With gratitude

I am an unlikely success story. As the second youngest of six children raised by a single mother, I struggled with ADHD and was a poor student. I was on a clear path toward failing until a few key people intervened and changed my trajectory.

There were three sixth grade classmates who pulled me away from a violent group, asking me to befriend them instead. There was Father William LeRoux at Seattle University, who stopped me on the campus lawns one day at the end of my freshman year when I was ready to quit; he told me he saw something in me, and he wouldn’t let me fail. And there was my mother, who taught me the vital lesson of being grateful for what I have.

In the grace-filled years that have followed, I have experienced gratitude in abundance, and it fills me now as I look back after a 40-year career in higher education.

After graduating from Seattle University, I started working there as an admissions counselor so I could help other students receive the same opportunity I had. This led to enrollment roles at Seattle University and Sonoma State University, and eventually to fundraising leadership at the University of Portland and Santa Clara University, where I have served for the past 12 years.

During my time at the University of Portland and Santa Clara, I have had the privilege of leading teams that have raised over $1.5 billion. These funds have helped transform both campuses into world-class institutions and established hundreds of annual scholarships. To me, every student who receives one represents a dream come true.

Personally, living in a state of gratitude brings me immense peace and joy. Professionally, I witness this same joy in our donors. I see it in members of the Sobrato Family Foundation board, who are required to donate their stipends to nonprofits and are surprised at the joy it brings them. I see it in Jeff and Karen Miller, who donated $25 million to create the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Jeff often tells me they feel even more joyful now, seeing their generosity lift up generations of families, than they did the day they made the gift.

As I approach my retirement from Santa Clara, I know I will never work for money again. I am eager to give back in ways that feed my soul. Maybe helping a Jesuit university in Mexico, working with Catholic Relief Services, or supporting “horrible” students who—just like I once did—simply need some grace.

Every night, I begin my prayers with the simplest sentiment: “God, I thank you for this day.” To that, I can only add: “I thank you for the gift of this life.”