919 | FAMILY PROFILE
It’s All About Relationships
For Owen and Catherine Hooper, Family, Friends, and Helping Others Top Priority By G. CLEVELAND KILGORE 919 Magazine Writer
Though they don’t yet have children, family is a major part of life for Owen Hooper and Cartherine Worthington Hooper. “We love our family and are very blessed to be supported and loved by such wonderful people,” said Catherine, whose parents built a house three years ago in Ocracoke, a quaint island in the Outer Banks – and Owen’s grandparents live in Kitty Hawk. But just because there’s no children yet in their Brier Creek home doesn’t mean they don’t have a “baby”: Since February, they are the proud parents of Bella, a Morkie (a Yorkshire terrier, Maltese mix breed puppy). “She has become the center of our world, despite the fact that she loves to play at the early morning hours when new mom and dad are getting sleep,” said
Catherine, a Winterville, NC, native and NC State graduate. “We are still adjusting to the new baby in our house, but grateful for every minute!” A Recreation Program Specialist for Youth Programs at Brier Creek Community Center, Catherine runs the day-to-day operations of the Youth Programs Division, which include staffing, curriculum, and activities for the youth in Before School, After School, and Trackout programs. “I have been able to form wonderful relationships with the children and families of the community, having been involved since the program first started with the opening of Brier Creek Elementary School,” she said, noting that she truly enjoys the opportunity to work with kids at the Brier Creek facility. “They bring unconditional love,
Hooper Family Profile COUPLE:
Catherine Worthington Hooper, 30; Owen Hooper, 29
RESIDENCE:
Brier Creek
PROFESSION:
Catherine – Recreation Program Specialist, Brier Creek Community Center; Owen – Accelerated Summer Academic Programs Coordinator, NC State
EDUCATION:
Catherine – BS, NC State Owen – BS and Masters, NC State
HOMETOWN:
Catherine – Elizabeth City, NC Owen – Winterville, NC
PET:
Bella (Morkie, a Yorkshire terrier/Maltese mix breed dog)
INTERESTS:
Catherine – Running, other outdoor sports Owen – Cooking, basketball, softball, curling Both – Travel, “adventure eating”, NC State sports
18
919 Magazine BC
www.919Magazine.com
laughter and enthusiasm each day, which in turns causes many giggles from all staff throughout the day. How many jobs do you have where a child will come hug you and tell you they love you for no reason at all?” Actually, the local community center is intricately connected to the young couple. “Owen and I met at Brier Creek Community Center,” Catherine explained. “For eight months, he worked as a Track Out Counselor before moving back home when his grandparents were both hospitalized for various health issues.” Today, Owen – originally from Elizabeth City, NC – is Accelerated Summer Academic Programs Coordinator at NC State, working with incoming freshmen and transfer students on academic, campus, and social acclimation and begins work this fall to add a doctorate to the graduate and undergraduate he already holds from the school. Catherine and Owen love to travel, having made trips together to Denmark, Grand Cayman and St. Lucia, where they spent their honeymoon last year. November 2014