32 Love Stories from Binghamton University Alumni

He was a skater boy

We first met during the first weekend of freshman year in 2015. Maria was out in Mountainview taking photos of two guys on skateboards under Appalachian Dining Hall. One of those guys turned out to be Christian. We immediately had a spark and became close friends, but remained only friends throughout college until senior year. We finally started dating (after far too long!) at the end of the fall semester, and the rest is history! Since graduation, we moved to Kentucky, where Christian is in medical school and Maria works as a registered nurse. We just recently got engaged in June 2021 in the same place we met 6 years ago, right under Appalachian Dining Hall. It was truly meant to be. Thank you, Binghamton!

- Maria Colangelo ’19 and Christian Simon ’19

Unusual circumstances

I noticed Charles in passing in the lecture halls of history classes for a few semesters before I found myself sitting next to him in Dr. Ortiz’s history senior seminar during our last semester of college. The class only met once a week, so he spent a few weeks working up the courage to ask me out. Luckily, I was getting out of a relationship during those weeks and he asked me out for coffee at exactly the right time! Our first date was at Jazzman’s, our second was at Water Street Brewing Co., and we shared many Tully’s chicken tenders during those last few months of college.

Soon after we graduated together in May 2016, we learned that Charles’s immigration status was tenuous at best. Rather than spending the rest of our lives wondering what could have been, we decided to get married after dating for only six months. Despite the unusual circumstances, our love has only gotten stronger and we’ve grown so much together. He’s now a U.S. citizen about to finish his JD and I’m earning my PhD in history. We celebrated five years of marriage this past October!

- Laura Earls ’16 and Charles (Cheol Wan) Park ’16

The mysterious restaurant

Binghamton University, Hinman Living Community, sister buildings, freshman year. During our first weekend on campus, our freshman experience writing class professor Al Vos invited our class to First Friday. After a night of exploring and a late-night meal at a Greek restaurant we could never find again, the group dwindled down to six. Jeff and I connected automatically through our matching leather jackets. We played a game of cards on the Hinman patio late into the night, where the group got to know each other. Friendships with many of those people were to follow, but we grew much closer through the dorm visits for baked goods, social media memes, mint chocolate chip ice cream dates and group projects. By November, we were official. We have done a lot of growing together in the last 10 years and celebrated it all July 23 by getting married with many Binghamton friends.

- Tess ’15 and Jeff ’15

Harpur's Ferry brought them together

Scott transferred to Binghamton in 2007 to complete a bachelor’s in nursing at the Decker School. Soon after, he joined two organizations on campus: Harpur’s Ferry Student Volunteer Ambulance and the Nursing Student Association. As fate would have it, Stacey was a sophomore nursing student at the time and a member of both of these groups. Though Scott secretly thought Stacey was cute, they were both in long-term relationships and just remained casually friends for the next three years. As Stacey’s final year at Binghamton was coming to an end, so did her relationship and she was getting ready to graduate and start her nursing career in the neurosurgical unit at the University of Rochester Medical Center. At the Harpur’s Ferry annual banquet Scott and Stacey rekindled their friendship and bonded over both their newly “single” Facebook statuses. It started innocently enough… a few drinks downtown, a late-night kiss in the UP parking lot, sushi and karaoke, but neither of us were looking for anything serious. Stacey was graduating and moving to Rochester and Scott was in graduate school and working as a nurse at Binghamton General Hospital. It was just supposed to be a temporary fun “rebound” for us both. Well, nearly 12 years later, here we are enjoying the longest rebound ever. Stacey lasted a few months in Rochester before finding her way back to Binghamton to move in with Scott and started working in the neurosurgical suite at UHS Wilson Medical Center. Scott completed graduate school and has been working as a nurse practitioner and HIV program director at UHS Binghamton Primary Care. Stacey returned to Binghamton University for her master’s in nursing with a concentration in nursing education and again for a post-master’s certificate to become a nurse practitioner. Stacey currently practices at the UHS Breast Care Center in Vestal specializing in the screening, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer and other related conditions. Both of us being transplants from “downstate,” we have decided to make the Binghamton area our home, where we are raising our two wonderful boys: Jason and Jacob. Binghamton University will forever hold a special place in our hearts for bringing us together.

