Peggy Haun-McEwen, while not an alumna of Gonzaga Prep, is a woman whose decades at the school serving in so many different roles reveal the quiet depth of commitment that has sustained our coed community for 50 years. Her story reflects the strength found in showing up for others again and again.
The saying goes something like, "You can take Peg out of Prep, but you can't take the Prep out of Peg."
Peg is Peggy Haun-McEwen, known by students, faculty, and staff over the past 35-plus years in a whole host of roles that document her growth as a person for and with others.
When she walked onto the Gonzaga Prep campus as a 23-year-old beginning her teaching career, she felt she had landed her dream job. After completing her student teaching at Prep, she stepped confidently into the classroom in 1987, teaching Scripture, Christian Morality, Life Choices, and Speech. Very quickly, Prep became more than a workplace—it became her community, supporting her through the births of her three children, seasons of family loss, and life’s major milestones.
Over the next 34 years, Peg became woven into the fabric of the school. She transitioned into counseling in 1990, serving nearly two decades as a school counselor and drug and alcohol prevention educator. In 2009, she became Dean of Students while also teaching Freshman Seminar. Beyond her formal roles, she poured herself into the life of the school: Senior Class Advisor, ASB advisor, liturgist, campus ministry retreat leader, food drive coordinator, club moderator, faculty committee member, and even sports announcer for volleyball and basketball.
Being a woman at Prep brought challenges at times. Occasionally, she says, her voice wasn’t taken as seriously as her male counterparts, yet she learned to show up, speak up, and stand firm. She didn’t see herself as transforming Prep’s co-ed legacy, but she found a deep passion for mentoring young women—helping them lead, persevere, and discover their strengths.
Then, one day four and a half years ago, she recalls Rob McCann, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington, asking her out of the blue, “How would you like to dream of something that doesn’t even exist yet.” With nudges from her three children, she took a leap of faith and accepted a job as the Director of Community Engagement for Gonzaga Family Haven, a 73-unit supportive housing community for families who have experienced homelessness. The property is a foul ball’s distance from the softball field on the Gonzaga Prep campus, so she remains close by. From its earliest planning stages, Peg helped shape the Haven not as a temporary shelter but as “a forever home”—a place where families can stabilize, heal, and build toward a different future. With amenities such as an early-learning center, community garden, shared outdoor spaces, and culturally meaningful design elements, the Haven was created to nurture community and dignity.
Today, Peg serves as the on-site “boots on the ground,” coordinating Gonzaga Prep and Gonzaga University student volunteers, community partners, mentoring programs, meals, after-school support, and case-management services. For her, the work is simple in purpose yet profound in impact: “If a stable home can help break the cycle of poverty for even one child,” she says, “then it’s a life well-lived.”
Looking back, Peg carries with her the core lesson Prep taught her—to meet people where they are, knowing that every person’s “door” and story is different. Her message to today’s Prep girls remains the same one she gave her own daughter: “Live out loud. Know your worth. Stay open to the unexpected. And remember—you never know the story of the person sitting next to you.”
