With COVID-19 putting live sporting events on hold, the Cascade Collegiate Conference wanted to take the time to highlight families within our #ThisIsTheCCC community. Many of our member institutions have administration, coaches and student-athletes family members competing together, making the CCC truly a family affair.
CORVALLIS, Ore. – You might not know Mike Wilson and Abby Wilson at Warner Pacific University are related, let alone father and daughter. It’s not something they go around telling everyone about.
In fact, they just might play it off that their last names are just a coincidence.
“One time, we were both in a meeting and a staff member was asking me where I was from,” said Abby. “I mentioned Denver and she looked at him and said, ‘Wow! You and Mike must have a lot to talk about!’ And he looks at me and goes, ‘You’re from Denver too? Where?’ We played it off.”
That dry sense of humor is something that might give away that the two are related though. If you know Abby and Mike, you know they both love to laugh.
“We feed off of each other and I think people see it,” said Abby. “We find some things hilarious and other people don’t get it.”
Working with her father wasn’t always the plan. Abby started at WPU as the Student Activities Coordinator, but the opportunity presented itself to take over the Director of Sports Information in the interim. Earlier this year, Abby earned the position full time.
“I didn't think I would ever work for him,” said Abby. “I simply never really thought I would end up where I am, to be honest.”
It’s been a transition and something the two still work on since it can be hard to turn off work mode when it’s family time.
“The hardest part about working with your family member is the struggle of finding a good work/life balance to ensure we don’t leave the office to discuss more work, but actually enjoy time as family,” said Mike.
Part of what’s helped the two through that issue has been how they communicate.
“Our relationship has actually grown since working together because it’s forced us to communicate more clearly,” said Abby. “I constantly have to remind my dad that when we are at home and it’s past 6 o’clock, I don’t want to talk about work. It’s helped our communication by setting that kind of boundary. Does it work all the time? No, but we communicate better because of our situation.”
Abby also had to learn to communicate in a different way, calling Mike by his first name and not “Dad” since “it would be really weird if I were to come to his office to ask a question and say, ‘Hey Daddy!’”
Working together has brought a new perspective on the other as well.
“It’s caused me to grow and appreciate the talents of this young woman who has been my little girl for so long,” said Mike. “She’s not so little anymore and has grown into her own.”
“Seeing his leadership, not as a dad, but as a supervisor,” added Abby. “He's always had integrity, and he lives in it at work just as much at home.”
It wasn’t always easy between the two. Mike was the Dean of Students for Abby’s junior high and high school years, which Abby says was “interesting.”
“I was always ‘the Dean’s daughter,’” said Abby. “Every time he would try to get me to be a spy on my classmates, I refused ... I liked having friends! He even suspended me once! I was a freshman and went off campus for lunch without parent approval – a rule he created – came back to campus, and he and the Assistant Principal were waiting for me. He treated me just like every other kid: made me call my mom at work to tell her that I got suspended and I had to figure out how to get home. It was so embarrassing.”
The two have since worked through that and share a special bond – not just the fact that they’re the only ambidextrous people in their family. Working together has just made that father/daughter bond stronger and made work even more enjoyable.
“Being able to have somebody who understands you, and the way you work and has a good sense of humor,” said Abby about what makes working with her dad so special. “It’s been an easier transition because Mike just gets me and knows me.”
“Understanding each other as best we do allows us to use our skillsets together,” added Mike. “We feed off of each other really well and that’s been fun.”