Engineered for love
From classmates to partners, these Hokies found more than a degree at Virginia Tech.
Students come to Virginia Tech to shape their future. Among the late-night study sessions, internships, and homecoming games, some even find lifelong partners.
Four alumni couples from the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) can chart their beginnings back to Blacksburg, even if their route took a few detours. This Valentine’s Day, they reflect on how their time at Virginia Tech shaped both their professional paths and their relationships.
Glynn and Michelle LoPresti '95
How did you two meet? What do you remember most about that time?
We met during our senior year at Virginia Tech. We had a few ISE classes together and several mutual friends, but we never dated during our time at VT. I remember noticing Glynn in class and thinking he was cute, but we were really just acquaintances then.
Was there a moment when you realized your relationship was becoming something more than classmates?
About a year after graduating, we reconnected at a wedding — my sorority sister was marrying Glynn’s fraternity brother. I was in the bridal party, and when I saw Glynn at the reception, I knew I wanted to get to know him better. We spent the weekend with our Virginia Tech friends and started dating shortly after.
What role did studying industrial and systems engineering at Virginia Tech play in your relationship?
Our shared experience in ISE and love for Virginia Tech has remained a constant in our lives. It’s why we return to Blacksburg often, attend every football game we can, and take every opportunity to support the VT ISE and entrepreneurship communities.
When you think about Virginia Tech now, how does it fit into your shared story?
Virginia Tech is the foundation of our lives together. Nearly all of our closest friends are relationships that began during our time at VT, and we still spend time with those friends constantly. VT didn’t just shape our careers — it shaped the people we continue to surround ourselves with today.
Heather Danforth Hill and Jonathan (Jon) Hill '00
How did you two meet? What do you remember most about that time?
We first met briefly during the 1996 fall semester in the dorm room of a mutual friend in Newman Hall. I was a sophomore at the time, and while I was studying, Jon (a freshman) popped in to say hello. After returning from two years of co-op rotations, I did not recognize Jon, but he vividly remembered meeting me. I swore Jon was two different people until seeing his freshman year student ID. Jon didn’t co-op, so we shared a majority of classes together until graduation.
Fun fact: the mutual friend that introduced us in Newman Hall officiated our wedding 13 years later!
Was there a moment when you realized your relationship was becoming something more than classmates?
While we crossed paths many times our last two years at Virginia Tech and each took turns noticing the other, it wasn’t until we both attended an Institute of Industrial Engineers event in Tampa, Florida, in early 2000 we realized our mutual interest. On the bus ride down to Tampa, I recall Jon moving towards the front of the bus where I was seated and resuming reading “The World According to Garp.” This left me thinking, "Maybe this guy is more serious than I gave him credit for.” Jon was hoping I would ask him about the book he was reading, and happily, I did.
What role did studying industrial and systems engineering at Virginia Tech play in your relationship, either during college or as your lives have grown together since?
We can certainly attribute sharing the same major as the reason our relationship was seeded, as it fostered many shared friendships and brought us together in shared spaces, both on campus and socially. After graduating, however, we followed different professional paths with our majors, both in geography and industry. I graduated in May and returned to IBM where I had co-oped in North Carolina, focusing on manufacturing and supply chain. Jon, double majoring in ISE and economics, graduated in December and headed to Merrill Lynch’s Technology Analyst Program in New York City. While our professional paths continued to diverge, we ultimately landed in the same location, albeit home to Virginia Tech’s rival — Charlottesville, Virginia. While we have very different personalities, because of ISE, we are confident in each other's ability to face challenges and have a plan for success — because if you can make it through college with an engineering degree, almost anything else is pretty easy!
When you think about Virginia Tech now, how does it fit into your shared story?
Virginia Tech has given us some of our closest friends, a love of living in the hills of Virginia, and a commitment to serve our community. Our leisure time is filled with family travel, including trips to see Hokie friends who live near and far. We are blessed by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to live so close to them, to have raised our children in the bounty of their nature, and to know we will spend the rest of our life around them. We have seen many sunsets around the world, but we are partial to any ridgeline along the Blue Ridge. Virginia Tech’s biggest impact has been our commitment to Ut Prosim. After time in public service as a city councilor in Charlottesville, I support many nonprofits and our city’s public schools. Jon is honored to be serving on the board of the Virginia Tech Foundation and has built a career serving nonprofit endowments and charitable foundations by helping them expand their great missions.
