Rock Talk

Home That Never Leaves You

• Steve Redmond & Beth VanDyke • Season 1 • Episode 12

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A school’s true test isn’t just grades or trophies—it’s whether the people it forms keep coming back to lift the next class. That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with executive leader and alum parent, Diane Marty, who shares how Rockhurst strengthens access, care, and real-world learning while holding tight to its Jesuit mission. From meeting 100% of verified financial need to rebuilding a counseling model for today’s challenges, we walk through a strategic plan designed to support, surround, connect, and engage every student.

You’ll hear the human side: alumni across the country who say Rockhurst changed—or even saved—their lives; a young grad pledging five years of giving because a few teachers wouldn’t let him settle; and the power of brotherhood that endures well into careers and cities far from campus. We dig into practical steps that make mission visible—transportation solutions for families, faculty retention so the best teachers stay in the building, and a gold-standard playbook for athletics and activities that reflects our values on every field and stage.

We also unpack the future-facing work: AI literacy supported by alumni-funded professional development, internships that count for credit and pay, and networks like Rock Connect that turn a handshake into a summer job. Diane’s personal “5809” moment in the robotics lab—an unexpected sign that she was home—captures what keeps people tied to this place: formation that lasts, community that shows up, and a culture that adapts without losing its soul.

If you care about education that shapes character and competence, or you’re ready to mentor, hire, or simply reconnect, this is your invitation. Subscribe, share with a fellow Hawk, and leave a review telling us the one moment that shaped you—and how you’ll pay it forward.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome everybody. This is Steve Redman, and you are listening to Rock Talk. I know that's not our normal introduction, but I wanted to get right into this conversation today. We got a very, very special guest, our very own Diane Marty here with us on this episode, and we are looking forward to talking with her. So, Diane, I want you to jump right in because as I've done a little research, you are probably one of the most interesting people on the in the in the in the world.

SPEAKER_02:

So if you would uh listeners, I'm so sorry if you're about to try and Google any of that and go, what is he talking about?

SPEAKER_00:

If you would just introduce yourself, tell us about your role and you know what you do here at the rock uh rockhurst.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, I'm happy to. So, first of all, thanks for having me. I'm Diane Marty and I started my whole my own Rockhurst journey. I had uh two boys who came through the school, Max and George, classes of 2016 and 2018.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, cool.

SPEAKER_01:

So I logged six years as a mom first and then came back after they were both in college to work for the school. I'd been consulting. I had a fundraising consulting business of my own, and so I'd done that. And so started off here at The Rock. I think it was in August of 2020. Okay. Yeah. So it was the 2020 to 2021 school year, and started as a consultant. And then a few months into that, David Laughlin said, Hey, I've got a good idea. And I went, Well, tell me about that. And so that's how I ended up coming back to the school full time. First as the vice president of philanthropy and engagement.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

And presently, my title is executive VP of Strategic Planning.

SPEAKER_03:

Cool.

SPEAKER_01:

And oh wait, there's more.

SPEAKER_03:

Love it.

SPEAKER_01:

And vice president of philanthropic engagement. Oh no, it's not. Oh my gosh, that's a big fat lie. And also uh vice president of philanthropic investments. Excuse me. It's a lot of word soup because we're we're, you know, concluding a strategic plan at this point and have some really exciting things coming down the pipeline as a result of that.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

And part of that is bringing a fellow rock grad. Well, I'm not a rock grad, but my boys are. Mark Blank, class of the nine class of 98, is coming back, has come back as the vice president of philanthropy and engagement. So that's my original title. So Mark's moved into that role, and I squished over with a you know, kind of a commensurate title and then the the strategic planning park.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, cool, cool, cool. So as I told you, there's a lot. You do a lot. I see you for the folks listening. I see Diane running around a lot and you know doing all kinds of stuff. So I appreciate that. And want to ask first, because you know, I'm I'm curious how the boys doing. Where are they at and what's going on?

