On Gratitude

Our director of alumni relations writes that, this winter especially, there is so much to be grateful for.

One of my friends posted this quote on her social media as I was preparing to write this letter: “Gratitude helps you see what is there, instead of what isn’t.” Wow. For me, and I suspect for many of you, it’s easy to get sidetracked by things, particularly the little things, that are not going our way — a slow, snowy commute; an exasperating day at the office; a tough loss by your favorite team. But, in reality, there is so much to be grateful for. Especially when it comes to EWU. 

 I cannot even begin to describe how grateful I am to this university. Not only did Eastern help me pursue my passion for service, it also introduced me to my husband, life-long friends and, most recently, my dream job with the EWU Alumni Association.

Eagle students never fail to embody our core values of grit, grace, greatness, and of course, gratitude: gratitude for the opportunity Eastern represents for them, and gratefulness for the generous support so many of you have provided.

Here at Eastern, “seeing what’s there, instead of what isn’t” is part of our DNA. As you’ll learn in this edition of Eastern magazine, that applies most specifically to our students. Eagle students, 32 percent of whom are the first in their families to attend college, never fail to embody our core values of grit, grace, greatness, and of course, gratitude: gratitude for the opportunity Eastern represents for them, and gratefulness for the generous support so many of you have provided. 

Speaking of which, I hope you’ll take a moment to review our most recent EWU Foundation annual report that we’ve bound into the center of this magazine. That report, included in the magazine for the first time, is designed to help all of us learn more about how our contributions have — and will continue — to provide crucial, long-term support to EWU and its students.

Rest assured that not one day goes by at Eastern where we aren’t striving to make this university and its students more successful. For those of us who also attended EWU, that means working to ensure our beloved alma mater becomes even better than how we left it.

I hope, in that spirit, you will consider either a first-time gift or renewing (or increasing) the generous support you have provided in previous years. There are so many ways you can make a difference: Give to whatever you are grateful for or passionate about! For me, as you might have guessed, it’s providing a leg up to students who, like me, pursue their degrees well after reaching — ahem — a certain age.

 Of course I can’t sign off without a quick reminder that we’re now just one year away from celebrating 100 years of homecoming. 100 YEARS! We’ll be sharing more about our plans for this big event in the months ahead.

As always, thank you for your continued love and kindness. 

— Kelsey Hatch-Brecek ’21