Look Who Met @ MIT: 2025 Edition

At MIT, anything is possible—including falling in love in any number of unexpected locations, such as Lobby 7, a board of directors meeting, or at a reception at the MIT President’s House. These locations and more served as the meeting place for MIT alums who met their spouses at the Institute. 

Bruce N. Anderson ’69, MArch ’73 and Natalie Lorenz Anderson ’84

Natalie Lorenz Anderson ’84, the current MIT Alumni Association president, says that she and her husband met while serving on the MIT Alumni Association Board of Directors in 2008–09. “We connected over the idea of creating MIT alumni affinity groups that attracted people based on what they care about currently in life. Because we had a shared passion for energy and environmental topics, we formed the MIT Energy Environment and Sustainability Network, which now has 3,000 alumni members worldwide. A few years later, Bruce moved to Washington, DC, and we married in 2015. We are living a very MIT life together.” Read more. 

Crystal Dixon ’90 and Michael Dixon ’88

“I met Crystal during MIT’s Project Interphase in the fateful summer of 1986,” writes Michael Dixon ’88, who notes that they didn’t start dating until a few years later. “When we weren’t plotting our next foosball showdown, we were active in student groups like the Gospel Choir, Black Christian Fellowship, BSU, and attended Mass Ave. Baptist Church—basically, we were everywhere and involved in everything together. Of course, we also bonded over the truly important stuff: getting frappes from Walker and Next House. Because nothing brings people closer than a shared love for creamy, sugary happiness.” Read more. 

Josh Fedderly ’94 and Wendy Fedderly ’94

“Wendy (Russell) Fedderly ’94 and I met less than three weeks after arriving at MIT, became friends over the course of our freshman year, and eventually started dating by the time spring finals week approached,” writes Josh Fedderly ’94. “Besides each other—another unexpected lifelong love we found at MIT was ice hockey, through the club/varsity teams. I’d played a bit of low-level youth hockey growing up in Minnesota, and MIT’s rink and welcoming culture convinced me to give it another shot. Wendy was already on MIT’s varsity field hockey team, so it wasn’t difficult to convince her to try lacing up skates too. And we’ve never stopped since.” Read more. 

Kevin Greenman PhD ’24 and Aline Vargas Manriquez ’21

Aline Vargas Manriquez ’21 says that she met her husband, Kevin Greenman PhD ’24, in Lobby 7 waiting to split an Uber with a group to attend a nearby lecture. “It was almost like love at first sight—with a little bit of logic. I mean, who else has the same niche interests? Loves all things STEM? Enjoys working out? AND automatically clicks? The probability is essentially zero (we ran the calculation),” she says. “A day before we had known each other for a month, March 12th, we started dating! This was the same day classes were canceled, and MIT was urging people to leave campus as soon as possible because of the pandemic.” Read more. 

Jerry Grochow ’68, SM ’68, PhD ’74 and Louise Grochow ’71

“We are two generations of meeting our spouses at MIT,” says Jerry Grochow ’68. “I met Louise Barnett ’71 in Sloan School Professor Jeremy Shapiro’s office. We married in 1969 and went on to have two children. Our daughter, Rebecca Mishuris ’01, met Gary Mishuris ’01 several years after they graduated and married in 2010. Our son, Josh ’05, ’06, MEng ’06, met Nikki Pfarr ’06 while both were undergraduates and married in 2012.” Read more. 

Eric Hankwitz ’94 and Bandita Joarder ’94            

“We met on my first day at MIT, at Thursday night dinners,” remembers Bandita Joarder ’94. As students, the couple was featured in a 1993 MIT Prospectus article in which Joarder shared that they were unsure they would marry due to her parents’ traditional Indian values. “Though they acknowledge that I was born and brought up here, they’re really expecting me to get an arranged marriage,” said Joarder at the time. The couple did end up marrying in 1996 with their families’ support and now have four children while working in technology and sharing a passion for education equity. Read more. 

Beau Rideout ’19 and Theresa Rideout ’19

“Beau Rideout ’19 and I met during the Boston alumni club’s barbecue for comMITted students, and we started dating during REX!” says Theresa (Machemer) Rideout ’19. “We got engaged in 2020 under the NEOWISE comet. During our engagement photos in 2021, I gifted him a gold Brass Rat in an Apollo Command Module box. After graduating, we married in 2022, moved to DC for four years, and now live in Maryland. We stay connected with the MIT alumni community through the MIT Club of DC.” Read more. 