SPEAKER_01:

Thanks. You know, you know the way to my mom's hurt, don't you? No, the boys are great. Max is in Chicago and doing great. He's been in the position he held. From here, he went to Loyola Chicago for a year and then finished at Mizzou. Um loved it. Yes. I thought that would ring a bell, huh? Yeah. And uh and he through a rock connection, actually, had an interview and then ultimately his hire straight out of college. And he's still at that job in Chicago and loving it.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

And George is living his best 20-something life as well. He's in the Twin Cities, straight out of here. He went to St. Thomas University, and it's exciting to see we've got a couple guys there now and a couple other guys considering it too. And from there, he did a season with the New York Giants. And then his gang back in Minneapolis was calling him back, like George, come back. And and soccer is his sport. So he is working for the Loon, the MLS team there in Minneapolis. So as I say, best 20-something lives.

SPEAKER_00:

I love oh, so he's rolling. So so St. Thomas, that's in Minneapolis.

SPEAKER_01:

Uh St. Paul, Texas. St. Paul.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, all right.

SPEAKER_01:

And then it's like saying, you know, straight down State State Line Road.

SPEAKER_02:

Are you in Kansas City, Missouri? Are you in Leewood, Kansas? Where are you at?

SPEAKER_00:

And so with the Giants thing, is he like in a a sports role of some kind, or what what is what was that about?

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah, yeah. He actually at one point he said, uh, yeah, mom, it's my job to make sure Eli Manning signs enough autographs. Oh, okay. So he was working in partnership and marketing. Um I'm not sure if those are the exact words that the Giants use, but you know, working with the the folks who who do sponsorships of the team.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

And that's really kind of what he does now too with the loons.

SPEAKER_00:

Gotcha. Love to hear it. Well, love to hear it. I'm glad they're doing well. Oh, they are.

SPEAKER_01:

They are, you know, and that's that's the thing too, is that what makes the coming back so easy, because obviously I didn't go to Rockhurst, but as a mom, I saw everything, every wonderful thing that anybody had to say about Rockhurst High School come true for my own voice.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And that's really easy to to watch that unfurl and look at them, you know, again in Chicago and Minneapolis, but the guys on both sides of them are still their Rockhurst brothers.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00:

And I mean, we we've talked about that on just about every episode, how real and vivid that aspect of this experience is. Yeah. The connections that you make here, the connections that last a lifetime. And it's really, really cool to, you know, see that continue to take place. I am on a personal mission as I've talked to, you know, recently I was talking to a couple of business classes, you know, about my uh basically my professional career. And you know, and they were always asking, like, well, you know, how did this experience impact you? Or what's one thing you could tell us about this experience that you know maybe you miss? And I said, just press into the brotherhood sooner. You know, like if I can help you move out of the fray of 14 to 18, and I'm in that mode and just see the value, the real value of what you're a part of right now, you're gonna be even more blessed when you get out of here and go into, you know, that brotherhood. And so we're excited about it.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, and I tell you too, sorry, just to kind of tag on here to to what you're talking about, it's not just the brotherhood amongst the students. But, you know, here at Rockhurst, like, you know, you hear from time to time, you'll hear people say, Okay, in, you know, maybe once in a life you have that one teacher who really makes an impact on you. Yeah. And yet we talk to our students and they can name three or four instructors, like without hesitation. And so it's not only the the peer-to-peer community, but but the the amazing faculty and staff that are in the building forming relationships and walking with these young men.

SPEAKER_03:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

And then the community that reverberates out from that, you know. So again, I'm still lifelong friends with the parents I met when my boys were here.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And and that community just ripples out. And and the really great thing that I don't think a lot of students realize because they're not thinking about this, right? But, you know, when something ripples out, it also comes back.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And that's the community that surrounds our students, surrounds our alumni, surrounds our families.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Surrounds those who don't know us yet, and they don't even know it.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, that's a real thing.

SPEAKER_01:

Just get here. Come talk to Steve. Come talk to Steve Ribmond.

