The Basics:
Name: Abby Joseph
Class Year: 2019
Hometown: Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
Major: Biology
Your Favorite…
Class at Bucknell: Principals of Physiology
Spot on campus: Courtyards
Place you’ve traveled: Italy
Restaurant on Market Street: All Star Bagels
Song: “Only The Good Die Young” by Billy Joel
Movie: The Notebook
Book: Anything by Nicholas Sparks
Food: Pasta
Fun Fact: “My real name is Abby, not Abigail”
What are you involved in around campus?
On campus, I am in Alpha Delta Pi and am a TLC study group leader. I was also an OA last year!
What was your role in planning the Piazza event?
“Our advisor is from Susquehanna University, and that’s where Tim’s girlfriend also goes. They are also both in ADPI! The Piazza’s had come and talked to Susquehanna and so our advisor asked if that was something that we would be interested in. So, it started off just being an event for ADPI, but then other people caught wind of it and Dean Badal heard about it. It then blew up to be this big event, so instead of it being last semester we had to change it to this semester, so we could have it when Weis was open. I had been talking to the Piazzas about it and they were really excited… so we got Weis and we got a date set! I was kind of the organizer and contact person for the whole thing.”
What was it like meeting the Piazza family?
“It was extremely humbling. At first, no one really knew what to say because obviously, everyone knew the reason that they came. We were just so thankful for them being there but there were just a lot of mixed emotions because the reason they came was because they lost their son. They were really excited for what they were going to say but because of the circumstances, it was hard. They were so open about it and just really inspiring. Also, fun fact, Weis had sold out the first 800 tickets in an hour and by the start of the event all 1200 had been sold… so we were all very emotional backstage.”
What was the most moving moment of the event to you?
“I have two! The first one was right before the event started, we told them, “thank you so much for being here, you really did not have to do this for us,” and the Piazza’s response was, “we do have to do this because it’s not fair for us to put this on the next set of parents.” I thought that was just so powerful and moving. And then during the event, when they had everyone in the audience close their eyes and put themselves in the eyes of Tim’s brother. And even at the beginning when the Piazza’s showed us those pictures of Tim at prom with his girlfriend… I just kept thinking how that could be my best friend from home. It was such a scary yet impactful way to understand just how real this is.”
What was your biggest take away from the event?
“I think what they wanted the biggest take away to be was if someone is in danger, it does not matter what trouble you’re going to get in because at the end of the day, they will still be alive. Like who cares if you both get citations for underage drinking or something, but the fact that they’re alive…that’s all that matters. I think a lot of people went into that talk thinking it was anti-Greek life, but it wasn’t. The Piazza’s just want people to understand that when someone needs help you need to get that for them. I think that the Piazza’s did a really good job of not making it like a blame game, it was more just okay this happened, and this is what we all need to promise to do so it does not happen again.”