Pat Brisnehan likes to say as you go through life, some of the finer people you meet went to Colorado State University. He and his wife Linda are helping to continue that tradition by opening doors for the next generation of Rams.
“I think both of us in our working lives have seen how much having a college degree can truly make a difference,” said Linda Brisnehan, a retiree who worked for many years at Lockheed Martin Space Systems.
That’s why the couple created the Brisnehan Family Scholarship, which is awarded to first-generation students in the CSU College of Business and is renewable for up to four years.
“I’m going to be thankful for Pat and Linda for the rest of my life,” said scholarship recipient Blanca Avalos, a second-year business and hospitality student. “This is about more than just me: It’s about my family, my community and helping to set the pattern for every first-generation student that comes after me to come to college and experience the opportunities that come with it.”
CSU campus becomes family affair
The scholarship is just another way the Brisnehans have stayed engaged with CSU since Pat first arrived on campus in 1968. He met his wife while attending Holy Family High School in Denver, and they got married after his freshman year.
Next, they moved to University Village, which was designated as married student housing at the time. Their daughter was born while Pat was attending CSU, and they had the opportunity to foster strong relationships with the friends that they met on campus that continue to this day.
“There’s two couples that we’ve known for 50-plus years,” Pat said. “They knew our daughter as a tiny baby, and it’s so fun to know that these relationships came during our time at CSU.”
Pat graduated with his bachelor’s in finance in 1972 and went on to receive his master’s the following year. His career took the family to Houston for a time and later back to Denver, but the Brisnehans have always stayed close to CSU and Fort Collins. They were season ticket holders for CSU football games, and even now as they split their retirement between Colorado and Arizona. They said that they still closely watch the Rams and take road trips for bowl games.
Scholarship recipient: ‘I’m not going to forget the gift they gave me’
Avalos’ father came to the United States to help his family gain a better life. They settled in Commerce City, where he started a small business, which Avalos said inspired her to consider business as a future major.
She said her father was overwhelmed with joy when he learned that she would be able to obtain a college education.
“When he learned that I received the scholarship, he realized everything he did to get to this point was the right decision, despite the suffering and hardships along the way,” Avalos said.
Since arriving at CSU, Avalos said she’s been lucky to find a community through El Centro, the advocacy center for Latinx students. There, she’s had the opportunity to hone her skills in event planning – something she hopes to one day turn into a career.
Down the line, she wants to open her own event center near her hometown and create a gathering space for her community in the process.
“We’re so excited to see what Blanca and each student who receives the scholarship is going to do with his or her college career,” Pat said.
Avalos said the scholarship has allowed her to focus her energy on opportunities that help her grow and has also given her the chance to explore everything the CSU experience has to offer. Her two younger sisters have taken notice: Even though they’re early in their high school careers, they’re already planning on following Avalos’ footsteps and pursuing their own college degrees.
“When it comes to the opportunities this scholarship has given me, there are a lot of great things that truly can’t be seen unless you’re living it,” Avalos said. “I’m not going to forget the gift they gave me, and it makes me want to continue to strive throughout my college experience and for the rest of my career.”
Avalos has had the opportunity to share her story with Pat and Linda Brisnehan as well as to hear about their journey to campus, which she said has taught her numerous lessons about family, finding your passion, establishing a career and most importantly, helping others along the way.
“It’s been very rewarding and exciting to help the next generation of Rams,” Pat said.
