Alumni Blog

Seattle University’s community-wide day of volunteerism is back and bigger than ever. 

“Historically, Day of Service has been a Seattle U tradition geared toward alumni,” said Anthony Ansay, assistant director for Lifelong Alumni Engagement. “This year, we are extending the invitation to students, staff and faculty to join us on Saturday, May 20, in carrying out our mission.”

That tradition connects the Redhawk community to service sites in and around Seattle in need of volunteer labor, providing an opportunity for participants to live out the university’s mission to serve others. 

“We hear about service at Seattle U, but there's something about seeing it in action and building connections with the people and organizations you're serving,” says Caitlin Joyce, ’11, ’18. A former GOLD Board Member, Joyce has attended more than a half a dozen Day of Service events. “You have to get up early on a weekend, usually drive far… It can be cold and it is often dirty and tiring work but, just like a good workout, you feel great after! Day of Service helps you live out the values that are instilled in you as a student at Seattle U.” 

The Seattle University Alumni Association has partnered with nonprofit organizations across the country for this year’s Day of Service, from the Puget Sound to Nashville, Tennessee to Portland. There’s a variety of activities available, suitable for all ages and abilities. Volunteers can help with landscaping, gardening, deep cleaning, making food and distributing goods to folks in need, among other tasks. Many sites will be sponsored or led by alumni chapters or affinity groups, such as Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD), Women of SU and the Portland Regional Alumni Chapter. 

“Often times we want to give back, but get caught up in our busy lives,” Joyce says. “This is an opportunity … to get to know other alumni and the good works of a local organization. And you just might find you have a knack for gardening, painting or some other previously undiscovered talent.” 

Ansay agrees: “The Day of Service is a wonderful opportunity for Seattle U to come together. No matter your interests, there’s an opportunity for everyone. These sites truly make an impact on the communities they serve.”  

Some of the on-site locations include the Recovery Café, Tilth Alliance, Cougar Mountain Zoo and the Union Gospel Mission. 

Registration is now open for all volunteer sites.

Get Involved

One day in the early 1990s, Janet Isaacson (nee Levien), ’92, walked into her office breakroom at Security Pacific Bank and was surprised to see her own face on a poster advertising Seattle University’s Master’s in Finance program. It featured a photo of Janet and another student, taking notes and listening attentively to a lecture.

Little did she know at the time, but Janet would also end up falling in love with—and marrying—that man in the photo.

Janet had enrolled in the part-time MBA program at Albers while working full-time in the banking industry.

“At the time, SU had the only night program available for an MBA,” she says. Plus, it had a good reputation and was close to downtown Seattle. Her company even offered to pay her tuition.

Janet remembers vividly the day the photo was taken. A photographer from the university’s marketing team came into her Operations Management class, taught by Professor Diane Lockwood. Janet had been sitting next to Bob Isaacson, the other student in the photo, because they were randomly assigned to a group project.

“My first impression was that he had a lot of dog hair on him … and was good looking!” she says with a laugh.

Janet, Bob and another student, Tim Callahan, were tasked with developing a new idea or enhancement for a company’s operations management system. The trio spent a great deal of time together working on the project and became good friends. When asked about her favorite SU memory, Janet immediately responds: “Meeting Mr. Right!”

When they met, Janet and Bob both had significant others. But as they spent increasingly more time together for their SU coursework, bonding over music and sports, they couldn’t help but fall in love. They graduated in June 1992 and were engaged within a year. Both avid boaters, they were married on October 1, 1993, in a ceremony on a yacht off the Kirkland waterfront.

Now married for nearly 30 years, Janet jokes that Operations Management ended up being “a very profitable class!” Incidentally, Tim, their project partner, met Janet’s friend at a party she hosted. Tim and that friend, Dulcie Claasen, eventually married and all four remain close.

Janet now works for US Bank as a Treasury Management Consultant. She remains close to her alma mater and serves as “SU’s banker,” ensuring the university’s finance platforms operate efficiently. Bob works as a senior manager in financial planning & analysis at Boeing. The couple has three children and reside in Kirkland.

And yes, Janet kept a copy of the promotional poster all these years, with its rare documentary evidence of a couple pre-romance.

DID YOU KNOW? There are more than 5,000 SU alumni who are currently married or partnered to other alums. This seems like a sweet place to meet the love of your life!

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Have your own SU “meet-cute” love story? We’d love to hear about it! Email us at alumni@seattleu.edu.