Highlander Love Stories: Matches Made at NJIT
They all came to NJIT for their education, but wound up moving on with more than their degree. While some knew they had met “the one” during their time at the university, others came to this life-changing realization soon after graduating.
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, these alumni couples share their stories of meeting and matrimony.
Alexandra Carreras '08 and Kevin Carreras '11
16 years, he was in a fraternity that my sorority worked together with often. We were planning an event and as an active alum for my chapter, I was there. We started talking and there goes our history!
Philippa Hall '18 and Robert Tucker '15
We met in August of 2015 right after Rob had graduated. I was living above what is now Ramen Gami but at the time was a Chinese food restaurant. My best friend lived in the apartment next to me and like any good neighbor we liked to stop by unannounced to see each other, which we found easy to do as off campus Newark brownstones aren't known for their great acoustical insulation.
So after I barged into her apartment like Kramer from Seinfeld, I saw a guy washing her dishes. To which my initial reaction was 'Oh I'm SO sorry! I didn't know you had a ''friend'' over.' My second reaction was naturally 'He washes dishes?' But she quickly reassured me Rob was an old friend of hers and invited me to hang with them. During the evening my friend had noticed how well we got on with each other and began inviting us out together, and the rest is history! We've been together since September 2015, we got married in October 2019 in Magnolia Texas, and now live in Denver, Colorado with our two rescue dogs.
Rob's my best friend and is my favorite memory of my time in school, and he still washes the dishes!
Jessica Rizzo (Olejar) '05 and Joseph Rizzo '06
Joe and I met fall of our freshman year (2001) when we both lived on the honors floor in Redwood Hall. We both started as computer science majors so we were taking a lot of the same courses and would study together. Eventually we started dating and have been a couple ever since. We got married in 2010 and now have 2 daughters, ages 9 and 3, and live in Rutherford, New Jersey.
Ngoc Phan '15 and Dennis O'Rourke '15
Dennis and I had our first class together as freshmen in Chem 125 with Dr. Balasubramanian! I didn't realize Dennis was in the class since it was such a big lecture hall but that was when he said he first noticed me. We got over our nerves and formally met at the club fair several years later where he was representing ASME as president and I was representing the Robotics Club that I just co-founded that year with close friends. I walked up to his club stall and he eventually asked me out on our first date at the campus coffee shop and the rest was history! We started officially dating our senior year and have been together for nine years. We recently got married in Manhattan on October 14, 2023 and will be going on our honeymoon in May. This year will be our first Valentine's Day as a married couple!
Kelly Kimmel '91 and Kenneth Kimmel '91
Picture it. NJIT. Spring semester 1990. A chemical engineering major and a civil engineering major end up closed out of their preferred 10 a.m. science fiction class and end up in the dreaded 8:30 a.m. science fiction class. If not for science fiction class, the Chem E and the Civil Engineer would likely never have crossed paths. The wondrous beauty of electives!
They are both late, for different reasons, but end up sitting next to each other at the front of the class. The Civil Engineer is a gentleman, so he hands the Chem E the class syllabus (which was on PAPER!), while the Chem E is having trouble working through her Mech 230 homework (but trying to look like she’s actively engaged in day 1 of Science Fiction class). The Civil Engineer sees her distress, and being the gentleman he is, assures her he can help with her Statics, Dynamics, and Strength of Materials homework, but it requires a trip to The Pub for lunch.
Which then turns into a dinner date.
In 1994 they get married, and they are still married 30 years later. There have been ups and downs, and so much love and laughter They have a beautiful 23-yr old daughter. None of which would have been possible without NJIT, a closed Science Fiction class, and SO much traffic on the Garden State Parkway.
Mahire Şenkan '81 and Michael Clarke '81 '86
Mahire and Michael met in 1974 when both were students of the newly-formed New Jersey School of Architecture and married in 1979. Still happily married.
Sakinah Hofler '07 '11 and Yvel Clovis ’08
Yvel and I met in the EOP Program in summer 2002. We became really good friends and spent copious amounts of time competitively bowling and playing ping pong in the game room (though neither of us were really that good at either).
After five great years of friendship, we realized how much fun we had with one another. Yvel was taking a drama course, and we used NJIT's discounted tickets to watch Broadway shows for much of 2007. When I decided to get an MFA in creative writing at Florida State University, Yvel moved with me to Tallahassee. We've had so many great adventures: skydiving, white water rafting, jet skiing, traveling, eating delicious food, living our best lives in New Orleans.
We got married in Costa Rica in May 2017 and welcomed our greatest adventure of all, a fantastic son named Ellison, in October 2020. Recently, we relocated back to New Jersey and somehow wound up living within a mile of NJIT. Grateful.
Dana Sondergard '17 and Brian Sondergard '17
Brian and I met during our freshman year in 2013, thanks to our mutual teammates. As sophomores, our friendship blossomed, with him on the men’s baseball team and me on the women’s soccer team. Throughout our time at NJIT, our bond grew stronger each year.
By senior year's end, we realized our friendship was evolving. We started dating in 2017 and tied the knot in August 2023. Despite this new chapter, we remain proud Highlanders, returning to campus for alumni events and to cheer on our teams whenever possible.
Trish Roche '18 and James Meyers ‘14
In Nov. 2014, I joined the track team as a freshman while Jamie began his master's. A year earlier, during a visit to NJIT, I noticed Jamie's charm. Our paths crossed again at a friend's birthday party. Jamie's thoughtful invitation to see the Rockettes on Dec. 26 sealed our bond.
Since then, through dorm life, exams, track meets, and graduation, we've been inseparable. Now, nearly a decade later, Jamie's my husband. NJIT and the track team hold a special place in our hearts.
