Nate '03 and Jessica '02 Moch
By the time Nate and Jessica Mochs’ two sons are ready to choose a college, they will be quite familiar with DePauw University.
By the time Nate and Jessica Mochs’ two sons are ready to choose a college, they will be quite familiar with DePauw University. Nate and Jessica are repeat hosts of a Seattle Monon Bell Telecast party and say their sons (Lucas, 5, and Ian, 7) have seen every Monon Bell Game since they were born.
He and Jessica met on campus in the fall of 2000. Jessica did a semester in England in the spring of 2001. Nate did a semester in Argentina during the fall of 2001. They traveled to visit each other and still make it a point to do an international trip every year.
Jessica graduated summa cum laude in 2002 with a degree in elementary education. Nate graduated summa cum laude in 2003 with a degree in computer science and Spanish. Both attended University of Washington for graduate school. They married in 2008 and have made their home in Seattle. A master’s level social worker and therapist prior to the birth of her children, Jessica is currently a stay-at-home parent while Nate is a vice president for online real estate marketplace Zillow.
“Jessica and I both loved our time at DePauw. We met each other and many of our closest friends during our years in Greencastle,” Nate said, adding that they travel every year to maintain relationships with the strong network of friends they met through Delta Upsilon, Alpha Phi, sports teams and classes.
Nate is volunteering for the Class of 2003’s 15th reunion committee, and the family is looking forward to seeing friends and classmates on campus in June. In addition to volunteering in support of alumni events, the Mochs contribute annually to The Fund for DePauw and Nate hopes to involve DePauw student interns with Zillow. “We believe in the value of a well-rounded education and are thankful for all of the opportunities DePauw provided,” Nate said.
Both Jessica and Nate agree that some of the highlights of their DePauw years included participating in sports (soccer and diving for Nate, cross country and track for Jessica), studying multiple subjects, learning about the importance of community service and spending semesters abroad. “It was an exceptionally broad growth experience that taught us not only about how to learn, but how to be good citizens,” Nate said.
He added that they are exceptionally grateful to their professors and coaches. “Dave Berque and Doug Harms are the reasons I chose computer science and landed my first job at Microsoft. Bob Hershberger kept me engaged in Spanish which led me to a life changing semester in Argentina. He even supported a ‘special studies’ class to allow me and a classmate to double major in computer science and Spanish. And Adam Cohen talked me into diving even though I came to DePauw to play soccer. These professors were all role models not just for what they did in the classroom, but for all of the things they did for us outside of the classroom – on service projects, summer research projects, freshman seminars, office hours, job hunting, sports practices, and on and on. They were there because they cared about the students, and it really showed.”