- Scott Rosman ’09, MS ’11 and Stacey Rosman ’10, MS ’13, FNP ’16

"Summer loving had me a blast"

My partner, Kevin, and I met at the Student Success Service (SSS) summer program one month before starting at Binghamton University. I was too shy to ask him for his number directly, so I asked everyone in the entire summer program. Our friends at Binghamton convinced us to dance with each other the last night of the summer program. We texted and called each other every day leading up to our return to campus. Kevin asked me out on Aug 28 2013 (our freshman year) and have been together ever since. Our first date was at the AMC movie theater in Binghamton. Our first kiss was in front of the stairs leading to College in the Woods. We hiked together in the Nature Preserve, attended many banquets together (LASU, JUMP, etc), he’s supported me at my gospel choir concerts and so much more. Kevin and I graduated in May 2017. He went to do his master’s in biomedical science and I went to medical school. Currently, Kevin is in his first year of medical school and I am an intern physician. We have been long-distance since graduating, but recently were engaged on June 5 2021. I couldn’t have gotten through college and medical school without his support, motivation, encouragement and love. I’m grateful to have met my soulmate at Binghamton University.

- Brianna Michael ’17 and Kevin Morales ’17

"Forever Date Party date"

We started off as friends, meeting through Greek life. John was a year below me, so of course he was far too young for me. However, he had become a good friend and was a great option when I had no one to take to a Date Party. My friends made sure to make fun of me for taking a “boy” as my date, being oh so much younger than us. 10 years later, that boy I took to Date Party is now my husband. Our first date was at the Nite Owl, and over a plate of chicken fingers John asked me to be his girlfriend. We made it through long-distance while I studied abroad and he finished senior year. I was back at home after graduation, which helped bridge all that distance, as we had unknowingly grown up a town over from one other. The rest was easy. We moved in together in 2017 and in 2018 John asked me to marry him (this time without the chicken fingers). We got married in 2019 and had 40 of our closest Binghamton friends there to celebrate with us. 2 years of marriage later and I couldn’t be happier with my forever Date Party date.

- John Regan ’14 and Shannon (Green) Regan ’13

Now their kid is heading to Binghamton University!

During my freshman/sophomore year at Binghamton University, I tried to switch from CS to MIS in the business school. That never happened, so as a sophomore I started taking CS classes again with freshmen. That is how I met Inna. We started taking CS (CS 210-Circuits) and math (Statistics) classes together and studying together. We stayed together through graduation and after. I went to live in Jersey City, N.J. while working in Weehawken, N.J. Inna lived in Brooklyn and worked in NYC. We got married in 2002 at the Manhatten Beach Jewish Center in Brooklyn. Our first date was at Cortese in Binghamton on November 22, 1997, which is still open but looks different now. We also ate at the TGI Fridays at the Vestal Plaza, Friendly’s near the Oakdale Mall and PS in Binghamton. In 2016, we visited Binghamton with our kids to show them where we lived (Newing and College-in-the-Woods) and what college life looks like on campus. Inna and I live in New Jersey and still work at the same companies that hired us out of college. We have two boys, Andrew (17) and Matthew (14). Andrew has also recently been accepted to the Watson School at Binghamton University. We are proud to have gone to Binghamton University for the education we received, the friends we made and the love we found for each other.

- Ronald Baker ’99 and Inna (Vorobyov) Baker ’00

Lecture Hall 7 is named after them!

We met junior year in Finance 311 class, which was taught by then-professor and now Dean Dhillon. The class was held in Lecture Hall 7 and in 2019 we were fortunate enough to be able to name that same lecture hall “The Aversano & Crecco Families Lecture Hall” in honor of both our families, with the proceeds going to programming funds to support Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD). Today we have been married for almost 25 years and have three daughters: Natalie, 18, Olivia, 15 and Lauren, 12.

- Sylvia Crecco ’93 and Paul Aversano ’93

He searched the web for her

Connor and I met downtown. He had recognized me after seeing my name in a Pipe Dream article and searching for me on Facebook. I didn’t find out that part until two years into dating! We hit it off right away and started dating on Feb. 26, 2014. We have since moved around the NYC area together with our two dogs, Doc and Holland. On Feb. 26, 2021, our seven-year anniversary, Connor proposed! We can’t wait to get married with so many of our Binghamton University friends by our side.

- Connor Keupp ’14 and Victoria Hanczyk ’17

Conversations into the a.m.