SPEAKER_00:

So this part of our series, you know, we we kind of have this thing chunked out in waves or series is about giving.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, don't hate that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

Whether it's, you know, time, talent, or treasure. And I thought it would just be very interesting in your role, right? Because you get to see it, you get to, I mean, you're neck deep in those conversations all the time. You know, what do you think is important about our like our community? And and, you know, I want maybe we go from the outside in, right? The alumni, the folks that you deal with to in-house. Like, what do you think is so important about folks in our community giving back to Rockers High School?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Wow. You know, what's what's so important? I mean, again, again, it's this community that never leaves you. You know, and it's kind of a magical thing to watch the alums I've been able to meet across the United States, you know, not just here in Kansas City, but across the United States to say, you know, to to watch them kind of digest and think about, oh yeah, what I've got right now, I can trace back to Rockhurst High School. And I had a great time in college and grad school, and I got married along the way, or whatever, you know, whatever's happened, but I I can trace it back. And somebody said to me one time at an alumni event, they said, you know what, this is Rockhurst is like my forgotten community. And yet it's really not forgotten. It's really never far from my conscience, but but I don't think about it every day. And then when you reconnect to it, how magical that is. And so that's you know, that's a giving and a receiving moment as well. It doesn't even involve time, talent, or treasure. Just just that moment of, you know, when when I first started here, Father Jacobazi at the time was the principal, and he said, you know, you really need to understand this is not just about education, this is education and formation hand in hand. Yeah. Okay. They are, you know, linked, coupled, 100% permanently together. And as as students experience that here. But then again, in the alumni community, hearkening back to that. You know, I had I had a gentleman say to me, we were we were in Dallas and Austin just last week. And a gentleman and his wife both said to me with tears in their eyes, both of them, Rockhurst High School saved his life. I mean, that's powerful.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, nobody certainly wants to script a scenario where somebody's life has to be saved, but he said Rockhurst High School saved my life. And, you know, people have reflected that that back to me, you know, that that it saved my life. It it changed my life. It gave me this life.

SPEAKER_03:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, and and that level of consciousness amongst the alumni, like they feel that viscerally. And it's it's powerful, it's magical, and and and the level of loyalty back to one's high school.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, think about that. You know, we we even had a a young man reach back to us. He was at he was at Georgetown University, and and there were some life circumstances, and and he said, Oh my gosh, you know, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to stay at Georgetown. And he called Rockhurst High School to say, Can you help?

SPEAKER_00:

Yep.

SPEAKER_01:

What do I do? And it so happened that I knew somebody, you know, there at Georgetown that I could put him in touch with. But the reaction of that, that administrator at Georgetown to say, Oh my gosh, I don't think in my entire career I've had a young person reach back to their high school because they knew you'd pick up the phone and you'd have a connection and you'd get them through it. That's gosh, that's cool. You know, and and that is that is a community, that is a whole community embrace.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, that that doesn't let go of you when you leave these walls and hallways.

SPEAKER_00:

And I think that's that part is so real, and that's kind of what I was just saying is like when I interact with the young men now as an alum, uh, I think our listeners know I went here, but if you didn't, I graduated in 2004. So and yeah, because I guess we get new listeners all the time. So being an alum myself is so meaningful for me to be boots on the ground because that is the one thing that I cherish more than anything about my experience here was it it changed my life at a at a time where there was a lot of chaos in my life personally when I was here in a in such a delicate formative stage of my life. Right, right. Those same and I mean when I say the same, like they're still here, some of them that loved me, that poured into me, that held me accountable. I remember very explicitly talking to when I was you know interviewing for this, I said Rockhurst is uniquely, uniquely a place in in my heart that I would put down just about anything to serve in that community if I can give back a fraction of what I got from this place. And it's cool to hear from you because if you if you guys don't know that are listening, our PE team, they're worldwide with this thing. They the uh I am envious of the flight miles that they rack up and the points because they are always on the move having those conversations, and it's so cool to be able to hear that other alumni out there that I've never met, right? Maybe, maybe not, that feel that same way in their own way.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh man, I'm telling I mean it just it it it keeps pouring out, and that's you know, lucky us that we get to hear those stories, you know. I and and that translates back, you know, in a number of ways. Like, you know, so so you have folks who can say that, and you know, I've I've had even a a young alum say to me, Hey, you know what? I'm gonna do big things. I came from here. I love this place. I had those three, four, five instructors he could name off the top of his head. Yeah, I'm gonna go do big things. You know what? I'm gonna give back. And that young alum, I'm not naming him intentionally, okay, but class of 2015 has put down a$25,000 commitment that said$5,000 a year over five years that I can plan for and budget for. Yeah. Like I'm gonna do big things and I know where it came from. Yeah. And so we have alumni who have this amazing sense of gratitude. And and you know, it's again, it's it's it's overwhelming, and we're so blessed for all of that. But you know, these guys who think, I'm gonna go do great things. There are guys who've already done great things that are able to give back in in financial ways too. And there are guys who are wanting to do still transformative things, right? You know, and it's just oh man, the way it all reverberates back. You know, and we continue to pour in to to these students, or you know, we take young men and and we expect the best from them, and then we equip them and challenge them to become even better.

