Students and their parents are often seen to be handling their lives separately, without spending any worthwhile time with each other and their family. It figures, given how students have their studies and exams to handle and parents have their jobs to figure out. Dave and Emily Hagen are one father-daughter duo, but they are an exception, as they make sure to always remove time to catch up with each other.
Dave is an assistant Criminal Justice professor at Northeastern University, having graduated from the same in the year 1980. Whereas, Emily is a student of the physical therapy program, which offers a Bachelor’s as well as a Doctoral degree in one go. You will see the duo going to the International Village dining Hall at 4:30 P.M., where they share their lives over delicious food. “It’s nice to set aside some time to have a good meal and talk about what’s been going on in our lives,” says Emily, DPT’20. “The weeks are really busy for both of us, so it’s hard to catch up on the phone.”
Dave is always keen on knowing what his daughter is up to academically. “I try to reinforce the importance of enjoying the learning process,” he says. “What I tell her is that there are things she will learn at this stage of her life that she will use for the rest of her career.”
Emily, inspired by her father’s career in Navy, plans on working with servicemembers suffering – or have suffered – serious combat injuries. Dave is big on the two values, respect and compassion, and has made sure his daughters, Emily and Jillian, understand their importance. “I love how my dad’s always been part of something bigger than himself,” Emily admits, “and I want to follow in his footsteps.”
The father-daughter duo is usually seen with their whole family at the Huskies’ games at Northeastern, in spite of not being big fans of hockey. They actually like to spend quality time together, chatting and exchanging current life stories. Dave has many nuggets of wisdom, which he is seen to give Emily from time to time, including, “It’s all about heart. No matter what you do, give your best.”
Pranjali Wakde
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