A St. Jude volunteer “meet cute” leads to engagement

In romance movies, there is often a scene called the “meet cute,” where a couple meets in an unusual or quirky way, and then the love story builds. Later, the meet cute is the story the couple tells others when they’re asked, “How did you meet?”

For Jordan Watson and Kelly Quiroz, their meet cute happened as volunteers at St. Jude.

Watson grew up in Mississippi and graduated from the University of Mississippi. He had heard of St. Jude and knew people from college who raised money for the hospital through university organizations. After moving to Memphis in January 2019 when he accepted a marketing job at FedEx, he was in a new city and wanted to make stronger community connections.

“I was feeling a little lost and a close friend told me to find something I enjoy doing that is also of service,” he said. “As a swim coach, I knew I enjoyed working with kids. When I discovered that St. Jude offered the opportunity to volunteer, it felt like a good fit.”

He applied to volunteer at St. Jude in April 2019 and started orientation the following September. He attended the same orientation as Quiroz.

“I thought she was really pretty, and I still recall the green shirt she wore from our first day,” he said.

Quiroz was preparing to attend nursing school. She chose to volunteer at St. Jude as an outlet for community service, and to become more comfortable in a hospital setting before nursing school. Now an ICU nurse at Baptist, she recalls her initial thoughts about Watson.

“He was a sweet and kind of dorky guy. Cute and motivated, and the reasons he gave for volunteering stood out. He seemed like a really decent person,” she said.

They were on Happy Cart duty together the first week. They got to know each other better as they walked through the hospital pushing the cart and passing out toys, coloring books and puzzles to patients.

“It wasn’t typical small talk,” Watson said. “We talked about our faith, insecurities and goals.”

Quiroz added, “We talked for hours in the parking lot after our volunteer shifts were over. After a few times, I was like, ‘When is he going to ask me out?’”

Watson would check the schedule to see when Quiroz would be on campus. He scheduled himself for the same times.

“I kept thinking that we were always on the same shift together—what a coincidence,” she said. “I found my own ways to get closer, too. I invited him places with other friends to try to show him more interest.”

In March 2020, a nervous Watson called Quiroz to ask her on a date. Of course, she accepted.

“It was the week everything started shutting down because of the pandemic, and I had to get creative,” Watson said. “We walked by the river, and I made food for a picnic.”

Watson made different types of sandwiches because he wasn’t sure what she would like. She was impressed that he remembered that she liked Cheetos and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and had some packed for her.

Watson believes the limitations of the pandemic helped them connect faster. “Usually dates surround dinner and a movie, which can limit real conversation. I found that walking down by the river or dinner in a backyard requires a little more creativity and allows for deeper communication.”