Some of us are born great, some of us have greatness thrust upon us, and some of us find out we were always meant to be T-birds.
It’s no secret in my family that I am a product of Thunderbird. My parents met in the Career Management Center (CMC) in 1990 and had their first date after Interfest (think the old Regional Night). By the time they both graduated a year later, fates were all but sealed, and my mom had to quickly learn Spanish to prepare for a move to Mexico with him. Cute, loving, and international. The Thunderbird way.
Fast forward a couple decades, and I was applying to graduate schools knowing full well that there was one thing I need above all others: a global mindset. There was no way I would go to any school without some claim to help me work outside of the U.S. afterwards, and, with a quick Google search, Thunderbird topped the list. Perfect! Nothing like being a Legacy to help my application, after all.
As I sat down to begin filling out my application, however, my mom started sending me text after text after text. “Don’t forget to tell them your Grandpa Van went to Thunderbird! Oh! And your Uncle Chris! And your godparents. And two uncles on your dad’s side! And…” The list went on. I was in shock. Somehow I had stumbled across a family legacy no one had ever bothered to tell me about! This felt like some comic book moment where they discover an ancient relic and learn about their family’s secret power. At the very least, I knew there was no way I could go to any other school now.
It turned out that I wasn’t the third T-bird in the family but actually the eighth! Both of my parents had been the third T-birds to come from their respective sides. After my Tio Pepe got to know my Tia Maggie at a T-bird Tuesday event, and they became my Godparents, I was basically blessed by God to make my way to this school one day. How’s that for some Legacy Superpower?
Previous
Next