Look Who Met @ MIT

What do the MIT Shakespeare Ensemble, Burton-Connor House, and IAP have in common? At MIT, all proved great places for romance to bloom. Check out stories and photos from just some of the alums who shared their “meet cutes” at the ’Tute. 

Dianna E. Abney ’83 and Sylvester Gates ’73, PhD ’77 

Even though Dianna E. Abney ’83 and Sylvester James Gates ’73, PhD ’77 met in the summer of 1977 during MIT’s Project Interphase, the pair did not even become friends until after Sylvester graduated from MIT with his doctoral degree. “He went away to CalTech for a postdoc, and only years later did we start to become friends,” remembers Dianna E. Abney ’83. “Eventually we got married.” Read more. 

Audrey Chen ’24 and Jessica Lam ’24

“Jessica and I met at the beginning of college and decided to found MIT Arcturus, MIT’s autonomous marine robotics team,” says Chen. “Though, because we’re both from Los Angeles, we [had] likely met in high school during FIRST Robotics competitions without knowing it! From interning abroad together through MISTI-Denmark and authoring and presenting research together in Ireland, to pulling all-nighters building our 2.007 robots, we have made a lot of memories during our MIT careers.” Read more.

Jo E. Comparato and Thomas Frank Comparato ’56 

“I met my future wife while she was working at the registrar’s office in January of 1956,” says Thomas Frank Comparato. “I was checking on my exam status after dealing with an appendix operation that conflicted with my exam schedule. I met this attractive woman with beautiful blue eyes and a wonderful smile, and she asked me to return once she could get some answers to my questions. Well, I couldn’t wait to return, and somehow my exam situation took a back seat to ‘How do I ask this person out for a date?’ … We’ve been married more than 65 years and have five children and 11 grandchildren.” Read more.  

Payal Agrawal Divakaran ’08 and Sanjay Divakaran ’08

“It all started on Briggs Field,” says Divakaran, who explains that she and her husband were brought together by a mutual love of soccer. “Long story short, at the end of our sophomore year, we went on a date to Border Cafe in Harvard Square, followed by a night of dancing with our friends.…The rest is history!” Read more. 

Adam Ganderson ’97 and Rebecca Richkus ’97 

“We met in our freshman year in 1993 and were study buddies through many of our Course 2 classes as well as friends for years beyond, but we didn’t start dating until late in 2009—almost 18 years after first meeting at MIT,” says Richkus. “We got married in June 2011 in 26-100 and celebrated with family and friends in Walker Memorial.” Read more. 

Cynthia (Downey) Hernandez ’90, SM ’10 and Edward Hernandez ’90

“Cyndi and I met at a formal dinner at my fraternity, Chi Phi, during my freshman year,” says Hernandez. “We were not each other’s dates, but we happened to be sitting next to each other, [and] elbowing and poking fun at each other throughout dinner, i.e., flirting. We dated sophomore year, then parted romantic ways but remained good friends. Cyndi visited me for a friend’s wedding at the end of 1990, and our romance was rekindled. We were married in 1993.” Read more.

Jo A. Ivester ’77 and Jon Ivester ’77

“We were both acting members of the Shakespeare Ensemble at MIT, rehearsing long hours, touring the Northeast, and, of course, attending cast parties,” says Jo A. Ivester. “After the close of our first play together, The Taming of the Shrew, we started dating, two days before Valentine’s Day to be exact, and married a few years later. Now, having recently celebrated our 43rd anniversary, we have four kids and five grandkids.” Read more. 

Eduardo Juncosa ’83 and Susan Juncosa ’82

“Although Susan and I both lived in Burton-Conner House, we had not met, since we were on separate sides (Burton 1 vs. Conner 4),” says Juncosa. “Early in 1982, Susan went to visit a friend at Yale Medical School who happened to live down the hall from my brother, and they met her during that visit. On a subsequent call with me, he mentioned that, so I made the point of introducing myself. The rest is history. We got married at the MIT Chapel the day before my graduation in 1983. The reception was at the old Ashdown Hall (now Maseeh Hall). Paul and Priscilla Gray were in attendance.” Read more.

Marc S. Levin ’77 and Deborah C. Rubin-Levin ’77

“Our first date was in January of freshman year in 1974 during IAP. We just celebrated the 50th anniversary of that day!” says Levin. “On the date, we walked across the Harvard Bridge to Kenmore Cinema to see American Graffiti, then walked back and talked in McCormick’s lounge. We’ve been partners ever since.” Read more. 

Kathy Li ’10 and Chris Su ’11 

“I always tell people, ‘Meeting Kathy is singularly the most wonderful thing that happened to me at MIT,’” says Su. “We were both Course 7 majors at MIT, and we both lived in iHouse (that’s where we met!).… During our wedding in 2016, 34 out of 99 of our wedding guests were MIT alums, spanning the spectrum from ’06 to ’15. Although our paths after graduation never took us back to Cambridge, Memorial Drive and Killian Court will forever hold a special place in our hearts.” Read more. 

Beverly (Dalrymple) Morrow ’73 and Curtis Morrow ’73

“I met my husband, Curtis Morrow ’73, during my first year at MIT. He and I dated for a while at the beginning of the school year but decided to go our different ways. Then, in January of 1971, MIT did IAP for the first time. Curtis took a class, but I went home to New York. When Curt’s class was over, he and some friends traveled down to New York, and he and I connected once again. We have been coupled together since then. We could talk about anything—including relativity, math, science, etc.—and that was very appealing to me, and I guess to him as well.” Read more. 

Carrington Motley ’16 and Haley Strouf Motley ’18 

“Carrington and I met as long and triple jumpers on the MIT track and field team,” says Strouf Motley. “Our friendship took hold during preseason training and quickly grew into a strong romantic partnership…. We got married in 2022 and had over 20 MIT track and field alumni at our wedding!” Read more. 

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