Sciences Student’s Family Named NC State Family of the Year

The family of biological sciences senior Abby Verchick has been named the university’s 2018 Family of the Year. The Verchicks were recognized at halftime of Saturday’s NC State football game.

The Family of the Year Award celebrates the supportive role families play in the lives of students and the NC State community. Honorees receive a $500 book scholarship; complimentary tickets to all Parents & Families Weekend activities, including the football game; weekend accommodations at the StateView Hotel; and other gifts. The award is made by the Office of Parents & Families Services.

In a letter supporting her family’s nomination, Verchick wrote that the Wolfpack tradition has been ingrained in her family since her parents met on campus 26 years ago.

“Since that magic moment on the club soccer fields at NC State, the Wolfpack spirit has lived in our family in all that we do,” she wrote.

Verchick’s mother, Julie, a zoology major, graduated from NC State in 1992 and went on to receive her medical degree “from the unmentionable blue school down the road,” Verchick wrote. Julie Verchick is now an emergency room physician in southeastern North Carolina. Verchick’s father, David, graduated from NC State in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in biological and agricultural engineering and again in 1997 with a master of engineering degree. After working for Duke Power, he is now enjoying family life in Pinehurst, N.C., with the family’s black lab, the appropriately named Red.

Both parents are lifetime members of the NC State Alumni Association and are active with their respective colleges and the Wolfpack Club. They also enjoy engaging with fellow alumni and have attended Wolfpack Hall of Fame inductions, WolfTrek trips to the Galapagos Islands and Yellowstone National Park, and local Wolfpack caravan dinners.

Along with her two younger brothers, Ben and Curt, Verchick has been a Junior Wolfpack Club member for her entire life and has been attending football games in Carter-Finley Stadium since she was a toddler. Today, she is studying human biology and hopes to follow in her mother’s footsteps by attending medical school and becoming a doctor. She is also involved in the Alumni Association Student Ambassador Program and in student government, where she helps promote numerous campus traditions.

“As I share my love for NC State with others, it is evident that my passion for NC State is contagious,” she wrote. “This enthusiasm, sparked by my parents, shines through in my everyday activities and beyond.”