Earlier this week, Jose Carranza (’51, pictured below) reached out to some of my Advancement Colleagues. He explained that while he was browsing through the names of donors who’ve been giving to Gonzaga for fifty years or more, he recognized one that had special meaning to him. It was a young woman with whom he’d interned in laboratory technology at a hospital in Yakima from 1951-1952—Gladys (Cerenzia) Peretti (’51, pictured below). He hadn’t seen her for 71 years, but when he saw her name, her knew he needed to find a way to connect with her.
Thanks to their Zag network connections, two old friends have reconnected and at 91-years of age, Gladys tells they are already emailing back and forth. But that’s just one way to “Ignite the Zag Network,” as we are all called to do this year in celebration of Gonzaga Day on February 11. By reflecting on the Gonzaga connections we have and how those connections can help ourselves and others to discover friendships and relationships, career opportunities and more, we all have the power to (as I’m sure you’ve heard before) “Set the world on fire.”
I’d love to hear how your Zag network has impacted your life—who connected, inspired, led or helped you grow?
Top row, second from the left (number 9): Jose Carranza (’51) with Gonzaga’s 1948-49 Pan-American Club
Third from right, AWSGU President Gladys (Cerenzia) Peretti (’51) enjoys a new student lounge with classmates.