Rebecca and Joe Hawkes-Cates

Rebecca and Joe Hawkes-Cates met in 2009 while volunteering at a Miner football game.

“We handed out fruit and water to the marching band,” she says. “I was in Kappa Kappa Psi and he was in Tau Beta Sigma. We hung out together and just found each other really easy to talk to.”

Rebecca and Joe Hawkes-Cates
Rebecca and Joe Hawkes-Cates

The next year, Rebecca earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and biological sciences. Joe earned bachelor’s degrees in computer engineering and computer science in 2011.

Married in 2013, a few of their favorite shared campus experiences included supporting the marching band at the football games and attending band parties together.

Today Rebecca works as an ICU nurse at St. Luke’s East and Joe works as a platform management engineer at Cerner.

Their relationship advice?

“Be open and honest about everything with your partner,” she says. “You can’t build a solid foundation without communication and trust.”

Share This Story

Spark a Memory?

Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).

Inventing the future at ‘the idea factory’

Inventing the future at ‘the idea factory’

In the 1950s, AT&T Bell Labs was a hotbed of innovation, a place where engineers and theorists came together to…

Memories from “Mr. Miner,” Jerry Bayless

Memories from “Mr. Miner,” Jerry Bayless

After earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1959, Jerry Bayless began teaching in the department...

Hall of fame astronaut

Hall of fame astronaut

Janet Kavandi, former deputy director at NASA’s Glenn Research Center and a NASA astronaut, has logged more than 33 days…

Remmers series: the talk of the town

Remmers series: the talk of the town

A professor once called Walter Remmers, MetE’23, MS MetE’24, “the laziest man in school.” And Remmers owned up to it….

Jessica (Kressig) and Daniel Cannon

Jessica (Kressig) and Daniel Cannon

Jessica (Kressig) and Daniel Cannon met in September 2011 after she took a dare at a party to dance with…

Alyssa Purdy and Ryon Owings

Alyssa Purdy and Ryon Owings

Alyssa Purdy and Ryon Owings met during Opening Week in August 2014. Both lived in TJ Hall’s north tower –…