Lilian Driscoll ’29 and Jen Kunes Driscoll ’05, G’11. Photo by Nick Chismar ’20
Lily Driscoll has just completed her first year as a speech-language pathology student at Moravian University. She is the namesake of Lily’s Hope Foundation, an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to supporting premature infants and their families.
The organization was founded by Lily’s parents—Moravian alumni Jen Kunes Driscoll and Justin Driscoll ’05—after Lily was born at just 33 weeks’ gestation.
Lily and Jen recently sat down for a Q&A with Moravian University Magazine, reflecting on their respective experiences as students at the university.
Jen, who majored in business and psychology and later earned an MBA from Moravian, has applied her business expertise to her role as executive director of Lily’s Hope Foundation. In addition to her work with the foundation, she is a project manager at Chart Industries, a global engineering firm.
Q: Name a class you took just for fun that ended up surprising you.
Lily: Introduction to Sociology. I learned how social norms, behavior, and even personal choices are shaped by society. It made me more aware of how people interact and how hidden social forces influence our actions. I loved the class, and I now plan to pick up a minor in sociology.
Jen: I had so many classes that I loved at Moravian: economics, personality psychology, human resource management, and so many more. The one class I took for fun that I really enjoyed the most was a class about social issues in healthcare in the spring of my junior year. I learned the importance of ethics in healthcare and how medical decisions affect not only patients, but also their families. The course emphasized compassionate, family-centered care and collaboration across healthcare disciplines.
All of these classes lend to what I do now in my regular job and with Lily’s Hope, but that particular class spoke to me in a way that I’ve continued to lean into through my work with Lily’s Hope.
Q: What was/is your favorite place to eat on or near campus?
Lily: My favorite place to eat on campus is DeLight’s Café. It’s my favorite place to grab a coffee and sit and hang out with friends. Off campus, I love Johnny’s Bagels on Main Street.
Jen: Lily has so many more options than we did back in 2001–2005! We did have Johnny’s Bagels then, and it was a staple for us to stop there when we were going down to South Campus. Our favorite place to eat was actually a place that no longer exists: Tomino’s Deli, which used to be on the corner of Main and Laurel Streets. Before Uber Eats or DoorDash, there was Tomino’s. Mr. Tomino would premake hoagies and personally deliver them to students for only $5. It was incredibly convenient, and the hoagies were amazing!
Q: How did you meet your closest friends?
Lily: I met some of my closest friends during my time at Moravian. Joining my sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha, has allowed me to gain some of the closest friends I wouldn’t have expected. Also, being involved in clubs and various choirs has allowed me to develop amazing friendships.
Jen: I really immersed myself in everything Moravian had to offer. I joined a variety of clubs and activities, which set the tone for the rest of my college experience and helped me build lifelong friendships. Between my involvement on campus and meeting people through my boyfriend at the time—now my husband—I formed many of my closest relationships. I was especially active in IMPACT (which Lily tells me is now called MAC) and Alpha Sigma Alpha, both of which played a big role in creating friendships that have lasted well beyond college.
Q: Stay in or go out?
Lily: I would say go out! I love getting to experience new things and meet new people, and going to events both on and off campus has allowed me to broaden my horizons.
Jen: Go out, for sure! We were always on the go, from sorority events to campus events and everything in between. We took full advantage of everything that Moravian had to offer!