All In The Family
Five Belles Across Four Decades
Last fall, senior Abby Hanson ’25 was walking to her medical terminology class at Saint Mary’s College when up ahead, she spied a student she knew. She called out to her, “Grandma!” When she heard this familiar pet name, her classmate turned around and waited for Abby to catch up. The two hugged and continued on their way. It was a typical student interaction played out every day on campus.
Yet, in this case, “Grandma” turns out to be 76-year-old Katy Higgins ’28, Abby’s actual grandmother.
Higgins is about as non-traditional a student as it gets. She transferred to Saint Mary’s this past fall as a junior, and is studying criminal justice and sociology. She’s often joined by Abby, and relishes the surprised looks from her classmates and her granddaughter’s friends.
And yet, she and Abby are not the only members of this family on campus. Grandma’s namesake granddaughter Katy Hanson ’28—Abby’s sister—is also in her first year on campus. All three are happy to be in the same city as Elly Hanson ’22, Abby and Katy’s sister who stayed in South Bend after graduation. And within driving distance is Kelly Higgins Hanson ’94, mother to Elly, Abby, and Katy, and daughter of Katy Higgins. Three generations of women, who consider Saint Mary’s to be their home away from home.
Picking Up And Moving
Legacy families are not unusual at Saint Mary’s College, but this particular story has plenty of twists. It began when Grandma Katy was a teenager in the 1960s. Though she was not allowed to go to college like her brother, her dream of higher education never subsided.
“Mom had a lifelong dream of attending college, and encouraged me to look beyond our hometown of Tucson,” Kelly said, recalling how this family affair began. “Dad was a diehard Notre Dame fan and we’d visited South Bend through the years for football and other events.” Kelly applied to both schools. Saint Mary’s accepted her and Notre Dame put her on a wait list, but in the end, it didn’t matter.
“Once I landed at Saint Mary’s, I absolutely loved it and knew I wanted to stay,” she said.
Kelly graduated with a business administration degree and married Conrad Hanson (ND ’95). Through the course of her career, she leveraged her degree, eventually taking on the role of COO at North American Electric Reliability Corp, a job which she holds today.
She and Conrad had four children—the three girls followed by son Tommy. A close-knit family, each time the six Hansons moved to a new city and state for job opportunities, so did Kelly’s parents.
“We wanted to spend more time with our grandchildren, so we just ended up following Kelly and Conrad whenever they moved,” Grandma Katy said. An early retirement had finally provided her with the time to pursue her dream of obtaining a college degree. As they moved with the Hansons from town to town, Grandma Katy always signed up at a local college. It was a challenge to get her class credits to align at different schools, but she did it. In 2023, she earned an associate’s degree from West Georgia Technical University, near where the family lived in Atlanta.
When Abby was already a student at Saint Mary’s, it was time for the younger Katy to apply for college. She chose SMC as well. The family suggested that maybe Grandma should apply too since her goal was to elevate her associate’s degree to a bachelor’s.
“It started out jokingly,” Little Katy said, “and then it became a serious conversation.” When she learned her grandmother was joining her at Saint Mary’s, she was beside herself: “I was ecstatic. I broke down in tears because I love her and the idea that we get to graduate together is amazing.
” With his last sister and his grandparents leaving for South Bend, brother Tommy saw that he and mom and dad would be the only ones left in Atlanta. He suggested they move too. It was an astonishing idea, but one that quickly took hold. Grandma Katy concurred. “I think it was important to feel we had at least another year together as a family until maybe some of the girls decide to move on.”
Saint Mary’s just felt like home, like a place where I could grow and have opportunities.
- -Elly Hanson ’22
Grandma On Campus
Grandma Katy can hardly believe she is actually a student at her daughter’s alma mater. “Back in 1990 when we sent Kelly at 18 to Saint Mary’s, we had no idea that this is how it would end up 35 years later,” she said. “I guess you’ve just got to be open to try a lot of things in life, and that’s what I’m doing. It is never too late to follow your dreams.” To differentiate the two Katys, most of her classmates and faculty know the elder Katy as Grandma Katy, or simply “GK.”
