Houseparenting Runs in the Family for Milton Hershey School Alums

Milton Hershey School alumni Yvonne (Smith) Serrano ’04 and Nick Serrano ’04, and Eric Holland ’14 and Anna Kauffman ’14, are a houseparenting family.

Anna, Eric, and Nick are MHS lifers who enrolled in first grade or earlier. Yvonne enrolled in ninth grade. Eric and Yvonne are brother and sister. When Eric was a student, Yvonne visited him at MHS and took him out during breaks for visits. She was like a mother to him.

Embracing a purpose

Through the years, the four talked about returning someday to MHS to work as houseparents. Anna described her desire to be a houseparent as a calling and an opportunity to give back to MHS, one that she had considered since she was 18.

The two couples were surprised, though, to learn that they each had applied to be houseparents at about the same time and ended up in the same cohort for relief houseparent training and for flex houseparent training. Flex houseparenting is the first step toward becoming full-time houseparents assigned to a permanent student home.

Each couple emphasized the importance of being in a good place with their marriage and family before taking on the responsibility of houseparenting. Yvonne and Nick have two daughters, one who has Down Syndrome. Anna and Eric have one daughter who is a toddler.

Houseparenting is so much more than a job—it’s a purpose, and the four embrace it. They consider it a way of life and an opportunity to create a family environment like they experienced for current students.

Mentors continue to help

Years after graduating, they continue to remain close with some of their former houseparents and MHS staff who had an impact on their lives as students and still consider them to be role models.

Anna talked fondly about her relationship with her former houseparents and MHS staff member Charlene Ferrick, whom she considers a mentor. As a student, Anna met Charlene when she worked in the Home Life office. Charlene now works in the MHS President’s Office.

Anna laughed when she said she visited Ms. Ferrick nearly every day during high school. The two still stay in touch.

While a student, Eric established a close relationship with his houseparents, Daniel and Vanessa Medlin, a relationship that has grown stronger through the years.

Together, Eric and Anna consider the Medlins extended family. Eric and Anna dated during high school, married shortly after graduating from MHS, and when their daughter Emma was born several years later, the Medlins became grandparent figures to her. The Medlins continue to serve as houseparents in Middle Division student home Carousel.

Yvonne learned from her houseparents, the Garcias, that the key to creating a family-like atmosphere is to strike a balance between holding students accountable and allowing them to be kids. She and Nick strive to help students become their best selves by providing a balance between accountability and allowing them to grow as individuals. She described it as planting the seeds for life skills to help grow good and successful people.

Family-like atmosphere

As a student, Nick played soccer and participated in track and field. He still runs and plays soccer with a group of housefathers every week. He also worked as a summer intern at the school’s last cow farm. It is not uncommon to see Nick running and playing games with students outside a student home. Having considered MHS his home, Nick said it is important to him to help create that atmosphere for current students. Just days before MHS Commencement 2024, Nick reflected on his own graduation experience. He said he can relate to the mixed emotions experienced by many recent MHS graduates.

Each of the four grads said their student experiences and relationships with staff allow them to bring a unique perspective to houseparenting. Since returning to MHS, the houseparenting family continues to learn from staff members who serve as their role models. While they acknowledge there have been changes at MHS since they were students, they said the commitment to creating a supportive home and school for students remains.