Ringing the bell. It’s a long-standing Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business tradition, used to celebrate an internship or a full-time job offer. But for a few Scheller couples, there’s been a different ring in their life as of late – an engagement ring.
We caught up with three engaged couples who either met at Scheller or are going through their programs together to talk about how they met, the best part about going through the program with their significant other, and what they loved most about being at Scheller.
Courtney Felinski (Full-time MBA ‘23) and Natalie Hendricks (Evening MBA ‘23)
In 2019, Courtney Felinski, a former Georgia Tech volleyball player and alumna, had just finished playing professional volleyball in the Philippines and decided to move back to Atlanta for the offseason. Her first night back, she met Natalie Hendricks at a mutual friend’s house. Fast forward to present day, and the couple is engaged and both studying at Scheller together in the Full-time and Evening MBA programs.
“Courtney went to Tech for undergrad and took me on a campus tour for one of our first dates,” recounts Hendricks. “Given her love of her alma mater, it feels very special to also be able to call myself a Yellow Jacket.
Hendricks, who is currently the Director of Content for the Atlanta Hawks, joined the Evening MBA program in Spring of 2021, eventually encouraging Felinski to apply to the Full-time MBA program after she retired from playing professional volleyball.
“Sharing the social activities for each of our cohorts has been great,” said Hendricks. “It has also been really fun to have a shared MBA language and take interest in whatever the other happens to be studying at the moment. I do love learning, so getting the opportunity to take such a wide array of subjects has been incredibly stimulating.”
Felinski has enjoyed being able to lean on Hendricks for help in some of the program’s core classes. The two have also had the chance to be in a few classes together, which has allowed them to be each other’s accountability partner.
“I know this is going to sound like pandering, but my favorite part is going through the program with Natalie,” said Felinski. “One of my favorite things about her is how much she loves to learn and the program has really brought out that side of her.”
Lexie Hammesfahr (Full-time MBA ’19) and Connor Hill (Full-time MBA ’19)
Lexie Hammesfahr and Connor Hill met during Full-time MBA orientation in 2017 but didn’t start dating until their second year in the program. The two will be getting married on September 3, 2022 – four years to the day of when they first started dating.
“I cannot say enough about the Scheller community,” said Hill. “We both made lifelong friends in the program. I have too many good memories to narrow it down to one favorite, but I highly recommend Professor Oettl’s Managing Innovation course. He does a great job of teaching in the Socratic method while introducing many insights into how companies successfully bring new inventions to market. It makes for a very entertaining and engaging course.”
Sharing the experience of going through the program together grounded Hammesfahr and Hill as a couple and they were able to cheer each other on through the process. They acted as each other’s support system while going through full-time recruiting and making big life decisions. There may even have been some foreshadowing happening in one of the classes they took together.
“In one class of Professor Bond’s Consumer Behavior course, he spoke about a study done in the 1960’s to understand the effects of anxiety and fear on attraction. He talked specifically about how roller coasters can bring couples together on first dates. Turns out, our first date was at Georgia Tech’s Night at Six Flags, and Connor likes to give a lot of credit for our upcoming nuptials to that study,” said Hammesfahr.
Maddie Rohrer (BSBA ’21) and Tyler Harper (BSBA ’20)
Both Maddie Rohrer and Tyler Harper were extremely involved in the Scheller community as undergrads, so it’s a surprise they didn’t meet at the College but instead, on a waterslide. Rohrer, a member of Society of Women in Business and a TL for GT1000, and Harper, a Denning Technology and Management minor and Joe Evans Dean’s Scholar, met on a waterslide during a Georgia Tech Wet Weekend when Rohrer was a sophomore and Harper was a junior.
Harper, who graduated in 2020 with a concentration in finance, enjoyed having an excuse to get to know Rohrer, who graduated in 2021 with a concertation in operations.
“It was fun getting to know her in the classes we did have together,” said Harper. “As an added plus, she had more organized notes than I did, and her handwriting was legible. Opposites attract!”
Rohrer is currently an operations analyst at Tech Square Ventures and Harper is an analyst at Pacific Lake Partners. Harper proposed in December of 2021 and the two plan on getting married next New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.
“When I was in school, I used to describe Scheller as my happy place,” said Rohrer. “I met life-long friends, mentors, and ultimately, my husband there. I can’t thank the Scheller community enough. The resources Scheller provided are phenomenal and helped me discover my current career path. I am proud to be a part of this exceptional alumni group.”