Michelle O’Conner-Ratcliff returns to raise her family in “idyllic” Rancho Peñasquitos

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The Ratcliff family of Rancho Peñasquitos is the perfect example of why you should never say “never”! Michelle O’Conner-Ratcliff explains, “When you’re in high school, you think you’ll leave [the area] and never come back in a million years. Then a million years passes and you have your own kids and you start thinking about the idyllic life you lived as a kid, with great schools, a safe community, nearly unlimited activities, and a wonderful support system. PQ starts to look pretty good again.”

Michelle lived in Rancho Peñasquitos for 18 years before leaving for college and to pursue her career, but returned with her husband after their first child was born. When O-Conner-Ratcliff and her husband, Ryan Ratcliff, moved back to PQ, it was to be near family members and old friends. Almost as important as proximity to family was that they send their children to the exceptional schools within the Poway Unified School District. Still, Ratcliff had a specific request before buying their Canyonview/Park Village house. “My husband had a strict ‘minimum safe distance’ policy regarding how far we had to be from my parents. We ended up just inside that 2 mile radius. We were so set on this area that we had our realtor (my brother) put in the offer on our house before we ever even saw it.”

Michelle and Ryan met as “undergrads” at Stanford University where they were in two classes together. “Our first date was on campus to hear the President of Brazil speak.” Later, Michelle went on to receive her law degree from UC Hastings, while Ryan received his Ph.D. in economics from UC Berkeley. These days, both O’Conner-Ratcliff and her husband teach at the University of San Diego.

Weekends are for family. “Church is a huge family affair every Sunday, often with 14 extended family members taking up a couple rows. It also makes sharing donuts and playing at the park afterwards quite enjoyable.” The Ratcliff children, Kendall (5) and Connor (3), must be happy that the “never” move back to PQ edict didn’t hold true.

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