Moms from all over are flocking to the University to see their kids. Before that happens, I wanted to ask a few students from across the campus what they would say to their mothers if they knew their words would be printed for their mothers to read. Here is what they said.

Some replied in the spirit of Moms Weekend.

“I can’t wait to see her. It’ll be fantastic; I love her so very, very much” said Henry Holm, student in FAA.

In the same vein, Engineering student Anna Rodriguez had a similar message for her mom.

“Hi Mom,” she said. “Love you. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, so I’m excited for you to come see me on Moms Weekend. I can’t wait.”

But the question asked closer to Moms Weekend can only skew the answer so much. When asked what to say to their mother, many students replied with words of thanks, made all the more meaningful by the sincerity of the speakers.

“I would say to my mother that she is my everything, and that I really love everything she does for me and everything that she has done in my life” said Samantha Delgado, a student in LAS.

“I’d tell her I love her and thank her for all the opportunities she’s given me,” said LAS student Shannon Doody.

“Thanks for doing everything, supporting me, and making it possible for me to go to college and get a degree” said Jacob Dannhousen-Brun, a student in Engineering.

Some students took a more conversational approach to answering the prompting question.

“What’s up, Mom? Studying real hard, trying to make you proud,” said Sameer Samani, a student in Education.

“Hi mom, I’m on The Daily Illini” said FAA student Thomas Wei.

“You raised a keeper, Mom” said Kenny Wade, a student in LAS.

All of these answers are a restatement of a simple phrase. It is said often enough to lose its meaning, but mothers are a special thing.

Answers to the question of, “What would you say to Mom?” came from all over the campus: from coffee shop lines, from the Undergraduate Library and from Illini Hall. They came from the Gies College of Business atrium, from inside the Ikenberry Commons, from Lincoln Hall and from Gregory Hall.

All over the University, from college to college, regardless of major, all of the students had one message to say.

Perhaps the most succinct summary of their responses was given by Kyle Ingram, a student in Business.

“I love you,” Ingram said.

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