Name: Tricia Rowan
Where did you grow up: I moved around a lot as a kid, but I consider Allentown, PA to be home.
Town you live in now: Wellington
Why you love living there: My husband, Scott, grew up in Wellington and his parents still live here. After we finished graduate school and had our oldest son, we wanted to be closer to family (my parents are in Melbourne, FL) so Wellington was a natural fit. We love our neighbors, our neighborhood school, the parks and community events like Thursday night Food Truck rodeos. Since the pandemic, we’ve also enjoyed finding restaurants with great outdoor seating. Our favorites lately are Papichulo in Royal Palm Beach, Don Chepos and Ford’s Garage in Wellington.
Tell me about your kids: I have two sons – William is 7 and in second grade; Samuel is almost 3. William recently earned his green belt in karate (we love Top Flight Martial Arts!) and Sam has been excelling at swimming lessons.
Favorite things to do with the kids locally: We loved spending time outside. We can frequently be found on the trails at Jim Brandon Equestrian Center or the Wellington Environmental Preserve. Our whole family loves to read, so we’re regulars at our local Palm Beach County Library branches on a weekly basis. We also get a lot of use out of our season passes to Lion Country Safari and the Palm Beach Zoo.
What’s your ‘day job’? How did you get started with it? I’m a Senior Researcher at Mathematica where I study public health and health policy. My graduate degree is in health policy and I love working at the intersection of research and public policy because my work is constantly informing new laws and regulations. I recently completed a project with The Rockefeller Foundation to study the impact that testing for COVID-19 in schools can have in reducing transmission of the virus, so my work is very timely and that keeps me excited to go to work every day.
What is your best parenting advice. Lay it on us. Prioritize your partner – I think our kids need to see that their parents love them and love each other and feel secure in those foundations. I also always try to remember that my kids are different from each other (and different from me!) so what worked with my oldest, might not be a good approach for my youngest. Letting them be independent and blaze their own trail has been important for us. Finally, I think my most frequently used mantra is “it’s just a phase, love them through it”.
What do you do for self care? I read a lot – it’s my favorite way to decompress. I document my reading adventures and reviews on Instagram @ReadingRowans if you’d like to follow along! I also love using my Peloton for all types of exercise. And therapy, of course.
Karaoke – what are you singing? Anything from the 90s. It’s obscene how much space song lyrics from the 90s take up in my brain.