Gail Marcus ’68, SM ’68, SCD ’71 and Mike Marcus ’68, SCD ’72 

“We met at MIT during the freshmen orientation reception at the President’s House,” recalls Mike Marcus ’68, SCD ’72. “There were only about 50 women in a class of about 950, so I noticed Gail immediately. We were in several classes together and had a study date that first year. I thought co-eds were smart and that Gail could help me.” Gail shares that they got married just two days after their MIT graduation. “We were married in New Jersey during a memorable—but VERY hectic—weekend. We then returned to MIT for three years of graduate school to earn our doctorates and graduated together for a second time in 1972.” Read more.

Anthony Martorell PhD ’19 and Francisco Peña ’15          

“I was in the lab sectioning a mouse brain for my UROP project when Anthony walked by and complimented my shoes,” recalls Francisco (Frankie) Peña ’15. “He was working as a research assistant in the neighboring lab. When I looked up from the lab bench, I shook his hand, smiled, and said, ‘Hi, I’m Frankie.’ He smiled and had to catch his breath—much later Anthony told me his heart skipped a beat at that moment, and it was love at first sight for him. We started dating soon after that. Our shared interest in brain and cognitive sciences led us to apply to neuroscience PhD programs together. We even interviewed together at some of the same schools, including MIT. However, I chose Columbia University, while he chose MIT. We never let the distance come between us, and now we’re happily married, living in New York City. It’s been more than 11 years since we first met and I still have those shoes.” Read more.

Benjamin O’Connor ’00 and Kristin Raven ’00

“We met at the beginning of East Campus (EC) dorm rush at a picnic table in the EC courtyard,” recalls Kristin Raven ’00. “We were part of a random group of five friends who were relatively inseparable over the next four years. Ben and I started spending more and more time together during our first IAP (Independent Activities Period), and when he left for New York one weekend, we realized how much we missed each other. We later picked January 29th as our anniversary to celebrate since we never really started dating.” Read more.  

Benson Yang ’97, MEng ’97 and Carina Yang ’99

It was during her first year at MIT that Carina Yang ’99 says she met her husband. “On the first day upperclassmen returned to campus, I first laid eyes on Benson Yang ’97, MEng ’97. For me, it was love at first sight. He was shy, soft spoken, with a warm smile…wearing an Itchy & Scratchy shirt with beat-up shorts. He was intriguing, and his intellect was clearly off the charts. We were from rival high schools, with our homes only 10 minutes apart from each other in New Jersey. I fondly remember many late-night dorm chats and rollerblading along the Charles River. It took me a few months (and a fall trip away from him with The Tech) to win him over—but we have been inseparable ever since.” Read more. 

Yevgeniya Nusinovich ’01 and Aaron Ucko ’00, MEng ’01

“Aaron Ucko ’00, MEng ’01 and I met at Quiz Bowl when I was a freshman and he was a junior,” writes Yevgeniya Nusinovich ’01. “I graduated a year early so our graduation dates are only a year apart. At that time, we didn’t interact much, and I just thought of him as a really cute guy who knew everything about computers and math but was probably too cool for me. Meanwhile, he thought it was a bad idea for upperclassmen to date freshmen, the idea of dating me didn’t even occur to him. We gradually ended up doing more and more activities together, including the MIT Science Fiction Society, Hillel, Assassins’ Guild, and LSC. We finally started dating in the fall of my second year. We got married really young, right after I graduated. We have now been married for over 20 years and have four kids, all of whom are amply supplied with MIT outfits and toys.” Read more. 

Brenda Raby Wales and Carl Wales ’76, OCE ’82, SM ’82 

“While on active duty in the US Navy, I started as a freshman in September 1972,” writes Commander Carl Wales ’76, OCE ’82, SM ’82. “In January of 1973, a mutual friend told me if I wanted to meet ‘an older woman’ to go to the dance Friday night and look for Brenda (Raby) Wales. Brenda was a nurse in the MIT medical department and worked in the inpatient infirmary. We hit it off instantly and began dating. At the beginning of spring break in 1975, we were married in the MIT Chapel.” Read more. 

Did you and your spouse or partner meet at MIT? Share your story and submit photos.