Each year, Pratt Institute celebrates Valentine’s Day by sharing the stories of alumni who found love while they were students. Read the stories of this year’s Pratt Pairs collected by the Office of Alumni Engagement, including serendipitous campus connections, favorite New York City date spots, and relationship advice they have for Pratt students today.
Do you know of other Pratt pairs or partners? The Office of Alumni Engagement would love to hear from you. Please share your stories by emailing alumni@pratt.edu.
Meijun Cai, BFA Communications Design ’15, and Estefi Ramirez, BFA Communications Design ’15
How and where did you first meet?
We both met on international orientation day on August 22, 2011, at PrattMWP (now Pratt Munson College of Art and Design) in Utica, NY. Meijun is Chinese-born but was raised in Jamaica, and Estefi is Ecuadorian, born and raised. We ended up living right across from each other in the dorms, the Hart dorm specifically. Meijun was in 302 Hart and Estefi was 303. #HartInOurHeartsForever
What is your favorite Pratt memory as a couple?
Well, this is a bit of a funny question, since we decided to start dating exactly five days before graduation and we were good friends all four years of school.
But, here are some of our favorite moments:
Sharing the news with our friends that we were dating—we both remember feeling so awkward and funny trying to walk through campus holding hands right after a Greek Ceremony for all seniors (who were part of Greek Life graduating that year). It was the start of a new adventure for us as a couple. We later joined our friends at Castro’s for celebratory graduation Margs and after sharing the news with them, they couldn’t believe that Estefi and the friend-zoned Meijun were actually dating, so they made us kiss in front of them to reassure them that it was #facts.
At PrattMWP, Meijun created a table tennis “team” to represent the college at the NCTTA annual tournament. A fond memory for us was when we all went on a road trip to Cornell University for the Intercollegiate Regional Table Tennis tournament where Meijun was the actual real player, and Estefi and four other friends were also there as part of the team cheering him on! Meijun ended up winning regionals in the singles event and made it all the way to Nationals in Texas that year.
What is your favorite date story or date spot in New York?
We would always prioritize having dates as friends. We liked to meet each other at Yamashiro’s for their promo Bento Box lunches throughout the week, and we would gossip and catch up on all of our adventures and escapades. We would also grab breakfast or hungover breakfast at Mike’s or John’s Coffee Shop for home fries, breakfast burritos, a good ol’ New York omelet, and unlimited-refill black coffee—definitely our favorite diners back then. Also, we can’t forget to give a shoutout to Castro’s, Los Pollitos, Zaytoons, Farmer in the Deli, and long live the now-gone FiveSpot.
Do you have any relationship advice for current students?
Forget labels, have fun, get to really know each other, and don’t sweat the small stuff. College was the best experience of both of our lives, and we want it to be like that for you, too. Let go of things that don’t add to that experience or your life. BE AN ARTIST, this is the only time we all get to be that without “adult” responsibilities. DO ART, push the boundaries, and don’t forget that you are surrounded by incredible artistic beings from all over the world and you are in the BEST CITY IN THE WORLD. You have four years to have fun, make art, make friends, and explore who you are. Truly take the time to embrace everything and get to know yourself… also, it’s ok to do dumb things sometimes, too.
We can only give you this advice: Be best friends first, you can 100% evolve from being in the friend zone. Also, remember to be your own individual, and never lose the curiosity for yourself and each other.
Where are you now, personally and professionally?
Very long story short… We graduated from Pratt with degrees in Communications Design, and after working in separate [advertising] agencies in NYC for four years, we both decided that we were capable of offering more as creative human beings, so in 2019, we decided to move to Quito, Ecuador, to start our independent creative studio (TakeThree Studio) with our South Korean dog and boss, Guillermo (@helloitsguillermo).
Our goal was to make Quito our home base, travel around in our car around Ecuador and South America, and work on the go, like creative digital nomads. Remember, 2018 was the new BOOM for van-life-ing and traveling the world.
But then… the pandemic happened and our plans changed. The studio took off and we worked with 40+ clients from all over the world on 70+ projects. Now we’re still geographically located in Quito, Ecuador, and we like to say that we are “Digital Nomadic Sedentaries.” We still are always looking to travel to new places, eat good food, and meet new people wherever we go. We specialize in brand development, which is everything related to brand identities, naming, logo design, typography, and color palettes, as well as website design and development, primarily on Squarespace. We also offer creative consultations and mentorship and host a nimble online community for “creativepreneurs” and small business owners all around the world.