SPEAKER_00:

100%.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, and and that level of expectation, accountability and impact, the results.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. For sure.

SPEAKER_01:

There's a there's a book, the Heath brothers wrote a book. I think it's the power of moments, and they talk about, you know, these moments in your life that define you. So, Steve, you've just you know you've enunciated some of that here, you know. And if you close your eyes and think about, okay, where do I go in my memory right away? Like, there's like, okay, great, you know, we won that football game, my high school graduation, my college graduation, and then you go, well, flatline, and you go, Oh, I got married, beep. And then, oh, I had a kid. But like, where did all those moments go? Right. And and part of the philanthropy and engagement team's mission is to be, and we literally say it this way. I mean, we did it did a retreat, did some thinking, brought all kinds of perspectives from across the the team of eight and nine people together, and said, We're all here for each person in this building so that he can go out and be one for all. So we're all for one, so he can be one for all. And and our job, if we're doing it right for philanthropy and engagement, it's not all about the dollars. It is about, you know, giving back time, talent, treasure, however, you can give back to this community that has loved you so much, you know. Our job is to create those defining moments, to bring you back to those moments of that conversation with instructor X, you know, or the moment a friend's parent, you realize that you are a part of that family too. And, you know, we stand in front of the parents and we say, you know, we're gonna ask you for a lot. Okay, because it's not just the alums we're talking to. Yeah. Some of their parents are like, oh yeah, we're aware. You know, and if you're an alumni parent, boy, hello, you know, but we we say we're gonna ask you a lot, and we're unrelenting in it, and we're also unapologetic.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Because we believe that every future in this building is worth every ask that we make.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And that's what motivates the work.

SPEAKER_00:

It's a big and it's a big mission, and it's the the more time I spend in the building, the more I meet different folks. You realize how vast what we're try what we're when I no, and I'm excuse me, when I say trying to do like we've done historically, but because we continue to evolve, like it's like, oh, yeah, we gotta keep because what what they're what we were doing 20 years ago when I was here.

SPEAKER_01:

It's not the same, and it's not the same, right?

SPEAKER_00:

It can't be the same, and we have to just keep moving it and and that's why I think it's so cool. You know, I get to meet more alumni, and I get, you know, now I'm rubbing elbows with different folks as I, you know, kind of move around in in different, you know, capacities, and it's like the Yeah, it's it's just really cool to see folks that are well it yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I mean, yes, yes. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off, you know, but like these words and what you're getting at, these were words that were fed back to us by the dad of an alum who said, I hope that Rockhurst always adapts but never changes.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

So it's about staying true to those ideals and that linked education and formation, but adapting. Because to your point, like the school should not be the same as it was 20 years ago. And and that's part of what our strategic planning has done, this multi-year effort. It's not something we just woke up one day and said, Hey, let's go this direction now. But you know, if you had a business and you didn't change it for 20 years, you know, it's probably not the way you want to run your, you know. And so we've got this great product, you know, the rock. It's solid. It's the rock, right? But how do we strengthen that?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

How do we build upon that? And so, so that's what we're looking at now are, you know, models of care for all of those in our community. So, not only how can we build pathways to enable all families to know that their son could be here at Rockhurst. Right. Like finances should not be an obstacle. What can we do to remove that? And not just the dollars there either. But okay, it does no good if, say, I were a single mom north of the river. If I work north of the river and I can't get my kid physically here to school, all right, then it does me no good to hear, oh, he could come here and we will meet 100% of your verified financial need. That does me no good, right? So looking very holistically at that through this strategic planning process to say, okay, here are the priorities. And and by the way, you know, the trustees never varied. The priorities are the human capital in the school.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. They are the students in their families and the faculty staff that walk this daily mission with them.

