Congratulations are in order for a Michigan family who has achieved what many have hailed as a trifecta of familial academia.
Pat McGill has three good reasons to celebrate this semester, as he’ll be graduating from Eastern Michigan University — and so will his son and daughter, Ryan and Regan McGill. The trio is set to walk across the stage and receive their diplomas this spring, according to FOX 2 Detroit.
(From left to right) Regan, Pat and Ryan McGill are set to graduate with their college degrees this spring. (FOX 2 Detroit / video screenshot)
“We’ve always been pretty close as a family, so doing something like this, it’s – I mean there’s not many people that can say they walked with their sibling and their parent,” Ryan McGill told the station. “So pretty grateful for that.”
Pat is graduating with a degree in construction management, while his son’s diploma will read exercise science. Daughter Ryan’s degree is in psychology and women and gender studies.
The family said while the timing of their achievements is serendipitous, it was also somewhat planned. Pat, who’s been an officer with EMU’s public safety department for 20 years, has also been taking classes at the Ypsilanti campus for years. Regan finally met her degree requirements in May, while brother Ryan hit his credit threshold back in December.
Rather than stagger their celebrations, the trio opted to honor their achievements all at once.
“We’ll laugh, we’ll talk, I’m sure we’ll cry,” said Ryan.
“It will be a crying moment for sure,” Pat chimed in.
The beaming father said he couldn’t be more proud of his son and daughter, and the feeling was mutual.
“He has accomplished so much,” Regan told FOX 2 of her dad. “Seeing him over the years, it’s so amazing to see him grow as a person, and this has just been a fun journey with both of them.”
During their time at college, the trio said their paths have crossed in more ways than one. When Pat, who’s a campus policeman, wasn’t busy busting parties thrown by his kid’s friends, he said he, Ryan and Regan sometimes shared classes and even had the same professors.
The three all now have a degree under their belt and are looking forward to their future plans. Ryan has dreams of becoming a physician’s assistant, and Regan has plans of either attending graduate school or enlisting in the U.S. Air Force.
Pat has future plans of his own, like putting his newly acquired Microsoft PowerPoint skills to use, he told the station. The college grad also has an 8- year-old daughter he hopes to graduate with one day.
“Hey, I’m kind of young,” he joked.
Watch more in the video below.
