It is commonly known that the ability to communicate is a major reason why relationships are successful. It comes as no surprise that Mrs. Podergois, works in the communication department at Holy Family Catholic High School, and does a lot of work behind the scenes. Her tasks include writing the weekly email, running the school’s Instagram, and creating Passages, the school’s quarterly magazine. Her story started when she was in college in Madison, Wisconsin. At the time, she lived with six women; six men lived in the neighboring house. 

Jeff Stanley of Eden Prairie was one of the men. He and Mrs. Podergois quickly became friends, as both were from Minnesota. Jeff was known to be a good connector, and was back home for a weekend to visit a friend in the Marine Corps. The friend, John Podergois, was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, and was sent home from deployment for a while. After the school year ended, Stanley was getting ready to move to Florida. Before he moved, he wanted to introduce Mrs. Podergois to John. “He was adamant about introducing us,” said Podergois. Once again, Jeff Stanley proved his talent for connecting people, as the two hit it off right away. 

John and Mrs. Podergois eventually got married and now have a daughter and a granddaughter. To this day, John loves to remind Mrs. Podergois; “I had to travel halfway around the world to meet the person who introduced me to my wife.” (John Podergois via Mrs. Podergois).