SPEAKER_03:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

And again, when you're grounded in that, I mean, it's it's that granular. Like that's who we're all about. And there is no swaying from that. The trustee the trustees have set it forth. David lives it, David Laughlin. Everybody in this building does.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You know? And so yeah, we're we're gonna continue to adapt, we're gonna continue to strengthen the experience that alumni knew or that parents already had. You know, it's even very different from when my boys were here.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

But and that's a good thing. That's a good thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, so along those lines of the are there parts of the strategic plan that you could talk about?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

To like rope, just because you know, like you say it, and then it's like for our our listeners to understand, because this is also a big part of this platform, is helping people, you know, really understand, like, oh, that is a very different place than I actually thought with just the different folks that we have on here. So can you kind of elaborate a little bit on the strategic plan?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah. So there were really out of the strategic plan, you know, we were guided by number one, our our Jesuit Catholic mission, okay, and the universal apostolic preferences, the UAPs of the Jesuits. And out of that, we had strategic planning pillars that eventually morphed into four strategic planning committees.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

So accessibility and affordability, formation of the whole person, academic and professional success, and athletics and co-curriculars. Okay. So that's not just athletics, but you know, everything from choir, speech, and debate, theater, chess club, you know, whatever. But really looking at the ways, you know, how do we do this and and how do we do each of those areas better?

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

And so, really, through this strategic planning process that involved more than 200 people across the United States and in fact worldwide. Um, we had some participants from outside of the United States.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

And and boiling all of that down, and I'm I'm trying to think about my body language here, which does no no good to the listeners. But I'm trying to come up with like a little YMCA dance or something like that, because really the actions that are resulting from strategic planning are that we are going to support our students. Okay, with increased, you know, two years ago through through this office, the admissions and marketing office, we made the pledge to families that any young man that comes here, if you have, if your family has verified financial need, we will meet 100% of that need, which is huge. When I first started five years ago, I think we were meeting like 75, 78%. And if you think about that, well, if I need$10,000 and you say, well, I can give you$7,500, well, like where where do you expect me to get the other$2,500? You know? Right. Yeah. So so supporting our students, you know, in those holistic wraparound ways as well. That we're we're starting to pilot some things now. So current parents will have seen some transportation surveys from Father Kramer, our principal. And also making sure, you know, again, five years ago, I think we had a faculty retention rate that was less than 90%.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. And when you think, you know, we've got about 135 people in the building, plus or minus in a given year, like we don't want to be losing that many people. Right. Right. So taking a look at that, how do we keep the best and the brightest walking alongside these kids every day on the front lines? That's really who we are. Like, like the mom dropping her kid off isn't coming through the doors to see Diane Marty. Right. That's not what's going on.

SPEAKER_03:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. So we're supporting our students in that, you know, in a myriad of ways through strategic planning and and the initiatives that will result. We are surrounding our students with a new level of care. You know, unfortunately, there are, you know, people talk about now like high, high levels of anxiety amongst young people. Okay. And so how do we, how do we work with that? How do we support it? How do we get the kiddo, you know, hopefully, you know, most of the kiddos in the building, hopefully they're doing great. All right. But, you know, we all have those moments, right? Not, you know, they're divining moments, they're not positive defining moments, but you know, where our world gets robbed.

SPEAKER_04:

100%.

SPEAKER_01:

Whether we lose a grandparent or, you know, somebody you're dating breaks up with you. Like there are these moments, and that's a big deal to kids, right? So how do we get those little those kiddos through those moments and back to kind of, okay, great, look, it's gonna be okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

Trust us on this. And then, you know, then there are kiddos who are, you know, for a multitude of reasons, whatever they may be, living kind of in constant crisis, you know, with with again, whether it's anxiety or, you know, whatever's whatever's going on. And so how can we show this those kiddos? Like we're there for them, right? We are here to support them. It will get better.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. And so, so this continuum of care that we're gonna do, you know, restructuring a counseling model here is gonna be really exciting. And and not just, we're not just gonna do something for the students in the building, but really to talk to the parents as well. So here's some, you know, we're gonna we're looking at educational programming to say, okay, as a hypothetical example, what's it like to parent a kid in a digital age? What's it like to try and have a conversation with your kid about doing homework and they're using AI? Like are they, you know, and and and for the faculty too, morphing into the next, you know, we're we're gonna surround the student, we're gonna support the students, we're gonna surround the students, we're going to connect the students with these new opportunities. And in a big push, shout out to the class of 1975 that has created a fund to help support, you know, for for the foreseeable future here to support professional development around AI.