Our goal, as we continue to grow and get older together, is to always remember where we come from, and to continue to discover new tools that will help us grow spiritually, professionally, and artistically. Meijun has now retired from playing professional table tennis but continues to coach young players here in Ecuador, while Estefi has now found a new channel to express herself and accompany others in their healing journeys, becoming a certified Tibetan Sound Healing Therapist.
James E. Tillinghast, BFA Photography ’98, and Nancy Cuddy Tillinghast, BFA Art and Design Education ’99
How and where did you first meet?
Winterim 1998. We were looking for an interesting class to receive a final few credits for and chose Performance Art: New Forms. Originally, this class was scheduled to meet in the Art History lecture room. We signed up feeling safe that it would not be possible to be doing any of the actual performing ourselves, and this was probably a “history of” sort of class. The first day there was a note on the lecture room door reading, “PERFORMANCE ART CLASS WILL BE HELD IN THE ARC DANCE STUDIO”.
What is your favorite Pratt memory as a couple?
Our favorite Pratt memory is a continuation of how we met. After we anxiously walked over to the dance studio, the instructor placed a folded metal chair in the middle of the studio, then simply said, “Can someone interact with the chair.” No one responded, so Nancy stood up, threw the chair over her shoulder, and then forcefully whipped it across the room. Boomingly, it struck, bounced, and slid. “Who would like to go next?” All of the students looked shocked except for James, who calmly walked over, picked up the chair, and gently placed it back in its original place. We balanced each other out from that day forward.
What is your favorite date story or date spot in New York?
Our first date was tennis in the ARC. James had been on the tennis team and Nancy hadn’t hit a tennis ball in 10 years. She accepted the date and immediately phoned a friend who had a vintage wooden racquet. It was January, but not wanting to look out of shape, she bundled up and headed to snowy McCarren Park to practice. During the date, James played with patience while Nancy was all smiles but each time she ran back to the baseline wanted to vomit from overexertion. Mike’s Coffee Shop afterwards was the obvious choice to reflect on their “performance art” and tennis match.
Do you have any relationship advice for current students?
Push yourself, put your phone down, get out of your comfort zone, start with a simple “hi” and talk to everyone. There are so many interesting people to get to know at Pratt. Take advantage of your short time here and connect with your fellow creatives. Not only did we find our life partners, our closest friends remain those amazing fellow students we met at Pratt.
Where are you now, personally and professionally?
Portland, London, and Seattle are where we raised two young artists. Coming full circle, our youngest is a freshman at Pratt and plays on the tennis team! We are now excitedly researching sunny and vibrant cities to explore and relocate to.
James has worked as a design manager, where he specializes in developing software in the computer vision and artificial intelligence sectors at Microsoft and now Meta. He still makes time to shoot street photography.
Nancy continues to take classes and practice drawing and painting. She has worked as an art educator and a youth advocate. She is planning on merging these two passions and is currently applying to art therapy programs.
Tom Patti, BID ’67 and MID ’69, and Marilyn Holtz Patti, Industrial Design (attended ’66-’68)
How and where did you first meet?
In the spring of 1967, I was carrying a painting that I was working on for Audrey Flack’s class. Tom saw me walking across the campus struggling, the wind grabbing at the large canvas like a sail, and he offered to help. We walked together, discussing the work and our lives. We had met briefly at the local hangout—Eric’s on DeKalb Avenue, when classes started in September of 1966, but it was really our love of art and design that bound us together. Tom was a senior in Industrial Design, and I was enrolled in Foundation with an interest in focusing on ID. All of Tom’s student projects were featured in the showcases, and he was an assistant to Rowena Reed, the chairperson of Pratt’s Industrial Design Department—so his scholarly reputation preceded him—that and his famous Friday night parties.
What is your favorite Pratt memory as a couple?
During the late 1960s, the atmosphere of the Pratt campus and Clinton Hill neighborhood left a lasting impression on us. It was a memorable time for many. The news of the Vietnam War, student unrest, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy also weighed heavily on our minds. In the neighborhood around the school, the constant sound of the Myrtle Avenue elevated train and the dimly lit stores beneath the tracks felt unsafe. We would travel in pairs and mostly spend our time in the classroom, PI shop, or Joe Campo’s Workshop, where we shared ideas and worked on our projects. Art was our life, a consuming passion, and we would photograph our work and each other together.