Gary and I met freshman year. Going into sophomore year, he was looking to move to Smith Hall. That is where I was living and I knew that there were two guys on my floor who needed roommates. I had no idea at that point the two of us would end up together, but one night in late September we got into a conversation and kept talking until 2 a.m. We’ve been married for 22 years.

- Stacy Mozer ’96 and Gary Mozer ’96

A pleasant surprise

Three months before I was scheduled to leave Binghamton I found myself drawn to the new transfer student. I would see him weekly in the Computer Center looking studious and focused. Not once did he look my way, and that intrigued me. Although we had several friends in common, we never had the opportunity to meet, and I didn’t have the courage to introduce myself. As the weeks passed and I was getting closer to leaving, I promised myself that I would find the courage to introduce myself the very next time I saw him. That time would come at a friend’s birthday party. When I saw him enter the apartment I took a deep breath and introduced myself, something I had never done before. To my surprise, he said that he already knew who I was. We chatted for a bit and I left the party early without exchanging numbers. For three days, I couldn’t stop thinking about him, so I called a friend, who called her boyfriend, who called his friend to get his number for me. The night I called him, it turned out to be his 19th birthday. He was pleasantly surprised and we talked for two hours that night. The next night he called me and we spoke for several hours again. For the next two months we got to know each other and embarked on a relationship that lasted seven years. After a two-year breakup, we got back together and have now been married for almost 17 years with two children.

- Cleonie Mainvielle ’97 and Mike Mainvielle ’98

Back when there was a Campus Pub

We began our journey in the laundry room of Newing College’s Endicott Hall in January 1979, where we were introduced by a mutual friend. Living in the same dorm (on different floors) we started dancing at dorm parties, walking together to the classroom wing, “studying” at Bartle and regularly attending the $1 movies in Lecture Hall 1, followed by drinks at the Campus Pub with our circle of friends. Our relationship continued to grow throughout our graduate studies, even though we were situated miles apart. We committed to each other and will be celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary this August. We feel so fortunate to be living a wonderful life together, having maintained meaningful relationships with our life-long SUNY-Binghamton cohort. Residing in Merrick, N.Y., Mark is an attorney specializing in medical malpractice defense and Robin is a human resources practitioner.

- Robin Barbara ’81 and Mark Salsberg ’81

Four marriages from one friends circle

We met freshman year. We both lived in Lehman. We actually didn’t really like each other at first, but were part of the same friend circle. There are actually many couples from that friend circle that ended up marrying as well: Andy and Diana Cooke, Mike and Heather Kid, and Brett and Jen Lotito. We are all still great friends today! We all lived together off campus at 10 Cedar and had some really great memories. We didn’t start dating until after college. My husband actually proposed to me on campus and we got married August 2009. We are still happily married and living on Long Island with three children: Jack (9), Lucas (7), and Emma (2). We hope they will follow in our footsteps and attend Binghamton one day!

- Jennifer (Petty) ’05 and Raymond Pegollo ’05

Rekindling led to love

We met at a pledge event for Phi Alpha Delta in September 2002. Our first date was not until a few years after graduation at TGI Fridays in Rockville Centre, N.Y. We remained friends for over ten years and went out separate ways in terms of dating other people. In 2012, we reconnected after a family tragedy and began dating shortly afterwards. Our second “first date” was at Avra in NYC, where Michael told Cristina they were now “officially” dating, and the rest is history. We have been married nine years and have three beautiful children. We currently reside in Rockville Centre, N.Y. Michael is the senior trial attorney at Korman and VanArsdale PC in Flushing, N.Y. Cristina is a part-time senior registered associate at Morgan Stanley in Garden City, N.Y. and a full-time mommy to their three children.

- Cristina (Freda) Lynch ’03 and Michael Lynch ’03

Friends to lovers

Joey and I met while living in Endicott our freshman year and continued to be friends through our sophomore year. We played co-rec bubble soccer and dodgeball, were both DJs at WHRW and spent many evenings eating huge amounts of ice cream together in C4. I had an obvious crush, but didn’t tell Joey until returning from a study abroad trip to India our junior year! We have been together since and are now living in Brooklyn with our sweet pup, Louie. Joey is a producer on the podcast Eclipsed and has been the greatest partner imaginable, while I’ve worked as an RN during this pandemic. Thanks, Binghamton, for putting us in the right place at the right time!