SPEAKER_03:

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_01:

How do we teach it? How is it ethical? How do we use it? How do you leverage it? What are things you should not do with it? You know, so so connecting students to those real world moments that are relevant and time-bound right now in front of their faces, right? As all of this unfolds. And again, supporting the faculty too in their own professional development. And how do we get ahead of the curve? We've got a number of kiddos who have brought things to us. President Laughlin shares a story about a young man who's attending school here, but he doesn't show up before 10 a.m. any day because Monday through Friday, he's working at Burns and Mac and getting paid for it and getting credit here for it. And David also shares a story that this young man said, you know, and I understand, I just keep taking these tests over there. And he said, I think I've passed more field tests than some of my coworkers, my adult coworkers. So how do we, how do we, through strategic planning, we're looking at, sorry, I didn't even joke y'all. Um, you know, how do we, how do we keep getting ahead of the curve for the kiddos that we can, you know, get ahead of the curve and turn around and present these opportunities to them rather than bringing it to us. Okay. So that's how we're going to connect the students better through strategic planning. And then we're also going to engage the students where they are, what are their interests? There's a positive youth development theory. Sorry, I'm geeking out on you here. I love it. Dr. Peter Benson, um, he created this theory for positive youth development that if you take the youth's passion, so what are they excited about? And they can tell you what that is, you know, even as you know, young as like seven, eight years old, they can tell you what they get excited about. And if you take that passion and you pair it with two non-parent caregiving adults, P.S. We've got more than 135 of them in the building. All right. So pair that passion with those two adults plus opportunity equals thriving. That is literally a formula for thriving for young people. Okay. And so connecting and engaging them through athletics and co-curriculars, even beyond the classroom, okay, is is the other thing we're looking at. And how can we do that? And how can we build and promote opportunities for the greater community to come support them in that?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, so so if you think about it, you know, like my own boys, they played soccer and hockey here, you know, so we could go out to the rink and they'd have their community there, supporting them, cheering them on. Same thing for soccer. And oh man, our soccer team now is crushing. I'm so glad you paused in with that because I my filter popped down there. I was gonna say something else. So yeah, they're crushing it. And so, so what can we do to get the community out there around them? And and also to literally writing a playbook that whatever coach or moderator you're working with, if you're representing the rock, you've got that crest on your chest, you know, or or you know, the logo on your shirt or on your necktie or whatever it is, that there's a gold level standard that everybody's rising to.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, you're talking my language. All right.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah. So, so yeah. So again, strategic planning, we're focusing on supporting the students, surrounding the students, connecting the students, and engaging the students at a whole new level, just to keep building on and strengthen the rock. Love it, you know, to fortify it. Here we go. Here we go. So yeah, so stay tuned. It's gonna, it's it's buckle up, buckle up.

SPEAKER_00:

And I guess on that note, because we keep talking about essentially an undertone of the community. You know, you and I can't do that alone to together. We couldn't do it as two people. So when you're looking at the vastness of just the mission from your perspective, what are ways you would like to see, you know, our internal community, external community, or our community in general get involved with this whole thing?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So number one, it stays, you know, it it we can't it can't go anywhere if we don't know where you are or we're not communicating. You're not hearing from us, we're not hearing from you, right? So so that's been a lot of why the big push to get outside of these walls since we could post-COVID, you know, to to hit the road, literally, okay? Is is to go connect with people, right? And so we say in the in those cities and communities where we are, we say, okay, great, you know, have a look around you. Like, who do you know who's here that's not here with us tonight? Get them here.

SPEAKER_03:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, and we'll we'll send out the invitations for those events. And then, you know, it's a it's a good thing, but you know, we'll get calls that say, Hey, Diane, how come I didn't get the invitation to the Austin event the other night? I go, give me a moment. I'm looking it up on my computer. I go, Oh, because we show you're still living in your mom's basement in Kansas City. Okay. So, so, you know, so number one is is stay in touch. Like make sure we know where you are, we know how to reach you. Invite those who aren't, you know, that you don't see on your left or your right, whether you're at a game here on campus or you know, we're at an event in San Diego or Seattle or Washington, D.C. or wherever it may be.

