Lori Wagoner is a graduating
senior in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences majoring
in English. She is currently student teaching at Cary High
School in Cary, North Carolina and is president of Alpha Phi sorority.
Lori is pictured below with her parents, Karen & Vaughn Wagoner,
and her sister, Lisa. Mr. & Mrs. Wagoner are members of
NC State's
class of 1973. Vaughn  Wagoner
is a graduate of the College of Engineering and is a member of
Theta Tau fraternity. Karen Wagoner is a graduate of the College of Humanities
and Social Sciences and a founding member of Alpha Delta
Pi sorority. Lori's sister, Lisa, is the only Wagoner who has not attended
NC State. She tells us, however, that's only because we do not have her
major. Lisa is a student of interior design at Meredith College, one of NC State's
neighboring women's colleges. Going away to college is a rite of passage to which many teenagers look forward – the anticipation of leaving home and gaining a long-awaited sense of independence. Family falls into the background as school and friends take on greater importance. Although this phenomenon can happen, I am fortunate to say that throughout all of my life, my family has remained of great importance to me. Family is something I deeply value. I grew up with an understanding that families support and nurture one another. Families love, cherish, and enjoy each other. I have always enjoyed being with my family, and even now as a graduating senior, I still hold dear every moment that I spend with my family. I look forward to lunches after church at my parents’ house. I love picking my younger sister up just to go shopping for a couple of hours. Being with my family brings me sheer joy. N. C. State has played a big part in my family since this is where my family got its start. My parents met while they were singing in the choral group at State in 1968. They began dating shortly after they met. My parents truly enjoyed being in school; they both became involved in Greek organizations, and my mother was a founding member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. My parents carried this love for N.C. State over into our family. My sister and I learned the fight song at a very young age. We all enjoyed a weekend trip to a football game and cheer on our team. I remember an excited family gathering around the television to watch N.C. State basketball games. I still have the N.C. Stateopology game that we played many times growing up. Moving from the beach to Raleigh was wonderful for many reasons, but my family especially enjoyed the opportunity to attend more N.C. State functions. We bought season tickets to the football games, and this started a magnificent tailgate tradition that still continues to this day. When the time came for me to apply to college, the decision I had to make was an easy one. I only sent one application to school. I was bursting with pride to when my acceptance letter came. My entire family was excited to have a legacy in the family. Starting college was slightly intimidating, but I had my family behind me every step of the way. They encouraged me to try new things and were very excited for me when I joined Alpha Phi Sorority. Out of the blue, my family sent me a dozen roses and a card telling me how proud they were of me. My family has been there through everything for me, even attempting to find scalped tickets to the last UNC-CH game in Reynolds. ( We only found one ticket, an they let me have it.) My family is indeed the perfect Wolfpack family, and we take pride in so being. We embrace the N.C. State traditions in our family. And not only are we the perfect Wolfpack family, in my opinion, we have a perfect family, too. In other words of my mother, my family is the most prized possession I have. I cannot imagine what my life would be like without the amazing love we have for one another. We are each other’s rocks and foundations. My life is truly blessed because of my family. |