Finding love at Stanford: MS&E sweethearts
This Valentine's Day, we asked five MS&E couples to share their love stories, from chance encounters to those in the same student cohort that became inseparable.
Fun facts: Several romances progressed quite quickly—one couple went from zero to engaged in 6 weeks—perhaps as a result of all those decision analysis classes? And the most patient pair waited until reconnecting at their 15 year reunion to start their relationship.
Ed (MS '91) and Kristin Feitzinger (MS '91, BS '91)
As told by Ed:
We met in the fall of Kristin’s senior year. I came to Stanford for my master's in Industrial Engineering (IE) after working for a year at AT&T, and Kristin was studying for both her BS and MS degrees. We graduated together in June 1991.
We first met in line at the Menlo Park Safeway at midnight, noting that we'd seen each other in class. We then chatted again at a party the weekend of Big Game, and I ended up joining her for her sorority formal a couple weeks later. Things became more serious after Winter Break, and we had the opportunity to take several more classes together, like marketing and risk analysis.
After graduating, I took a job at Intel near Portland, and Kristin started her long stint at Cornerstone Research in Menlo Park. We got engaged in the Summer of 1991—I am spontaneous, and it worked out! We were remote for a year, but then I got a job at HP and moved back to Palo Alto just before our wedding in the Summer of 1992.
Along the way, we've been blessed with four kids, and we continue to be close to the many friends we made at Stanford. As an example, along with other primarily '90 and '91 grads, we've been running a large Stanford football tailgate for about 30 years now—through the good seasons… and the not so good. Recently, our daughter, Lauren, completed her bachelor's degree in MS&E with the Class of 2020.
Jessica McCoy (PhD '12) and Hugo Mora (PhD '12)
As told by Jessica:
We met the second day of a "math boot camp" prior to the start of our first fall quarter in 2007. We were two of the four PhD students beginning in the Production and Operations Management concentration of MS&E that year. The four of us were inseparable, taking the same courses and working closely together outside of class.
Hugo and I started dating during the second year of our PhD program. When we got engaged during our third year, we looked for venues that fit our student budget, and were excited to learn that (a) Students could get a discount at the gorgeous Stanford church, and (b) There was availability to get married over spring break. So on a beautiful day in late March 2010, we got married at the church and had a potluck reception at the graduate student center on the residential side of campus!
A couple of years later, we went on the job market at the same time and ended up both taking jobs as Nike's first two analytics hires in supply chain. We have now been in Portland working for Nike for almost 14 years, and our little duo became a trio last fall when we welcomed our son in October.
Paige (MS '92, BS '92) and Rob Robbins (MS '92, BS '92)
As told by Rob:
Paige and I first met during freshman orientation, a girl from the Midwest, a boy from the Bay Area. We both liked math, science, business, and solving (or attempting to solve) problems, so we each found our way into majoring in Industrial Engineering.
Our paths kept crossing. Sometimes it was a shared class, maybe a fraternity or dorm party, working together on a project, or even studying for a midterm in the Physics Tank. Our friendship kept developing, but the timing for romance never seemed to work out. After finishing our co-term year in 1992, Paige headed back to Chicago and I stayed in the Bay Area. We exchanged Christmas cards for a time, and the occasional phone call (email and text messaging were not a thing yet!) but our lives independently moved forward.
Leading up to our 15 year reunion, I filled out the Classbook Page, sending a few call-outs to long lost friends, including one for Paige. Thankfully, email existed by then, so Paige sent me a note to see if I would be attending the reunion. After not seeing each other all weekend, we both ended up at the Blue Chalk Cafe for the final event. I, allegedly, proposed to Paige that evening, although I believe that to be urban legend! The important thing is the connection was made, which kicked off a sequence of events we now call "The Three Nines":
- We spent nine months dating long distance, spending most weekends together in Chicago or Mountain View until we got engaged.
- We were then engaged for nine months, before getting married in Chicago.
- Our first son, Nate, was born nine months later.
It's been a wonderful ride that was kicked off at Frosh Orientation, continued through the foundation we built as IE students, and well, for the rest we'll just have to wait and see where the crazy train takes us.
David (MS '78, BS '77) and Karen Telleen-Lawton (BS '78)
As told by David:
My favorite memory of my time as a student, and it's very clear in my mind, is the second time I met Karen. The first time I met her, I was apologizing to her because she was a tour guide and I had misscheduled her for a management seminar tour. But the second time I met her was just as classes were starting during my master's degree year.
She was walking up the stairs of the Terman Engineering Center, entering just as I was about to leave, and when she opened the door to the IE department, we practically bumped into each other. We recognized each other, but hadn't spoken more than a handful of words before. I used that opportunity to get to know her a little bit better, and it worked out: 6 weeks later we were engaged, and 46 years later, we're still married.
Kelly Devens (MS '23) and Liam McGregor
As told by Stanford Alumni Association:
Kelly Devens (MS '23; BS '20, Mechanical Engineering) and Liam McGregor (BS '19, Computer Science), who co-created The Stanford Marriage Pact as a class project in Econ 136, announced their engagement last year.
The couple met in spring quarter 2019, having never met before despite running in similar circles in a cappella and theater. They had even—unknowingly—seen each other perform a few times. When COVID hit in 2020, they evacuated campus together to Southern California and stayed with his family. Over the last seven years, they've traversed the country, living in Hawaii, Seattle, and now New York City with their cat Puddles. They got engaged in October 2025, six years to the date they first said "I love you".
The Marriage Pact, which Liam designed with a classmate, matched more than 4,000 Stanford students with their "optimal marital backup plan" in December 2017. Matches were based on their answers to 39 questions about their values, worldview, and beliefs.
The Marriage Pact has since become an annual tradition at 100 schools across the country, with 750,000 students matched to date. There are 23 schools where you’re now more likely to participate in marriage pact than you are to graduate by the end of your senior year—including Stanford, where 99% of students "take the pact" during their time as an undergrad.