What is your favorite date story or date spot in New York?
Our first real “date” was when Tom and I went to the Ninth Circle on West 10th Street, a hangout for artists and musicians owned by Mickey Ruskin. I remember that there were bowls of peanuts, and you just threw the shells on the floor. Then in the summer of 1967, I started work at Max’s Kansas City as a waitress and continued part-time through the next few years while I was at Pratt. Max’s was a nightclub and restaurant gathering spot for musicians, poets, and artists on Park Avenue South near Union Square. Tom was involved with E.A.T. (Experiments in Art and Technology), so we spent time at Max’s surrounded by serious art talk, art thought, and artwork during an extraordinary time. The two of us were there watching when Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, when Frosty Myer’s laser beam was installed, when Warhol held court in the back room with his entourage of film and factory people—and when Max’s was the hangout of choice.
Do you have any relationship advice for current students?
To paraphrase Massimo and Lella Vignelli: “It is not holding a pencil with four hands that makes a partnership; it is sharing the creative act and exercising creative criticism, which is reflected in the end result…” We have been partners, lovers, and a married professional couple for more than half a century. From the beginning, our relationship has been bonded by our mutual passion for art and design.
Where are you now, personally and professionally?
This year we have been married for 50 years. Our two daughters and their families, including six grandchildren, live near us in the Berkshires. Most days, we travel the short distance from our home on a rural mountaintop to our large Tom Patti Design studio in a Pittsfield, MA, industrial park. Represented by Heller Gallery in New York and Serge Lechaczynski in France, over the years Tom’s glass sculptures have gained national recognition and been acquired by museums and collectors worldwide. Fascinated by technological innovations and manufactured materials, Tom Patti Design has been commissioned for projects, both public and private, that use glass as a medium. We have collaborated with scientists, architects, artists, and designers, making all creative decisions together as a partnership. We still love this life and each other. How fortunate we are, after 57 years together—still enjoying the passion of making art.
Rick Scott, BArch ’75, and Beth Trautwein, BArch ’75
How and where did you first meet?
We both transferred to Pratt in our second year. We met in the credit transfer room. We didn’t really talk to each other at that first meeting. Rick thought Beth was too chatty; Beth did not like Rick’s thick Long Island accent. We had to take first-year design and were the only sophomores in the same class. We started to doodle in each other’s notebooks and eventually we became great friends.
What is your favorite Pratt memory as a couple?
In 1974, Beth took a semester in Denmark as part of Pratt’s summer program. We corresponded by airmail. Beth was able to get Rick an unused faculty airline ticket to Denmark for $200. The Danish family Beth was living with welcomed Rick to stay with them. We then traveled to Italy and Germany. That trip deepened our relationship and we married in November 1975. We still visit our Danish “family” and they visit us.
What is your favorite date story or date spot in New York?
As students we did not have much money, especially Rick. We would take a bus to downtown Brooklyn to buy Baskin Robbins fudge brownie ice cream cones. Because this tapped out Rick’s funds we would avoid the bus fare and walk back to Pratt eating our cones. Our favorite place to eat when we had some money was a New York Magazine-recommended Greek restaurant named “Z” near Union Square in Manhattan.
Do you have any relationship advice for current students?
Beth says “low expectations!” But seriously, become friends first before becoming lovers; marry your best friend and laugh often. Don’t work together. Although we share our love for architecture, we formed two different practices separating business from home. Balance a healthy mix of mutual and separate outside interests. We have really enjoyed our careers which were built on the shared foundation of excellent mentorship we received from Pratt. As Beth says, “We had a helluva run.”
Where are you now, personally and professionally?
We are retired (mostly) and live on a lakefront property. We both had traditional commercial architectural and interior practices but we eventually specialized, Rick in forensic architecture and Beth in water infrastructure architecture. Those led to a career move to Gainesville, Florida. We believe a wide variety of experiences leading to specialization are keys for success. We have two married sons, both attorneys. We love to travel and, for our 50th anniversary, we are taking a cruise to Norway.
Read more stories of Pratt Pairs from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018.