Family of the Year 2022

The Griffin Family

My family’s journey with North Carolina State University didn’t start until January 22nd of 2021 which was my 18th birthday. That was the day that I received my acceptance letter to become a member of the pack. A birthday gift unlike any other and one I am not quite sure will ever be topped. I am a first-generation college student with hopes that all three of my younger siblings will follow in my paw tracks at NCSU.

As a first-generation wolfpack family, our spirit and pride run deeper than most thanks to the deep appreciation we have for the opportunities now presented to us as a whole family. Since both of my parents didn’t have the opportunity to go to college that is why my education is so important to me because the time spent here will foster my future as an individual and as a professional.

We aren’t the typical Wolfpack family that you may have pictured in your head. You won’t find my family in the stands on game day, they don’t know all the words to the fight song, they don’t own a whole lot of red, or have ever eaten a whole box of donuts while running around campus. However, in a year’s time, my family learned to never step on the seal in Talley, to eat as much Howling Cow ice cream as you can, the mastery of moving into a dorm and to be my encouragers when I needed it the most.

My point is that my family is a Wolfpack family from a distance. This doesn’t make my family any less important than the family members that have front-row seats at Carter-Finley Stadium. It means that my family backs the pack from 110 miles away. How lucky are we as a university to have people support the Wolfpack from all over the state, country, and world? They are my biggest cheerleaders and wish the best for every student here at North Carolina State University.

The Griffin family is the Family of the Year 2022 because there is an overwhelming appreciation for our opportunities to cheer on the Wolfpack in academics, sports, extracurriculars and the progress we continue to make as a university. They are the Family of the Year because they continue to support my education when at times it could have been easier to back out. I have such a deep appreciation for my parents for fighting against all odds and getting me to the place I am today. It would mean so much to me to have my family recognized as the Family of the Year because it would embody all the hard work and dedication we have spent becoming a family of the Wolfpack in order to support North Carolina State University in the most meaningful way possible.

-Reagan Griffin, Class of 2025