere else,” said Will, who actually lives in the same West Eggleston room that Dawson lived in as a first-year student. “Why leave the community here when I know that the community’s just what I’m looking for? I got to know that from just being involved in my older sister’s and older brother’s communities. … That was extremely important for me going in because community can create and foster livelihood, so it’s something that everyone needs.”
“They all made their own separate decisions to attend Virginia Tech based on different reasons,” Lisa said. “It’s not like we said, ‘You really need to go here. This is your only option.’ They applied everywhere, and they made their own decisions to come, but I think they did see the benefit of ‘older brother had this opportunity and I really want to have that too.’”
Last year, Lisa began working on a master’s degree in leadership studies. Only the youngest child, a junior in high school, remains at home, and with the other three having left the house, Lisa found herself with additional spare time.
A longtime employee of the university, Lisa spent 10 years in an academic dean’s office before moving into Student Affairs, where she works as a staff member within Cook Counseling Center. Virginia Tech’s tuition assistant program for employees enables her to take six hours of courses for free each spring, summer, and fall, or up to 12 hours a year.
“I just always want to be learning and growing and changing and this is the first time I actually had the time to work on the degree itself,” she said. “I really love anything that has to do with a student thriving and success, or anything that benefits or contributes to student wholeness and well-being.
“That was also why I wanted to join in the work of Student Affairs because there is that focus on well-being and just kind of overall holistic student success and thriving. I really have a heart for that with everything, whether it’s students, staff, or faculty.”
The four of them being at Virginia Tech allows them to maintain close familial ties. Joe and Lisa are members of the University Club, so the family often gets together for breakfast, and the children occasionally will meet each other or their mom for lunch. They all usually participate in family dinners when possible, and Sunday nights are regularly reserved for ice cream dates.
All three are heavily involved with Young Life, a faith-based ministry with a focus on mentoring local high school and middle school kids, helping them grow in their faith, and following Jesus. Dawson and Katie serve as leaders, and Will is training to be one.
“The campus is definitely big enough for them to live their own lives and connect when they want to and not when they don’t,” Lisa said. “It’s interesting. They do have a lot of the same friends and so they do maintain the relationships with one another. They didn’t follow each other to Virginia Tech necessarily, but they benefit from each other’s social networks. I think they really enjoy having that familiarity with each other and with the campus.”
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