Betsy and Bill Gibson '12
How did you two meet? What do you remember most about that time?
We met in the second semester of 2010 in Dr. Torgersen’s Theory of Organization class. He had a rule that whatever seat you chose on the second day of class became your assigned seat for the rest of the year. We didn't know it then, but that single decision changed our lives. Betsy had co-oped the semester before, so we had not yet crossed paths. As we both entered deep into our ISE coursework, we quickly realized we had almost all the same classes and friends, which meant we were spending a lot of time together.
Was there a moment when you realized your relationship was becoming something more than classmates?
It became clear during Theory of Organization, because we were spending more time getting to know each other than focusing on the material. The results at the end of the semester told the story: Betsy finished with a solid A and an offer to be Dr. Torgersen’s teaching assistant, while I had to cram hard just to survive the class because I was so infatuated with the person sitting next to me. Dr. Torgersen always shared life lessons, including how he met his wife by "choosing the right coat." We realized that year that we had picked the right seats.
What role did studying industrial and systems engineering at Virginia Tech play in your relationship, either during college or as your lives have grown together since?
ISE is the reason we met, and it showed us we shared the same passions. It helped us find jobs in the same city and afforded us the life we have today. We met young, and the program taught us how to learn and grow together. We are very different people than we were when we met in 2010, but ISE ingrained in us the ability to adapt and evolve together.
When you think about Virginia Tech now, how does it fit into your shared story?
Virginia Tech is a huge part of our lives. We have two children, Nash (9) and Lucy (7), and we’re raising them to be passionate Hokie fans. We watch every football and basketball game together. Dr. Van Aken also played a major role in our story. When I proposed in 2012, Dr. Van Aken helped lure Betsy to Pamplin 30 — the room where we first met — under the guise of an ISE Council meeting. I was waiting at our original seats. While I was waiting, a campus tour group actually walked in and, after realizing what was happening, stayed to cheer me on!
Lauren Carpenito and Lucas McMillan '19
How did you two meet? What do you remember most about that time?
Lucas and I met through ISE Ambassadors during undergrad. Even though we were in the same major, we actually weren’t in many classes together — mostly because I was always in the early morning sections, and Lucas has never been an early bird. Being part of ISE Ambassadors was one of the first times we really crossed paths, and it ended up being the start of our journey.
Was there a moment when you realized your relationship was becoming something more than classmates?
We didn’t start dating until after graduation, once we both moved to Raleigh. In college, we knew each other but didn’t know each other very well. We shared a lot of mutual friends, and more than a few of them told us we’d get along. One friend even predicted early on that we’d eventually start dating. During senior year, we began running into each other more often as our circles overlapped, and when we both accepted jobs in Raleigh, we started talking about postgrad plans, where we might live, and what was next. Once we moved, a small group of ISE friends started doing Activity Thursdays, where we’d try something new together each week and explore the city. That’s when it really clicked — we realized how much we enjoyed each other’s company and just how much we had in common.
What role did studying industrial and systems engineering at Virginia Tech play in your relationship, either during college or as your lives have grown together since?
Without Virginia Tech ISE, we very likely wouldn’t have met. We’re incredibly grateful for the program — not just for our education, but for the relationships it gave us. Many of our closest friends today are people we met through ISE during college or through ISE connections after graduation. There’s something really special about the people drawn to the major, and that sense of connection has stayed with us well beyond college. We’re getting married this October, and between the two of us, about half of our bridal party is made up of VT ISE friends, which really says everything about the role the program has played in our lives and our relationship.
When you think about Virginia Tech now, how does it fit into your shared story?
Virginia Tech is a very special place for both of us, and it feels even more meaningful knowing it’s part of both of our stories. We make a point to go back to campus together at least once a year, and every visit feels like a mix of nostalgia and discovery. Because we didn’t know each other well during college, we love sharing stories from that time— only to realize how many experiences we actually had in common without knowing it. In a lot of ways, Virginia Tech is where our individual paths were being shaped long before they officially came together. It will always feel like the place where our story began, even before we realized it was ours.