Living off campus, sometimes both GK and Abby arrive at the same time. “Having my grandma on campus is the most fun thing ever,” said Abby, a biology major. “I’m incredibly proud of her and I think she’s definitely found her place here. It’s amazing, the number of students who talk to me about my grandma and give me all the positives of how she’s impacted their lives.”
With a laugh, the younger Katy adds, “My friends all want to know what classes she’s taking next so they can be in the same class!” Katy is studying chemical engineering in the 4+1 ND program.
Of course, in her first days on campus, GK knew that she stood out. “People were looking at me like, ‘what is she doing here?’ But everyone is so nice, and if I go up to talk to somebody, I’m just another student. It’s been a joy.”
“I think it speaks to the culture of the College that these young women are eager to be around women of all ages,” adds granddaughter Elly. “They gravitate toward GK. It’s that bridging of generations, because no matter what age we are, we’re sharing common views on the world and our role in it.”
Why Saint Mary’s?
It was never a sure thing that Kelly’s three daughters would select Saint Mary’s. “We were very open minded to whatever path they chose to take, but were completely happy when they picked Saint Mary’s, because Saint Mary’s is unique,” she said. “I knew what they were going to get. I knew they were going to grow as young women. I knew they were going to be able to explore all kinds of things in a safe environment, in an environment that was supported by our values.”
“Because we moved around so much when I was growing up, there weren’t a lot of places that felt like home,” Elly said. “Saint Mary’s just felt like home, like a place where I could grow and have opportunities.” Before graduating with a communications degree, Elly served as student body president and was active in many campus activities.
Abby chose Saint Mary’s because, as she said, “Growing up, my mom really painted the picture for what life at Saint Mary’s would be like. I didn’t originally intend to come here when I was in the process of looking at colleges. Her description is what geared me to want to come to Saint Mary’s.”
And then there’s the younger Katy, who never wanted to go anywhere else. “My mom coming here definitely had an impact on me. She always talked about how empowering it was to go to a women’s college. So I applied to one school: Saint Mary’s.”
Home In South Bend
While first-year Katy lives in a residence hall, senior Abby lives off campus. GK commutes, too, while making a home with her husband Tom. Elly settled near the College, convenient to her job at the University of Notre Dame. And Kelly, Conrad, and Tommy live just 15 minutes from campus.
Kelly and Conrad stay actively involved at Saint Mary’s by serving as co chairs of the College’s Parents’ Council. In addition, Kelly—along with Auggie, their 2-year-old Schnauzer—volunteers with the Sisters of the Holy Cross, just as she did as an undergraduate student. The family also spends plenty of time with Tommy, a sophomore at St. Joseph High School in South Bend.
And though they are close to each other, all family members are definitely independent. Kelly and Conrad make a point of letting their daughters lead their own lives. “We try to be very mindful, because we don’t want to interfere with the kids and their college experience,” said Kelly. “We’re here but we’re not engaged in each other’s daily lives. I’m just grateful that we’re all in the same place at this moment in time, because we know it won’t always be that way.”
The renewed togetherness allows the family to celebrate birthdays and holidays as well as weekly dinners and tailgating at football games. It could be that this legacy family won’t be done with Saint Mary’s come 2028. The daughters consider the possibility that their future daughters would one day be Belles.
“I would love it,” said Katy, “but I’m not going to force that on them. If they want to go somewhere else, that’s okay, but I’m definitely going to immerse them in the Saint Mary’s life and show them what Saint Mary’s offers.”
For now, the focus is on Abby’s upcoming graduation in May, with Katy and GK following in 2028.
“Being able to graduate with my youngest granddaughter is the biggest dream in the whole world,” Grandma Katy said. “I just can’t even imagine. I hope I can keep up. I’m taking a slower route, not a full-time student, but if I make it, I’ll be 80.”
GK and the younger Katy have a difficult time thinking about graduation and the possibility of their paths diverging. Often, tears emerge.
“So we’re gonna enjoy the moment now, enjoy the time we have together, and then we’ll see what the future holds,” Katy said.
They argue about who should get the brighter spotlight on graduation day in 2028. GK wants the focus to be on her granddaughter. “It’s her graduation,” she said. “No, it’s our graduation,” Katy declared. “You’ve been working at this a lot longer than I’ve been alive. It’s your day. If anything, we’ll share it.”
Sharing is what makes this unique family of eight so great.