Alumni and parents of Class of 2016 graduates gathered at a reception in Alumni House Friday honoring the commitment legacy families show to GW.

Legacy families are families in which more than one member attended or currently attends GW.

Here’s what speakers had to say about the perks of being a GW legacy family:

1. Taking advantage of the community

Matt Manfra, the associate vice president for alumni relations, congratulated the nearly 100 legacy students from the Class of 2016 on officially joining the alumni network.

“We hope that our newest graduates continue to stay in touch and stay active with us,” Manfra said, adding that the GW community is “worldwide, diverse, and ready for you all.”

Manfra also thanked the families for their donations and continued dedication to the University.

“There is a lot of pride in this room,” he said.

2. Watching family graduate

Darrell Darnell, the senior associate vice president for safety and security and a 2014 School of Business alumnus, described the importance of being a GW legacy as he celebrates with his son Eric, who is graduating this weekend.

“With me what this has really been about is watching my son grow before my eyes,” Darnell said.

Like all of the legacy families present, he had the pleasure of having his son attend his alma mater and go from being a young man to a young adult, Darnell said.

3. Strengthening parental bonds

Marguerite Wedeman, an international affairs and Chinese double-major and recipient of the prestigious Schwarzman scholarship, is the daughter of two GW alumni.

Wedeman’s mother, Kelly Eaton, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international affairs and a Ph.D. in political science, while her father, Andrew Wedeman, was born in GW Hospital and earned a bachelor’s in political science and master’s in security policy.

Andrew Wedeman focused on Chinese security policy, and found GW was the perfect fit for his goals, he said. He said that he looks forward to his daughter completing a fully funded master’s program in China, where the family once lived.

“There wasn’t any pressure to come here, but I think my interests line up with my parents interests very closely so it made sense to come to GW,” Marguerite Wedeman said.

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