Two Class of 2000 Notre Dame alums meet in college, and ‘the rest is history.’
Emily (Kesek) and Matt Hindelang live in Grosse Pointe, Mich., with their three children, and the two of them say that the fact that they both went to Notre Dame—Emily graduated from Notre Dame Prep and Matt from Notre Dame High School—was not an overriding factor in meeting one another and eventually getting married. However, Matt’s uncle, Fr. Joe Hindelang, s.m., current principal at NDP, was vice principal when Emily attended NDP, and Emily and Matt both say that probably had more to do with the two of them getting together than anything else.
“I must say, though, that it’s been a big adjustment for me learning to know Fr. Joe, my former vice principal and religion teacher, as ‘Uncle Joe,’” said Emily, who works as a pharmacist.
But now that they are together—they were married in 2009 by Fr. Joe (naturally)—there exists a real Notre Dame/Marist connection between them, which they’ve come to realize is pretty special.
“It's true that during your high school years, you're not really thinking ahead to finding a life partner or even about marriage," said Matt, who now works as a business director at a Tier-1 automotive supplier. “But when you do get to that point in your life, you start to realize that some of the things that you learned during your time in high school—for us at the Notre Dame schools—help you figure out what you actually want in a life partner. You come to realize that finding someone that shares similar values in terms of religion, education, as well as the other things that we were taught at Notre Dame, like respect and love and faith is important.”
He said those things may not be overtly on the lists of most high school students, but he thinks that at the core, one ends up looking for someone with similar values.
The Hindelangs actually met when both were students at the University of Michigan and a lot has happened since then. But let’s let Emily and Matt tie up any further loose ends for us.
So, since we now know you didn’t meet in high school, how actually did you meet?
Emily: We met during college at the University of Michigan our sophomore year through mutual friends. One of my friends from grade school, Andrew Shelley, actually had gone to high school with Matt. I thought it was interesting to learn that Father Joe, who had been my religion teacher at Notre Dame, had a nephew that was the same age and had the graduating year as me. We remained acquaintances through the rest of college, but did not date during college.
Matt: We met in the dining hall of East Quad at the University of Michigan. We locked eyes over an MSG-filled plate of chicken-broccoli-bake after being introduced by mutual friends. Emily was very excited to finally meet Father Joe's nephew whom she had heard about for years from friends that she went to grade school with. She was even more enthralled with the fact that his nephew was so cool [emphasis and interpretation is Matt’s]. She spent the rest of supper casually glancing up from her plate of chicken-broccoli-bake and giving me the flirty eyes [again, emphasis/interpretation is Matt’s]. I thought she was kind of cool.
Emily (Kesek) ’00 (NDP) and Matt Hindelang ’00 (NDHS) were married in 2009 at St. Paul on the Lake Church in Grosse Pointe Farms. Matt’s uncle, Fr. Joe Hindelang, s.m., performed the ceremony.
Emily: After college, Matt and I kept up with each other via our mutual friends and talking sometimes on AOL messenger. We started to hang out one-on-one during the summer before my third year of pharmacy school. From there, our friendship evolved into a dating relationship. It was fun while we were getting to know each other to compare our high school experiences with each others, especially since we came from the same high school family, although at different branches. We learned that our educational experiences in high school had a similar foundation of faith, values, and academics. Fr. Joe, or should I say, Uncle Joe, performed our wedding ceremony in October of 2009, which for me was a really great way of bringing our unique connection together.
Matt: After college we stayed in touch through the mutual friends that we had made through Notre Dame and through college. Emily and I always enjoyed talking to each other, and we found that we had a lot in common. The first time that I knew that she was willing to actually go on a date rather than just hang out as friends was when she agreed to come watch the U of M vs. Ohio State football game at my family's get together. We had a great time and the rest is history.
How did your education and development at Notre Dame prepare you for choosing a life partner?
Emily: Oh wow! At the time I was at high school, I was far from thinking about marriage and finding a life partner.
Matt: Yes, I agree with Emily, it's true that during your high school years, you're not really thinking ahead to finding a life partner or even about marriage. But when you do get to that point in your life, you start to realize that some of the things that you learned during your time in high school for us at the Notre Dame schools help you figure out what you did want in a life partner. You come to realize that finding someone that shares similar values in terms of religion, education, as well as the other things that we were taught at Notre Dame, like respect and love and faith, is important. These things may not overtly be on your list while you're in high school, but I think at the core you end up looking for someone with similar values. Plus, she's really cute!
How did your time at Notre Dame prepare you for college?
Emily: Notre Dame gave me a strong foundation in academic subjects and helped me to get really good at organizing my time and doing my coursework. That was really important in helping me transition to the University of Michigan where the amount of classes in the course work might have been more overwhelming. I feel fortunate in having gone to a high school that had so many AP courses available. They were especially helpful to me because they were somewhat similar to college courses.
Matt: Notre Dame helped prepare me not just academically but also from a social and leadership perspective for my time at college. The University of Michigan's atmosphere requires students to be self-sufficient and Notre Dame prepared me for that challenge. It also gave me a lot of opportunities through student council and the National Honor Society to find similar groups and activities at the University of Michigan.
Matt and Emily Hindelang, with their three children: David, 4, Liam, 2-1/2, and Elizabeth, 2 mos.
Emily: I had a lot of great teachers at Notre Dame; one that sticks out the most is Mr. McCaskey and how he made math class so fun and interesting. I can also remember having a lot of interesting discussions and laughter in Mr Oscieki's AP History course and in AP Literature with Mrs. Bembas. I just remember having a general feeling of camaraderie on a day-to-day basis at Notre Dame. The teachers were all very involved and knew us well. Even Brother Louis knew us all by name and that really impressed me.
Matt: I always enjoyed Irish Week, having won it twice—once in our junior year, and of course, as seniors. The competition and the camaraderie that it drove will always be remembered. As for influential teachers, of course, Conrad Vachon. More personally and in my current occupation, the things I learned from Fr. Ouellette's drafting class and from Frank Swaney's math classes have helped me in my career and through school.
Can you tell us more about your careers and perhaps how Notre Dame played a role?
Emily: My current career is as a pharmacist. I work at an inpatient hospital setting at a facility close to my home, St. John Providence Hospital in Detroit. After high school, I received a bachelor's degree in microbiology and then studied the doctorate of pharmacy program at Wayne State University. I chose this career path based on my love for math and science subjects in school and a general feeling that I wanted to work in the healthcare field. It was in high school where I discovered that these subjects were my strong points and that I wanted to explore these areas further in college. I like that pharmacy is a field that is always growing and developing and I like having an impact on patient care.
Matt: I'm the global business director for Carlex Glass Group, a Tier-1 automotive supplier of glass products, such as windshields. In my job I use the skills that were strengthened at Notre Dame in not just engineering, but especially in math and also in writing and comprehension. The strong foundation that I received at Notre Dame High School allows me to consistently perform well in this career path.
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.