Carrie Gates Hawkins '06

Carrie was born in Midland, Texas in 1988 to Paige and Mike Gates and attended Trinity School from 3rd grade through graduation in 2006. Carrie has one sister, Wheatley Gates Scaling, who also attended Trinity. Carrie’s mom, Paige Gates, was her art teacher at Trinity and is still teaching 27 years later! While attending Trinity, Carrie loved the opportunity to be involved in an array of activities. She played on the soccer team, ran track, was a cheerleader, and played on the basketball team. She was also involved in the Trinity musicals- some of her favorites being Les Miserables & Lucky Stiff. Carrie was active in choir and attended several of the New York City performance trips. She has always had a passion for art and attended the ISAS Art Festival all four years of Upper School. She was elected and honored to serve as the Senior Class representative for Student Council. She was a recipient of the Glasscock Athletic Scholarship- awarded to one who sets the best example of effort, sportsmanship, and leadership, and also as an Upper School student she was awarded the W. Alex Wallace Memorial award for enhancing the Trinity atmosphere of joy for living and learning.

Carrie attended the University of Texas in 2006. There she was chosen to be in the intensive design program in the art school where she studied an extensive range of design-related media such as graphic design, film, typography, product design, and other design specialties. She also explored topics that were influential to her as a designer such as psychology, marketing, and public relations. She was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority where she served as President and was awarded the Hyperion Award. This award recognizes individuals committed to serving and improving their community – each recipient has made a unique and important contribution to their chapter, council and university community. Carrie graduated from The University of Texas in 2010 with a Bachelor in Fine Arts. Following graduation, Carrie did freelance graphic work in film, event design, and web. She went on to accept a position at Appconomy, a startup jointly-based in Austin, TX and Shanghai. She worked as a User Interface Designer and had the opportunity to travel between China and the United States, learning about the different design cultures and developing mobile commerce platforms. Spending long hours on her computer, Carrie found joy in returning to her roots by painting and drawing during her downtime. This slowly turned into creating wedding invitations and logos for friends.

In 2013, with the encouragement of her peers and a lot of prayer, Carrie decided to leave the tech world and start her own company, Pearly Gates Designs. The company focused on invitations and branding design with whimsical watercolor artwork. Carrie’s work has been featured in several editorials including Martha Stewart, Southern Weddings, and Oh So Beautiful Paper. Her greatest joy, however, has been creating relationships and friendships with new brides and business owners, many of them being wonderful people from the Midland and Trinity communities. In 2014, in the desert of West Texas, Carrie married her best friend, Grant Hawkins. They moved back to Midland where Carrie had the opportunity to run her company while occasionally serving as a substitute art teacher at Trinity School. In 2016, Grant and Carrie welcomed their first daughter, Corinne. In 2017 they welcomed their second little girl, Gigi. Both girls attend Trinity where they experience many of the blessings of Trinity School that Carrie did including All Saints Day, birthday blessings, and the very best teachers!

In 2020, Carrie shifted the focus of her business from weddings (which were on hold at the time) to pattern design – a dream she had always had in the back of her mind! Carrie has always found happiness in creating artwork that brings joy to others and celebrates the beautiful world around us. With her portfolio, she was able to secure collaborations with several companies she respected and loved. She has now worked with clients on a range of products including children’s clothing, interior design, stationery, needlepoint, and more. In 2021, Carrie signed with Dillard’s to release an exclusive co-branded collection. She loves getting to see her artwork bringing joy to others and it still feels like a dream when she sees children wearing her designs!

Carrie is grateful for the opportunity to support so many wonderful organizations with her art and has had the blessing to be able to take part in many fundraisers for nonprofits including Midland Children’s Rehabilitation Center, Rays of Hope, M.D. Anderson, and Hillcrest School. She is a member of Holy Trinity Church where she has served as the Preschool Board Chair and a Children’s Chapel Leader. Carrie is also a runner and is grateful to be a part of the Run to Honor Midland Chapter that runs to honor Naval Academy Alumni lost in combat and military operations in service to our nation. Carrie continues to be very involved in Trinity alumni activities and has served on the Alumni Career Panel. She has recently helped revive the Trinity Parent Prayer Group where she has found joy in connecting with parents and faculty in the school. Carrie is passionate about working with children and encouraging them to find an outlet in creativity and nature. She continues to enjoy speaking at and hosting workshops with current Trinity students.

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Carrie Gates Hawkins '06

Trinity School of Midland