Photo Courtesy Tyler Hawkes
Top row left: Andrew, Bryant, Brandon, Tyler, Joshua. Front row left: Diana, Stacey, Marlese, Jessica and Julie.

A cast of Hawkes cousins covers campus

Allison Walker WAL04015@BYUI.EDU campus asst. editor

A basketball game, fielded entirely by one family, would be fairly remarkable; but one made up entirely of first cousins attending the same school is a rare opportunity.

The Hawkes family could fill such a requirement, with 10 first cousins attending BYU-Idaho this semester. They even have two bench-warmers on missions in Brazil and Bolivia.

Andrew, Bryant, Brandon, Tyler, Josh, Diana, Stacey, Marlese, Jessica and Julie are all first cousins, and are all attending school this fall.

They come from different parts of Idaho, Utah and California, but they share a strong family bond reinforced by BYU-I.

The cousins’ grandparents, Raymond and Leah Belle Hawkes, and their home in Sugar City, Idaho, have been the central meeting place and “like a second home,” said Stacey Hawkes, a freshman from South Jordan, Utah.

The scene was set for tradition at Ricks College/BYU-I by their grandmother.

“My grandma went here when it was the academy during World War II, and all of her children went there. So we’re third generation Ricks students, which isn’t very common,” said Tyler Hawkes, a sophomore from Sugar City, Idaho.

The family ties to the school influenced the decision of some of the Hawkes cousins to come to BYU-I. “[Having family around] is one of the reasons I picked this school — there’s always support and people to hang out with,” Stacey said.

They all agree that it’s definitely an advantage to have so many cousins around. “We’re really tight, so it’s like having 10 best friends,” said Jessica Hawkes, a freshman from Sugar City, Idaho.

Julie Schauerhamer, a junior from Rexburg, concurred that it’s fun having a lot of cousins around — “they’re automatic friends,” she said.

“It’s nice that you can always have someone to go visit,” said Tyler, who also enjoys rooming with his cousin, Josh Hawkes, a sophomore from Ashton, Idaho. “I prefer having family over any friend because I can call them up any time and they’ll come do stuff with me,” Josh said.

There are other advantages than just friendship. Josh is involved on the New Student Orientation board, and said he recruited his cousins to be on a committee that he directs.

“I chose them because I know what kind of people they are and if I give them a responsibility, they’ll follow through,” he said.

Numerous cousins can also fill a nice cheering squad. “We’re good athletic supporters,” Jessica said. These students and athletes also sing, play various instruments and dance.

Even amidst their individual activities, the cousins find time to carry on family traditions.

They still go to grandma’s house and play innumerable games of barnyard rummy and enjoy monthly meals together. “We always eat a lot of food when we’re together!”Stacey said.

Devotional is also a gathering time for the clan. They used to sit together in the ‘H’ sections, for Hawkes, but they decided it was too far, and switched to section ‘C’, Tyler said.

Do they ever get tired of the big family on campus?

“The only disadvantage to having so many cousins close by is that I don’t have enough time to spend with each one of them,” Josh said.

“I think we’re a lot closer than a typical family,” Jessica said.

Whether it’s going to grandma’s for dinner, sitting together at devotional, cheering for each other at athletic events, or just hanging out, you probably won’t find one Hawkes without another.