Humans of Santa Clara: Joey Vila ’26

“I wanted to come here because I love the community.”

“I’m a double-legacy; my mom Lisa Hebner Vila ’89 and my dad Mike Vila ’89 went to Santa Clara. So did my Aunt Melanie (Vila) McCaffrey ’99; my cousin from Portland, Mia McCaffrey ’26, is a freshman here. And my older brother Sam Vila ’23 is at Santa Clara. So I went Early Decision. I wanted to come here because I love the community, and the size of the school was super appealing; I felt like I’d get lost in a bigger school, and a smaller school would offer more genuine relationships. Some people think my last name is Latino, but I’m actually part Filipino. I’m majoring in economics, and I might double major in psychology. I went to a Jesuit middle school in Seattle, which is where I’m from. I’m not that religious, though. I pray when I’m in a bad situation, and I pray when I’m in a good situation. I’m not consistent. Swig is where I wanted to be because it’s mostly freshmen. Plus, I’m a pretty social guy and my roommate George Marzo ’26 and I want to be meeting people. It’s not just a place to sleep; we’ll have an open-door policy here. I’m hoping to get involved in intramural sports, like football and soccer and basketball and Ultimate Frisbee. I might dip my toe into rugby. It’s another way to meet people. What did I bring from home? I have this book my step dad wrote called “A Fortunate Man With MS11.” His name is Gilbert Greenman, and he’s a well-known lawyer who worked a lot in Washington D.C. When he was 27, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. He’s a super optimistic guy, but it’s been hard on him. What’s the message? It taught me how fragile life can be.”