Dad's Weekend

One of the best things about college is the newfound independence that comes with it—living on your own, managing your own time, and spending time with your friends all day every day. But, every once in a while, it’s nice to have a little slice of home. That’s what Dad’s Weekend was for me.

I loved introducing my dad to all of my friends so he could put names to the faces of my amazing sisters I’ve been spending my freshman year with—my big sister, my future roommates, and girls I’ve grown to be best friends with. He kept telling me after dad’s weekend ended, “Your friends are all awesome. They’re all just really cool, genuine people. They seem like a solid group.” That made me so happy to hear, and made me even more thankful that Zeta brought me such incredible friendships!

My first Zeta dad’s weekend was a welcome change of pace from the go-go-go attitude of college life, with no shortage of fun! On Saturday morning, dozens of Zetas packed into the stands with their dads, all decked out in burnt orange and ready to cheer on the horns. More so than watching the game itself, you could tell that all the dad’s just loved being back in the electric, energetic college environment. The spirit and culture at UT are something special, and I loved seeing the smiles it brought to all their faces knowing that their daughters are in such a special place.

Saturday night brought our event at Recess, and my dad thought it was just the coolest thing in the world! Free arcade games, endless boxes of pizza, and early 90’s hip hop blasting through the speakers? It was like watching a kid in a candy store! Dads were breaking it down on the dance floor to “Mo Bamba,” even though they had never heard it before. My dad even went up to the DJ stand about 4 times to request “Ice Ice Baby,” and danced harder than I’ve ever seen when they finally played it! I was cracking up!

I personally found it so interesting and funny matching people with their parents; some of them are exactly like their daughters, and some not at all! My dad made good friends with some other PC ’18 dads, and they’re keeping in touch. How sweet is that?

I also enjoyed getting to relax and enjoy Austin with my dad one-on-one; we went hiking at Mount Bonnell, enjoyed dessert at The Baked Bear and brunch at True Food Kitchen, golfed at TopGolf with fellow Zeta dads, and I even made him take a Corepower Yoga class with me. Introducing him to my little world here in Austin made me proud to be a Longhorn all over again, and reminded me how much I love it here!

Sometimes, getting back to your roots and spending quality time with family can be just the breath of fresh air you need. We love you Zeta dads!

ZLAM, Katie Berger PC ’18