SPEAKER_03:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

Invite people back. You know, we we there are a number of ways, you know, it's it's so rich and deep here. There are so many layers to it. You know, as a as a mom, an alumni mom, I could be a member of the Rockettes Club. Okay, it's alumni moms club. Mora Healy's done an amazing job of creating parent community and and community engagement through the spectacular auction. So you can volunteer, you can stay in touch, you can help us out with office, you know, right now, like with office, you know, tasks. Right now, there's there's a current parent upstairs in our office helping us, you know, put some of that data in, you know, from a guy who moved out of his mom's basement 17 years ago who just remembered to tell us, you know. So so yeah, so there's always opportunities and ways to get back and to stay in touch. And we really do hear from people that that makes a difference too. Like, because you know, we we all kind of we all grew up with your kids.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, all right. For sure.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, there's my my colleague Merda Suarez, she's our director of alumni engagement. She said, you know, the time. Sure goes fast when you have a front row to the life of a young person.

SPEAKER_03:

For sure.

SPEAKER_01:

And that's what we have. We have a front row to the life of that young person. And we're cheering that young person on just as much as their parent is and their grandparent and their neighbor. You know, and so so having that front row seat, like that's that's a big deal. And we invite you all back to, you know, to to remember that front seat and to remember that, you know, that that that community that that surrounded you, not just your student.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And and again, yeah, just come on back. We're so delighted to have you.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And you know, as I'm now here and I'm guilty of this too, which is so funny. And you know, I'll say this to you.

SPEAKER_01:

Do you still live in your mother's basement? Is this what you're about to confess? Okay.

SPEAKER_00:

Thankfully, no.

SPEAKER_01:

I was gonna say we know where to find you out there.

SPEAKER_00:

But you know, I've I've said this to, you know, different folks in the building too. It's like any way I can help as a former alumni, as a person, you know, I am available to you because I also know like exactly what you're talking about. Like you leave here and then you for whatever reason, right? You don't stay in touch, you you or you just get wrapped up in the fray of life, and now you're off growing up. And you know, don't don't wait 15 years to say, oh, you know what? Let me go check out. I remember this spaghetti dinner thing that I you know, so father bird jokes. I uh I am I'm looking and I'm and I'm looking forward to you know that and other activities and events.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I tell you too, yeah, because like, you know, take what you just said as an example. Like, if I came to you and said, hey, Steve, I've got this young alum who's looking for X, Y, and Z, and he knows you were there, there, and there, would you help him?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01:

You are never gonna say no to that. Like these guys, right? And that's that's been that's magical to watch happen too. You know, we had a couple of kiddos who are from the class of 2022, I believe it was, at an event in LA. And then we did another event in Newport Beach. And by God, one of those kids showed up, you know, both events. All right. They're they're in the vicinity, but he sh he came to both events with his resume.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, cool.

SPEAKER_01:

And you can read on LinkedIn the results of that because he had an internship.

SPEAKER_04:

Love it.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. And and so I've got, we were in DC and I've got a young man there who's saying, Hey, I'm looking for an internship or to explore. I'd I'd ultimately like to do something in analytics or consulting, but I'm looking for a summer internship to help me explore that. So any alumni listening, all right, or alumni connected people listening who want to help this man out, you know, this young man out. He's he's a phenomenal young man, as are all Rockhurst men, you know? And so, so yeah, so reach back to me. You know, can I can I give my email here? If you want to reach back t Marty at rockhursths.edu. I'd love to hear from you that we can connect you. And this again, too, is is again from faithful, loyal alums who've started Rock Connect. It's a formalized business networking for particularly with a a slant for you know for young alumni to get their foot in the door. But yeah, there again, so many layers, so many ways you can get involved. So all you have to do is stay in touch, reach back to us, raise your hand, say, I'm here.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I'm here.

SPEAKER_01:

We'll answer that call. We'll answer that call.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay. Well, let me ask you this. And this is a question, you know, as we're coming, and I hate it. I love I love doing these because, you know, we you just start talking to folks and you get into these good conversations and you realize more and more that this place is exactly what you hear people say about it. It's a special place. And so on that note, the final question if you could tell a prospective family the number one reason they should send their son to Rockhurst, what would it be?

