Family Comes First: Mom and Daughters Attend GU Together

For most students, going to college is a transitional experience away from family. For Michaela Thompson (’09) and her oldest daughters, it was an experience they shared together. 

Michaela’s oldest daughters Courtney (’10) and Brittany (’08) graduated from Gonzaga Prep before attending Gonzaga University. The family had a strong connection to the community since Michaela’s mom worked at Saint Aloysius. For Michaela’s daughters, the decision was easy. 

Brittany wanted to remain close to family. 

“My baby sister was only 8 at the time, and I didn’t want to miss seeing her grow up. I have also always enjoyed my hometown and was happy to explore it as a young adult,” Brittany said. 

Courtney felt similarly. “My family is really close, I had great friends and I’d been part of the Logan neighborhood for a long time,” she said, “I didn’t feel the push to get out like a lot of young people.” 

Michaela chose to attend Gonzaga University because she could manage it alongside working full-time and being a mom. She was also excited about the Jesuit servant leadership and theology courses.

With Michaela taking classes during untraditional hours and Courtney and Brittany balancing classes and work-study jobs, the three rarely saw each other on campus. So, they decided to take a math class together. 

“It was fun, it was really enjoyable,” Michaela said, “the professor would make jokes about the Thompson sisters.” 

“We sat next to each other in one of those rows of four seats every day together. I think the professor thought it was funny to have us all in there. We could meet up just before class from all our different directions and it was always fun to catch up with each other on our days before we started,” Courtney said. 

All three remember fond moments watching basketball games as a family and are grateful for the time they shared together, and with the youngest of the family, Gabrielle, who graduated in 2018.

“To share the Zag community with them was awesome,” Courtney said. “It was especially awesome to watch my mom go earn her degree after dedicating so many years to being our mom.”