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.”

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).
Jennifer (Hoffman) and Terrence Sison
Jennifer (Hoffman) and Terrence Sison attended the same high school but didn’t know each other until they met at S&T…
Solar Village people
Before there was a Solar Village on campus, there was a sole villager. Allison Arnn graduated in 2005 with an…
Hycintia Subash and Vincent Allen
When Hycintia Subash and Vincent Allen were seated next to each other at an etiquette dinner in March 2014, neither…
The house that Michael Lancey built
The original Yankee Stadium, completed in 1923, came to be known as “The House That Ruth Built,” in recognition of…
Tabitha (Fiske) and Brian Locke
Tabitha (Fiske) and Brian Locke met in December 2009 when she dropped by a friend’s room to get help with…
Amanda (Kay Hansen) and Chris Byrd
It was a fire drill at TJ Residence Hall in September 1999 that first brought Amanda (Kay Hansen) and Chris…