On a campus where thousands of students pass through the University Center each day, Pearson Harris’ future walked in without either of them realizing it.
He was a freshman in his first week on campus and eager to get involved. She was a sophomore already plugged into Greek life and campus leadership.
“I remember sitting in the UC,” she said. “I just thought he was like really cute.”
That Pi Phi member was Kathryn Todd.
She is now Kathryn Harris.
After the two were set up on a date party by siblings — who also attended Memphis and were involved in Greek life — they became inseparable. First, as friends.
“It took me, like, three months to ask her,” Pearson said. “But I was like, yeah, I think she’s the one.”
“Everything just fell into my lap,” he added. “Gosh, this is so easy. College is so awesome. Everything’s just happening.”
Pearson became the president of his fraternity as Kathryn dove deeper into campus involvement. Beyond their UC Tech Hub dates — where she did school and he “goofed around” — the two found a way to lead on campus together through Frosh Camp.
As campers, the two remembered the immediate sense of belonging and Tiger pride. Counselors guided conversations and pushed students to get outside of their comfort zones, showing the Harrises what leadership looks like.
Later, as counselors at the four-day orientation program held at Camp NaCoMe, the responsibility shifted.
“You’ve got 18-year-olds staring at you,” Kathryn said. “You’re having to go with the flow and pivot…and keep a calm face because you’re the leader.”
For Pearson, leadership at camp meant organizing more than 200 students and navigating the unpredictability of summer.
Sleep-deprived and at times overwhelmed, there was little room for performance.
“Anything that I witnessed about your character at camp made me love you more,” Kathryn said.
There was one camp where Kathryn struggled through a long day.
“I couldn’t stop crying,” she said, laughing now at the memory.
In the moment, it felt enormous. Looking back, it was a small but defining moment.
“Just having the opportunity to be there for her and support her,” Pearson said. “It was good for our relationship.”
In between carrying bags up hills and guiding freshmen through awkward introductions, he was quietly learning how to lead — and how to love.
If Frosh Camp tested their patience, it also clarified something else: neither of them wanted to navigate life alone.
While many see their early 20s as a time to experiment, Kathryn and Pearson saw it as a season to build.
“Your 20s are so much more fun when you have a consistent partner that you can just go through the different phases of life with,” Kathryn said.
Those phases came quickly.
Internships to secure. Interviews to prepare for. And the uncertainty of senior year job applications. Kathryn routinely pushed Pearson academically and prepared him for interviews.
“I’m not a studier in class,” he admitted. “If I didn’t have Kathy to help me study and get prepared…I probably would have failed it miserably.”
When graduation approached — May 2024 for Kathryn, December of the same year for Pearson — the decision was easy. Pearson proposed in February, just months after commencement.
“We were always in the same phase of life without realizing it,” Kathryn said.
For the Harrises, marriage wasn’t a chapter closing. It felt like continuing one.
“It was only like three years ago that we would talk about Roth IRAs just casually, and I’d be like, I don’t even know what that is,” Kathryn said. “We transitioned from like, ‘Hey, you’re in college,’ now you’re working full-time — what does it look like to set up your 401k?”
The shift from late-night study sessions to adulthood came quickly. Conversations moved from Canvas deadlines to benefits packages, savings plans and building a future together.
That continuation extended beyond their relationship. The same campus that introduced them to each other had also been preparing them for life after graduation.
The University of Memphis became more than the backdrop to their love story. It became the foundation of their careers.
Both Memphis natives and Fogelman College of Business and Economics graduates, Kathryn and Pearson met during their early semesters at the University of Memphis through Greek life. Years later, they returned to campus not as wide-eyed freshmen, but as employers searching for the next class of students ready to step into adulthood.
“We were there with our jobs. We were employers recruiting, and that was hilarious,” Pearson said of the full-circle moment.
After interning with Cintas, Pearson turned the opportunity into a full-time role following graduation. Kathryn, the former “Ms. Fogelman,” now works at First Horizon Bank.
“I love how connected the UofM is with big employers in Memphis. It’s a huge hub,” Pearson said.
Reflecting on how their careers — and their relationship — unfolded, the couple describes themselves as “extremely lucky” and “super blessed.”
Kathryn credits much of her professional growth to the faculty of the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, including Dr. Kathy Tuberville, associate professor of Teaching in the FCBE Department of Management, who encouraged her to pursue leadership roles while on campus.
Tuberville said the couple’s growth was evident long before their wedding day.
“Their wedding was a testimony to their joy in life, their faith and the way they are so loved by their Tiger friends,” Tuberville said. “A beautiful and joyous occasion.”
For two students who once met in the UC in the middle of campus, the University of Memphis became more than just a campus — it became a central part of their story.
It became the place where everything started.
