More than 40 alumni and students shared their Bobcat family stories with one another at the Communications, Computing and Engineering building, where they were greeted by Alumni Board member and legacy family member Paul Calamita ’92, P’ 16.

“It’s exciting. It’s infectious to have legacy parents and their students here, and to see them carrying on the Quinnipiac spirit,” said Calamita. “In them, you can see the value of what Quinnipiac delivers. That connection and that bond are what we’re looking to build upon here at Quinnipiac.”

Quinnipiac connected Todd Howes ’97, and Erica Howes ’97, who met on campus during their junior year. Their son, CJ Howes ’27, is studying physical therapy.

“There are a lot of big connections to Quinnipiac in our family,” said Todd Howes, a four-year letter winner with the former Quinnipiac men’s golf team. Howes later returned to Quinnipiac in 2002 to coach the team for several seasons.

“The good times I had with friends in the dorms and the education that we got, those are things I hope CJ will experience as well,” said Howes.

Erica Howes continues her connection with Quinnipiac as part-time faculty with the physical therapy program in the School of Health Sciences. She said she hopes her son will experience all Quinnipiac has to offer, from its close-knit community to the beautiful campus setting.

“I loved having Sleeping Giant State Park across the street – my friends and I did a lot of climbing! I also love that students mainly live on campus throughout their time here, and I thought that was important for him, to be part of that community,” she said.

As a new Bobcat, CJ Howes is giving his early Quinnipiac experience top marks.
“The environment is not too big, but there’s still a lot of people to interact with. I like how everyone is close-knit and you meet a lot of new people,” he said.

Legacy family member Zachary Foti ’25, JD ’26, follows his dad, Peter Foti ’84, in the Quinnipiac tradition.

“I’m now the seventh one in the family to go to Quinnipiac,” Zachary Foti said. “I’ve kind of grown up coming here, so it’s surreal to finally be a student and carry on the tradition.”

Foti said he’s benefiting greatly from his experience in the School of Law Accelerated Dual-Degree (3+3) law program.

“The school helped me get an internship this past spring semester at the state legislature in Hartford, and that has now translated into a part-time job. I definitely would not be where I am today without Quinnipiac and the faculty here,” said Foti.

Steven Blumenthal ’91, MAT ’94, and his wife, Michelle Blumenthal ’94, met on campus at Quinnipiac and are now enjoying experiencing all the university has to offer through the eyes of their daughter, Ilana Blumenthal ’27, who is studying marketing.

Steven Blumenthal said his early connection to Quinnipiac runs back to his dad, Donald Blumenthal, who served as Quinnipiac’s senior associate dean of students, retiring in 2004.

“With my dad here for 39 years, I kind of grew up here, so I always thought about Quinnipiac as an option, and it was the right choice,” he said. “We’re very proud to be a part of it, and very proud of Ilana not just for choosing Quinnipiac, but for being on her own and being independent. It makes it very special that our whole family is now part of Quinnipiac.”

Ilana Blumenthal said she’s settling into her classes and learning to live independently at the same time.

“I’m glad I’m here. Living on campus is really teaching me how to manage my time and my responsibilities,” she said.

Husband and wife Eric Gervais ’98, and Karen Gervais, ’98 attended the Legacy Family Bruch with their daughter, Allison Gervais ’25, who is studying nursing.

Karen Gervais recalls being drawn to Quinnipiac as one of very few schools offering occupational therapy direct-entry studies at the time. She said Quinnipiac’s growth since 1998 gives her daughter the added benefit of preparing for her nursing career at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine on the North Haven Campus.

Allison Gervais said Quinnipiac’s strong health school reputation assisted in her choice to continue the Bobcat family tradition.

“Also, I had seen the campus before because of my parents, and it’s so nice. The other schools just didn’t compare,” she said.

“We tried not to put any pressure on her and let her make her own decision, but it’s hard when you come to this school versus others,” said Eric Gervais. “It’s hard to say, ‘No.’”

Their son, Nick Gervais, a high school senior, said attending Quinnipiac next year is on his radar.

“It’s really nice here,” he said. “Especially because of the legacy of my family, it’s one of my favorite schools that I’m considering.”

Amy Skidmore ’95, was studying occupational therapy at Quinnipiac when she met her future husband, Chris Skidmore, ’95, a biology major.

“We love the growth we’ve seen here,” said Amy Skidmore. “Coming from the healthcare fields, we’ve toured the North Haven Campus, and it’s amazing.”

Now, their youngest daughter, Kathryn Skidmore ’26, is studying sustainability and environmental policy and anthropology at Quinnipiac. She said she considered attending several colleges and was impressed to learn Quinnipiac offered programs which met her interests.

“My reaction to opening my acceptance letter to Quinnipiac with my parents, compared to all my other schools ¬– I almost started crying. I realized I really wanted to be here,” she said.

“It was a great feeling,” said Amy Skidmore.

Arriving on campus for Bobcat Weekend, Chris Skidmore said much has changed since 1995, but some things remain the same.

“Yes, there’s been growth, but what I like is that when you walk through the heart of the main part of campus, it still feels like 1995,” he said. “They’ve expanded around the edges, but when you walk down what we would call Dorm Road that’s now called Bobcat Way, it still looks the same to us, so it brings back a lot of memories.”