2011 NC State University Family of the Year Essay

By Caroline Funkhouser

My Living Motivation, and My Angel

“It’s your middle and ring fingers on your thumb. Good. Now put your index and pinky fingers in the air. That’s how we do it.” Each time I stand in Carter Finley or the RBC Center to cheer on the Pack, I hear these words from my mother in my head. She taught me from a very young age how our family showed support for the Wolfpack. At age five, I learned the significance of the wolf hand sign. For me it was not simply a gesture to show support for a sports team, it became the symbol for my family. Growing up I did not differentiate my own family from NC State. I spent so much time around the campus that it became a second home.

There was no debate about where I would attend college. My family knew I would one day be an NC State student. The strongest motivator on my path to join the Wolfpack student body was my father. His constant support and undying love for this university and the students here were passed to me as I matured under his care. While he did not attend NC State, his over thirty-year career as a professor and positive role model for students is what created my love for this university. He always said I could do whatever I wanted, but I knew it would make him the happiest father to see his only child walk across this campus and learn everything NC State has to offer. I still remember the day I received my acceptance letter to college. He did not stop smiling for a week. Even through a battle with cancer, my father continued to give his time to his students. He not only went through three months of chemotherapy without missing a single class, but he never once let his cancer slow him down. My father helped create an incredibly strong bond between this university and myself; a bond that I still carry with me. He is my living motivation. He embodies the words of the great Jimmy V: “Don’t give up. Don’t ever give up.”

I vividly remember my defining moment at this university. April 26th, 2010. For every other student, it was a typical Monday during dead week. For me, it became the moment I knew my time spent at this university was about more than just a degree. I remember sitting in my dorm room studying for an exam when I received a call from my father. Most of that week became a blurry mess, but this exact moment will forever stand out. “Caroline, your mother passed away a few minutes ago.” I was expecting the news. I knew her three year battle with lung cancer could not last forever. I just was not ready. I had a huge presentation in class the next day I was not prepared for, and then this. I remember staring at the wall of my dorm room after the phone call. I could not move. All I could think about was my mother; the strongest woman I ever knew. She was the one who taught me about Wolfpack pride. She always jokingly said her years spent at UNC were a mistake, but her transfer to NC State was the best decision she ever made. She graduated with honors from this university and always hoped I would do the same. In some ways her death is the reason I finished out my freshman semester with a 3.94 GPA. She became my reason to work even harder. Her support of this university motivated me to show everyone that even though she could not be with me anymore, I still carried her legacy. I remember the next day and the presentation I gave to the class. I remember getting up the day after that and going to my classes, and the next day. I did not miss one moment of school after my mother’s death because that’s what she would have wanted. She was not a quitter. This school is not about quitting. Being a member of the Wolfpack is not about quitting. She taught me that even before she became my angel. I proudly hang her diploma in my apartment, and look at it every day. Her love and dedication to this university resides in me, and she will always be a part of the Wolfpack family.

To my family and me, NC State is not simply an institution. This university embodies everything my father and mother have ever taught me. The attachment I feel when I am on campus is from the dedication of my father, and the undying spirit of my mother. I will be a member of the Pack for life, and I owe it all to them.