Student Feature: Generations of Penguins continue their family legacy at YSU

FEATURE STORY

Story by: Aicha Sawaneh, Professional Communication Graduate Student

For some students, the journey to Youngstown State University begins long before their first day of classes. It begins with stories from parents and family members, memories made on campus and a connection to YSU that has been passed from one generation to the next.

As a new generation of Penguins begins their own college experience, legacy students are building on their families’ connections to YSU while creating traditions, experiences and memories of their own.

For Kayla Bland, beginning her first semester at Youngstown State University feels both new and familiar.

Bland, an exercise science major from East Palestine, Ohio, grew up with connections to YSU. Her father attended the university as an accounting major, and her brother is currently a civil engineering student at YSU.

Those family connections gave Bland a glimpse of university life long before she became a Penguin herself. She remembers hearing stories from her father about fitting basketball games at the recreation center into his schedule between classes.

“He used to go and play basketball at the rec with his friends, and they would have to hurry up in between classes to make sure they could fit their games in,” Bland said.

Her own memories of YSU extend beyond her father’s college experience. Growing up, Bland’s mother brought her and her siblings to the Butler Institute of American Art, creating memories she still associates with the area around campus.

“My mom used to take me and my siblings up here all the time to go and look around at old paintings,” Bland said. “So just going through there brings back a lot of memories.”

Despite those connections, attending YSU was still a decision Bland made for herself. She considered larger, private colleges before ultimately deciding that YSU’s proximity to home and the connections she already had to the university made it the right choice.

Now in her first semester, that familiarity has helped make the transition to college easier.

“Just walking around campus and knowing that I know some people here and I know where everything is,” she said. “It’s close to home. It’s easy.”

Bland has already started creating experiences of her own. She attended her first YSU football game and plans to join the Pre-Physician Assistant Society. She is also considering joining a sorority and the newly forming golf club, where her brother serves as vice president.

As she begins establishing her own place at YSU, Bland said she feels proud to continue a connection that started with her father and now includes both her and her brother.

“My dad started it, and now me and my brother are both here,” she said.

Her father’s advice has also followed her into college: work hard, but don’t allow the experience to become more stressful than necessary.

“If you want to do well, just do your best and don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Bland said of the advice he gives her.

For Bland, attending YSU is not simply about following the same path as her family. It gives them another experience they can share while she begins creating her own. “I think it’s fun because we can all share our experiences together,” she said.

And as she begins this new chapter, Bland sees her college experience as something her entire family can experience alongside her.

“I feel like it’s more of a family thing,” she said. “I’m going to college, but they’re there supporting me. So they’ll be seeing me go through all these new stages.”

Emily Wilaj grew up seeing firsthand how Youngstown State University shaped the lives of the people closest to her.

Wilaj, a marketing major with a minor in sports journalism from Campbell, Ohio, is continuing a family connection to YSU that includes both her mother and brother.

Wilaj’s mother earned her bachelor’s degree in education from YSU, and her brother also graduated from the university, earning both his undergraduate degree through the Williamson College of Business Administration and his master’s degree at YSU.

Their experiences played a major role in Wilaj’s decision to attend.

“I always looked at my mom as a role model growing up and wanted to be like her. Same with my brother,” Wilaj said. “Seeing them do all these great things at YSU, I thought it’d be the perfect place for me to do the same.”

Before becoming a student herself, Wilaj was already familiar with campus. She attended events for her brother, including scholarship and honors programs, and came to YSU basketball games with her family.

Although she considered other colleges, Wilaj said the opportunities available at YSU ultimately stood out. Before she even entered a classroom, she had already secured a campus job and began forming connections through the business college.

“I met some really great people there who connected me with the right people,” Wilaj said.

Those early connections have continued to shape her experience. Wilaj said the people she has met through work and campus involvement helped confirm that YSU was the right choice for her.

“Meeting the people around me was definitely a good moment because I knew I was right exactly where I was supposed to be,” she said.

Wilaj has since become heavily involved in both marketing and athletics at YSU. One of the experiences that has become especially meaningful is announcing at basketball games, where members of her family have been able to watch her create her own place within the university community.

“Both my mom and dad will come watch me at the basketball games as I announce,” Wilaj said. “It’s nice looking up in the stands and seeing them and then them being so excited being there.”

Her grandfather also became part of that experience, attending games and proudly telling others in the stands that Wilaj was his granddaughter.

For Wilaj, those moments represent more than campus involvement. They show how her family’s connection to YSU has evolved as she has begun creating her own memories.

“I feel like I’ve made my own family history here, incorporating all of my family,” she said.

Wilaj said one of the things she looked forward to most when beginning college was the opportunity to start a new chapter and establish herself in a new environment.

“It’s just like a new page of my story,” she said. “I’m a fresh new person and not everybody knows me here yet, so I get to make a new image for myself, and I’m one step closer to meeting my goals.”

Her mother also encouraged her to make the most of every opportunity.

“My mom told me to try everything. Do not count yourself out from anything,” Wilaj said. “Talk to everybody you meet and take every opportunity that you can possibly get.”

As Wilaj continues her own YSU journey, she hopes her experiences can also inspire others, particularly young women interested in pursuing careers in sports.

“I hope that I can be a role model for young women everywhere trying to break through an ambitious field, such as sports, and serve as a role model that you can do anything here,” she said.

For Wilaj, being a legacy student is ultimately about honoring the people who helped shape her path while still creating something uniquely her own.

“Being a legacy student means building my own story, but not forgetting the chapters and the people, the characters who got me here along the way,” Wilaj said.

A connection to Youngstown State University spans generations in Ella Thompson’s family.

