It's all in the Santa Clara family

By Andrea Ragni

As Mother's Day approaches, Santa Clara students will be celebrating their moms. Some students and their mothers share the university itself, a bond that transcends the generation gap.

Sophomore Mike Duyn is eager to share his mother's experiences, as well as his own.

"My mom used to bring me here all the time when I was little for any possible reason she could think of," Duyn said. "Basketball games, plays, you name it we were here. She used to tell me about all the things that happened on and around campus, and actually, this is where she met my dad."

Learning what has changed at Santa Clara is part of the fun for mothers and their children.

"When my mom went here in the late 1970s, there were numerous on-campus parties and dances put on by a club called the Charlie Graham Club," Duyn said. "Artists such as Journey and Steve Martin performed here, and the (old) Leavey Center had just been built. It just gives me an idea of how many things have changed over time, but still some have remained the same. It's a cool feeling to be able to share those things with my mom."

àSophomore Deidre Mraz also shares Santa Clara with her mom.

"My mom always told me stories about Santa Clara, and even though some of the stories got old after awhile, I always had Santa Clara on my mind," she said. "It seemed like a natural choice for me to come here."

It is easy to talk to her mom about things like eating at Benson or names of dorms, Mraz explains. Her mom usually knows what she is talking about.

Mraz even took a class from a professor her mom had in college. Professor Mario Belotti in the economics department gives mother and daughter a unique topic of conversation.

Mraz found that Santa Clara is the school her mom describes. The biggest difference is the dorm situation. "When my mom went here, she lived in an all-female dorm called Nobili, and they had a bedtime, in which a nun would come around and check to see if everyone was in bed," Mraz explained.

Sharing college memories with one's mother is something not every student can do. Those who can, like Mraz and Duyn, consider themselves fortunate.

"It was such a strange feeling to walk back through everything with Mike to see how it had changed," said Duyn's mom, Denise. "Although it seemed just like yesterday since I had been here myself."

û Contact Andrea Ragni at aragni@scu.edu