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I'd go back, we're you know, and we're back now. We're we're at the top of the hour again where where we started. Again, I I really I mean this. I mean this sincerely. I watched every wonderful thing that people ever said about Rockhurst High School come true for both of my boys.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And I didn't know that was gonna happen when we, you know, enrolled them here, but I absolutely watched it happen. And that's that's what I rest my heels on. I've I've lived that experience. I've lived that experience, and I hear about that experience every day that I'm representing the school. Yeah. And it's it's it's phenomenal. It really, really is.

SPEAKER_00:

And, you know, it's I almost well, actually, I don't feel bad about it because you know, my my testimony is similar. You know, every day I get to watch, I'm almost more encouraged and proud because now being here, I get to see some of the same people that loved on me, loving on the next generation. I get to hear different conversations similar to you, about people who are so loyal to what this place is and what it does that they would never think about not being involved or giving or making sure the next generation of young men can experience the iteration that they got to. And I would encourage folks to, you know, well, I guess for me as one of the admissions directors, you know, I'm easy to deal with. Call me, email me, show up. We can talk.

SPEAKER_01:

To be clear, I'm not scary either. I'm not easy to deal with, right? Well, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

No, and I and I just like any well, you can quite honestly, anybody, you just should hey, yeah, reach out because we want this experience for every young man that thinks or believes or hopes it's for them.

SPEAKER_01:

100% we do. 100%.

SPEAKER_00:

And that's what everything that you've heard so far on this podcast has been about. You know, from what you do on a daily basis to what I do to what the teachers do, it is about that young man that wants to come here and be a part of this experience and this journey. And so it's been a blessing for sure.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, you know, and I'll I guess close it out here in like my own really personal story, you know, about the time. So so when I began the work as a consultant with Rockhurst, that was in August, and it was just the prior December. I'd lost my dad. Oh, yeah. It was unexpected. And it was a sudden, yeah, thanks, thanks. And and so, you know, I was going through that grieving process as it is, right? And and about the time David said, Hey, why don't you come in-house and do this in-house? And I was thinking, like, okay, well, I've got this pretty good deal, you know, I'm a consultant, I can set my own hours, choose my client, you know, do all this kind of stuff. And I thought, oh man, but this again, back to what I witnessed for my own children. Like, this is a life-changing pathway and opportunity, like, right? I gotta think about this. And and so, you know, you throw your hands up and you give the whole, like, okay, give me a sign that will uh help. And I was walking through the robotics lab. Have I told you the story? Okay, I'm walking through the robotics lab and I stopped dead in my tracks. And uh, this is before I came back to work full time. So this is in that first semester of 2020. And I I said, Oh my gosh, Andy, Andy Wilson. Yeah, I said, What what's that banner there on the wall? It says Jezubots, and and he said, Yeah, that's our that's Jesubots, that's the name of our team, our competitive robotics team. And I said, Okay, but what's that number at the bottom? He said, 5809. I said, Yeah. He said, Well, that's our competition number, why? And I said, and I cannot make this up. And and I wow, I also still kind of can't say it already. You know, I said, I just said, give me a sign. Five eight oh nine is also the address of the house I grew up in.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh wow. And I said, you know what?

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, I guess I'm home. I'm home. And that's how it's felt to me ever since. And I sense that that's how the alumni feel, that's how the parents who entrust us with our children feel, and it is. It's a it's a cycle that just keeps on giving, keeps perpetuating, keeps growing the family. And it's there's nothing like that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, rock. Rockhurst, your home away from home. I mean, that's really what it is, whether you're a student here or you're uh an alumni, yeah, that you know, you have that affinity for this place because that's what it that's what it ultimately becomes, you know, in a lot of ways. And we just want people to understand that and experience that and jump on board, you know. Yeah, for sure. So well, Diane, it's been a wonder talking to you. We'll have to do this again. And everybody listening, we appreciate your time. This is Steve Redman. Beth Beth is uh out today, you know, but you know, she's here in spirit, and we are appreciative of you listening. This is Rock Talk, and we will talk soon.