Thompson, a sophomore communication major from Kinsman, Ohio, follows in the footsteps of her grandfather, mother and aunt, all of whom attended YSU. Her grandfather studied engineering and was a member of Sigma Alpha Phi fraternity, her mother studied business and her aunt studied early childhood education.

Growing up, Thompson regularly heard about their experiences at the university. Her grandfather still shares stories from his fraternity days and has remained connected with many of his fraternity brothers, while her mother often points out places around campus she remembers from her time as a student.

“My mom still talks about YSU all the time,” Thompson said. “She’ll be like, ‘Oh, I used to park there. Oh, I used to go there.’”

YSU was also familiar to Thompson long before she became a student. Growing up in the area, she visited campus for school field trips, attended events in Youngstown and spent time at the Butler Institute of American Art with her grandfather.

“I feel like just being from around this area, you’re honestly on campus more than you even realize,” Thompson said.

Although YSU had always been in the back of her mind, Thompson initially attended another university. When she realized it was not the right fit, the familiarity, proximity to family and opportunities available at YSU helped make her next decision clear.

“I knew YSU was the right choice,” Thompson said. “I have had the best experience here. I love it so much.”

Her family’s experiences also played a significant role in that decision. Thompson said seeing their success at YSU, along with the affordability and opportunities available to her, made attending the university feel like a natural choice.

Since arriving, Thompson has focused on making the experience her own. She hopes to become more involved on campus, build connections and take advantage of opportunities that can prepare her for life after college.

“I’m most looking forward to the experience I’m going to get and everything that I’m going to get out of this,” Thompson said. “I feel like I can get really good connections, and I can network with people, so just setting myself up the best way I possibly can for after college.”

The advice passed down from her family has encouraged her to step outside what feels comfortable and embrace new experiences.

“Not much can happen inside of your comfort zone,” Thompson said. “You have to get outside of your comfort zone and try new things because that’s where the best things happen.”

Continuing her family’s connection to YSU is something Thompson said makes both her and her family proud. She hopes the experiences she creates at the university will eventually become stories she can pass along to another generation.

“I hope my kids will want to go here and they can hear about my experiences here,” Thompson said.

When asked what being a YSU legacy student means to her, Thompson returned to the generations who came before her.

“Being a YSU legacy student means so much to me because I am blessed to be able to carry on my family’s legacy and walk in the same footsteps that they walked in,” Thompson said.

Long before Giovanni Docherty became a YSU student, he had already experienced campus through his mother’s journey.

Docherty, a doctor of physical therapy student from Lowellville, Ohio, is following a path first established by his mother, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Youngstown State University in 2017 and now serves as a nursing instructor at YSU.

Her path to YSU was not traditional. Docherty said his mother left high school and later earned her GED before deciding to pursue nursing, a decision he said transformed her life.

“It completely changed her life,” Docherty said. “When she decided she wanted to do nursing, it was like a full 180.”

One of Docherty’s earliest memories of YSU came when he was around 9 or 10 years old. When his babysitter canceled one day and his father was working, he accompanied his mother to class and sat beside her in a large lecture hall.

“I remember I was super little, and I was in the lecture hall with my mom,” Docherty said. “It was my first time doing something like that, just walking across campus and seeing all the older kids. I knew that not many kids my age had that experience.”

Years later, that memory came full circle when Docherty found himself taking a class in the same lecture hall.

“It might sound kind of goofy to some people, but to me, it has sentimental value,” he said.

Although YSU remained in the back of his mind because of his mother’s experience, Docherty initially considered other universities as he explored different career paths. He first considered pharmacy before realizing he wanted a career that would allow him to maintain his connection to sports.

That realization led him to exercise science and eventually physical therapy. Docherty earned his undergraduate degree in exercise science from YSU before beginning the university’s physical therapy program shortly afterward.

His experience at YSU also became about more than academics. Docherty said he was initially quiet and hesitant to meet new people, but that began to change during his junior year.

“Once I kind of found my people, I was like, ‘Yeah, this is awesome. This is what I chose,’” Docherty said.

The friendships he developed became one of the most meaningful parts of his college experience.

“I can definitely say I have people now who I’ll be friends with for the rest of my life,” he said. “I think that’s something that’s super irreplaceable.”

Docherty also found ways to continue the athletic involvement he enjoyed in high school by participating in club sports at YSU, including ultimate frisbee.

Throughout his academic journey, his mother’s experience has continued to influence him. Docherty said watching her succeed academically and professionally encouraged him to hold himself to a higher standard.

“I’m not doing the exact same thing that she did, but I can definitely say that I’m following somewhat of a path that she did,” he said. “She did a great job, and she’s great at what she does now. Hopefully, I’ll be the same.”

One lesson from his mother became particularly meaningful during his first semester. She warned him that college would require a different level of preparation and encouraged him to take studying seriously.

Docherty said he did not fully understand that advice until failing his first college algebra exam.

After a heart-to-heart conversation with his mother, his approach changed.

“She was pretty much like, ‘You need to get it together,’” Docherty said. “I think after having that conversation with her, that was probably the best piece of advice I got through college.”

He said his grades improved significantly afterward, and the experience became an important turning point in his education.

As he continues through physical therapy school, Docherty hopes his family sees how seriously he has taken the opportunities available to him.

“I hope they feel proud of me,” he said. “I hope they believe in me and what I can do, especially after grad school when I’m an active physical therapist.”

For Docherty, being a legacy student is also an opportunity to recognize the person whose YSU journey came before his own.

“I seriously see it as an honor,” Docherty said. “It not only represents me, but it gives me the opportunity to represent my mother as well.”

As these students continue their families’ connections to Youngstown State University, they are also creating their own experiences and leaving their own mark on YSU. Their stories reflect how a connection to the university can extend across generations, while each new generation of Penguins builds a legacy of its own.