Leadership you can (still) believe in
Caley and Garrett Love continue to create impact, leaving Washburn better than when they found it.
Garrett, bba ’10 and Caley, ba ’11 Love got more than they bargained for from Washburn, and they couldn’t be more grateful.
It’s fair to say that Garrett, bba ’10, and Caley, ba ’11 (Onek) Love got a lot out of their time at Washburn.
They got their educations, of course—Garrett a bachelor’s of business administration, Caley a degree in kinesiology with a minor in leadership studies. They both later added an MBA from Fort Hays State University.
They got first-hand experience in leadership. Garrett, who was a basketball player, ran for Washburn Student Government Association president his senior year. For his running mate, he selected a vibrant young woman, Caley Onek, he had met when they were both student ambassadors giving campus tours his sophomore and her freshman year, though it took some convincing before she agreed to join the ticket. They ran on the slogan “Leadership You Can Believe In,” and won two thirds of the vote. When Garrett graduated, Caley succeeded him as president her senior year.
They got each other, too. While Caley took some convincing to agree to be his vice president, she took less convincing when he asked her to be his wife a couple of years later.
They got a great start to their lives together. Garrett’s taste of politics led him to run for – and win – a seat in the Kansas legislature, becoming the youngest state senator in Kansas history. Caley took a job in the Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner.
For all they got from Washburn, as they settled down and started a family together it was something they didn’t get that was key to the next chapter of their lives.
“We graduated without debt,” Garrett said. “Caley and I both came to Washburn with the help of many generous scholarships; Finnup Foundation, basketball, and the School of Business’ Dale Marcoux Leadership Scholarship in my case, and the Leadership Institute and Garvey Competitive Scholarship in Caley’s case, among others. Because of that, we left Washburn without debt, which was huge, and were able to explore our careers and think about investing in a farm and real estate. Those scholarships gave us such a great start.”
So, the Loves entered a new phase, as entrepreneurs and small business owners. Garrett stepped away from politics in 2016, in 2016 as their family was growing (they now have four children between two and eight years old), they purchased farmland back in Montezuma and began raising cattle and growing sorghum, wheat, corn and soybeans. Caley started a photography business and Garrett started a guided pheasant hunting company, among other ventures.
Now with a family, property and businesses, the Loves decided it was time to sit down and formalize some of their financial and estate plans. And as part of the “I Will for Washburn” campaign, they’ve included Washburn in their wills and made a commitment to create the Garrett and Caley Love Endowed Scholarship Fund, supporting student-athletes in the school of business.
“The opportunities from Washburn are what shaped us,” Caley said. “It was other people’s generosity that gave us our starts and made our success possible, so we want to do everything we can to pay that forward.”
It might seem unusual for two young alumni still well under 40 to be thinking about estate planning, but Garrett notes that once you have a family and assets, it’s time to start thinking about those things. And when they heard that estate commitments to Washburn were earning a $10,000 incentive from the “I Will for Washburn” McPherson/Greenwood fund (which the Loves plan to add to their scholarship), they jumped at the opportunity.
“I know it can feel daunting, something you can put off until tomorrow, but what we realized is that it doesn’t have to be perfect or final, just getting something down for your family’s sake is an important first step,” Garrett said. “It had been in the back of our minds anyway, and the “I Will for Washburn” incentive was the push we needed to say “Okay, let’s do it.’”
Caley agrees, and notes that in many ways their decision to create a scholarship is just a natural extension of why they both served as WSGA president to begin with.
“Our goal was always to try and leave Washburn better than we found it,” Caley said. “Washburn is what made us who we are, and we will forever be grateful for all those opportunities it gave us. If we can pay even a small portion of that back, we are thrilled to do it. Washburn is a part of our family. We are Ichabods for life.”
If you feel similar gratitude to Washburn, you can make an impact like Garrett and Caley and begin creating your Washburn legacy. Learn how by contacting Erin Aldridge at 785.670.4483 or PlannedGiving@wualumni.org to learn more.
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