Perks for being the official family:
- Football game tickets
- Hotel stay at the Ball State University Hotel
- T-shirts
- Hats
- Gift certificates
- A goody bag
- Recognition during football game
On Saturday, the university will host one of its biggest events for Family Weekend — the football game. Prior to this week, freshman telecommunications major Owen Walters wasn't going to attend the game, until his mom, Dawn Walters, received a phone call from Ball State notifying her that her family would be honored during the 2017 Family Weekend Ceremony.
The Daily News sat down with Owen and Dawn to talk about their experience being chosen as the official family.
Daily News: What pushed you to apply for the contest?
Dawn: “Well, I saw it on the website when I was looking for information about the Family Weekend, so I thought, ‘Well, I’ll give it a try.’”
DN: What was your reaction when you found out that you won?
Dawn: “Well, I was pretty excited. My first thought was actually that something was wrong with Owen when I got a call From Ball State, but then when I found out I was pleasantly surprised.”
DN: What does it feel like to be the chosen family for Family Weekend?
Owen: “I was certainly very surprised I suppose. I didn’t even know there was a contest. It was something my parents entered and I was just surprised to hear that it was a thing and that I had won. I went from not knowing about it to being the winner in a second,” Owen said.
DN: Why did you chose to attend Ball State?
Owen: “I think that’s kind of an interesting story because I live in Bloomington with IU and I turned that down. My parents work there, I would have been able to get half-off tuition, but I specifically wanted to go into telecomm and this is the best telecomm school in Indiana.”
DN: Did you guys have any concrete plans prior to winning this competition?
Owen: “Concrete plans, no. I had things I was thinking about doing with them. Like showing them the Friday Night Filmworks for that day, I’m a big fan of that.”
DN: Ultimately, how do they [your parents] feel about your decision to come to Ball State?
Owen: “Very supportive. You know, they want me to get a good job. I want to get a good job and this feels like the best path overall.”
DN: How have your plans changed since finding out that you were the chosen family? What is your weekend itinerary looking like now?
Owen: “Well, I guess the biggest change is now we are going to the football game. I’m not really a sports guy, but now I’m going because I think that they’re going to mention us there."
DN: Did you get any special perks for this weekend besides a shoutout at the football game?
Owen: “Yeah, yeah I think they mentioned Ball State will actually be paying for my parents' hotel when they stay up here.”
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