What Do JMU Parents Do?
By Marissa McCormick
Tyler Verdeyen has met four presidents of the United States: Obama, Bush II, Clinton, and Carter.
The senior justice studies major’s Presidents Day Instagram was a little more prestigious than most. In the picture there’s a young Verdeyen smiling in the Oval Office, one hand in his father’s, the other in President Bill Clinton’s.
The caption; “Just one of the perks of having an awesome dad.”
Verdeyen’s father worked in the Secret Service as the head of operations for 27 years, retiring in 2012.
When examining the JMU population, the focus is almost entirely on the students. But what about their parents? Unbeknownst to their peers, the parents of JMU students lead novel lives.
For about three weeks each moth, Verdeyen wouldn’t see his father.
“My dad traveled a lot, and most of the time I had no idea where to. I just knew that wherever the president would be, my dad would be there too.”
Verdeyen’s father has been all over the world with various presidents. His dad once called him asking if he wanted anything from Cambodia. Verdeyen didn’t even know where Cambodia was.
“Whenever I met a president, they knew my dad really well. Most of them seemed like they were good friends.”
The occupations and lives of the parents of JMU students isn’t common talk on campus. When asked the question, “what do you parents do?” It revealed incredible stories from inspiring people.
Maddy Siraco, a freshman sports recreation major, says the Boston Marathon bombing was the scariest day of her life.
Her mother, a pediatric doctor, was volunteering at the finish line for the sixth straight year when the bombs went off.
“I remember turning on the TV and going absolutely numb.”
Miraculously her mother wasn’t harmed, but wanted to do everything to help.
“My mom told me she started running directly at the bomb…She said it was her instinct even though it wasn’t very smart.”
Rachel Bily, a senior psychology major, comes from family of lawyers.
Bily’s father is a retired Jag officer, or military lawyer. Her mother is a lawyer’s assistant and her older sister just passed the New York Bar Exam.
When asked if she would get into law, Bily responded, “you couldn’t pay me to become a lawyer.”
For most, the occupations of their parents have a direct correlation to their choice of major, both positively and negatively.
Colleen Bordiuk’s father is a podiatrist, or an expert on the foot. Bordiuk’s major? Art.
Kaitlyn Johnston, a senior hospitality major has no plans to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Johnston’s mother is an education professor at University of North Carolina Greensboro. She has written a textbook titled, Word’s Their Way, Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction.
Johnston, pulling up a version of the textbook on her phone, confesses, “I wouldn’t know anything that’s going on in that book.”
Senior Kathryn McDonald, however, is fulfilling her dream of becoming an engineer, just like her father.
McDonald’s father received a nuclear engineering degree from Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and has stayed ever since.
Her father worked his was up from Dean of Athletics to Dean of Admissions, then finally this past summer was appointed Rear Admiral, or the Big Kahuna.
“It’s weird to think that my dad is President Alger to the students at Mass Maritime.”
McDonald recently had a friend tell her that she just saw her father on CNN.
“I turned on the TV and sure enough, there was my father on national television.”
CNN wanted his expertise on a giant container ship that sank during Hurricane Joaquin.
When students explain their parents’ professions, they tend to light up.
Paige Stickevers’ parents do something on the side of their desk jobs. Combined, Stickevers’ parents have swum in over 20 competitive ocean races.
The junior CSD major explains that competitive ocean swimming is much harder than regular swimming.
Her father races the five-mile, while her mother sticks with the three-mile. The race starts with a sprint to the ocean, then a swim through choppy ice-cold water.
“At some points they were cupping and swallowing seaweed…And you can’t swim straight because you’ll get sucked into the current.”
After the swim, it’s another sprint to the top of the beach.
Stickevers, who grew up swimming in high school, doesn’t plan on doing an ocean swim but admires her parents for it.
“They’re incredible.”
Senior Mike Karon’s father is an accountant. Karon explains, “He’s the hardest working man I know.”
Megan Iaconelli, a junior nursing major, has two teachers for parents.
Junior Phoebe McGrath’s mother is a nurse. So is Senior Gabby Erestain’s father.
Kelsey Vidal’s father used to sell Trojan condoms to drug stores. The senior IDLS major remembers opening the medicine cabinet as a kid and finding hundreds of extra condoms.
“It was a confusing experience because I had no idea what condoms were and my parents had a pretty hard time explaining them to me.”
Justice studies and economics major Shelby Rombach’s mother was a copy editor at People magazine.
Junior Liza Miller’s mother is a special education teacher and her father owns his own landscaping business.
Joseph Owen’s father is a pediatric hematologist oncologist at The Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk.
“My dad has to tell parents that their child has cancer. I don’t know how he does it.”
Owen’s father has won the “Top Doc” award from Coastal Virginia magazine for the past two years.
Senior Kris Young’s mother is a stay-at-home-mom.
“She’s the greatest stay at home mom you’ll ever meet.”
Students at JMU are proud of their parents, and many of them consider them their role models.
Verdeyen concludes, “If I could be half the man my father is, I’ll be pretty alright.”
[Published in Madison 101, 2016 Issue]