- Sophie Gamer ’16 and Joseph Hawthorne ’15

Gained a PhD and a relationship

In 2015 we had both just moved to Binghamton to start our PhD. My lab mate (also a psychology grad student) was taking me to different labs and introducing me to people he knew. We walked into one of the cognition labs and I got introduced to a current grad student who he was friends with and a new grad student, Ken. Earlier in the week, I had organized a first-year dinner scheduled for that night. When I asked Ken if he was going, he told me “maybe,” but that he had to take care of his dogs. Being very persistent, I convinced him to come. We sat across from each other that night at the cohort dinner and talked like long-lost friends. A while later a friend of mine even commented that she thought we had known each other for years, but we had only met once a few hours prior. One thing led to the next; a date was requested and a date was declined. I worried dating another grad student in the psych department wasn’t a good idea. My resistance only lasted about a month. Fast forward to now and we’ve moved across the country to Florida (for my internship and him being remote allowed him to move with me) and then across the state where we both serendipitously landed jobs in the same city, which is a challenging task for two people in academia. We’re now officially doctors and he is a professor and I’m working on getting my licensure as a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with couples. We’re looking forward to hearing the words “I now pronounce you Dr. and Dr.” at our wedding!

- Samantha Wagner ’17, PHD ’21 and Kenneth Houghton ’17, PHD ’21

Love was in the air in Europe

We first met when Nina was a freshman and Jake was a sophomore in Onondaga 5AL. We were friends first and met up while studying abroad in Europe and traveled together. We finally started dating after two years! We got married in 2019 and this year we bought our first home together in Port Washington, N.Y. and had a baby girl named Juliet.

- Nina Libson (maiden name Friedman) ’12 and Jake Libson ’13

Two peas in a pod

We both lived in Cascade our freshman year and we were acquaintances first. Then, we realized that we both were in HIST 224 together (the history of immigrations and ethnicities with the amazing Professor Mary Berkery). From then on, we became inseparable. We joined the Glee Club together and we were basically a package deal for the rest of college. We had countless post-test meals at Einstein’s, took any class we could together and spent countless hours in the library together. Although we moved to different places after Binghamton (Rachel began working in NYC after college and I went to Ithaca College for my master’s and now work in Rockland County), we are in constant communication when we are not together and try to see each other as often as we can. We have been with each other through the highest highs and the lowest lows. Our love grows stronger and deeper each day, and we both feel so lucky to have found our soulmate in college.

- Brooke Hershfield ’17 and Rachel Blaifeder ’17

A greek life fairy tale

Many years ago, it was the beginning of the school year at Binghamton University. The flowers were still in bloom, shirtless frat boys were playing basketball on campus and you could get a beer at JT’s for 10 cents. Sasha was the social chair of her sorority and Kyle was the social chair of his fraternity. They both worked at FitSpace. Their story is one that involves frat parties, downtown bars and early morning CPR classes - basically the start of every other fairy tale. During the fall semester of their junior year, Sasha closed the gym on Wednesday nights and Kyle had the shift before her. They overlapped by 15 minutes. As the weeks went on, Kyle began to notice that Sasha was coming in earlier and earlier. Kyle was obviously flattered and attests that it was because she wanted to spend more time with him. Sasha claims that it was just because she wanted to beat her coworker to the computer chair. The world may never know, but there was obviously some kind of connection there! Starting to catch on, but being a little shy, Kyle played hard to get. Their Wednesday night rendezvous continued and they began to work together on setting up some Greek life events. Texting each other became a regular occurrence (Kyle always made sure to text Sasha after he left work on Wednesdays to tell her how much he missed her), but nothing really came of it until Halloween. To this day, no one’s really sure if it was the excitement of Halloween weekend or the way that Kyle looked in his jean shorts and sleeveless flannel (not really a costume for that upstate boy, but we’ll let that slide…), but things finally clicked. Kyle became a regular at Sasha’s house that she shared with seven of her girlfriends. He would bring home pizza when they all got home from downtown, shovel their cars out when there was a snowstorm and even baked them cookies one Sunday night while the girls flipped between football and America’s Funniest Home Videos (mostly the latter). By the time winter break rolled around, Kyle couldn’t bear the thought of going four weeks without seeing Sasha, so he invited her to his home in Phelps, N.Y. for New Year’s. The rest is history.

After they each graduated grad school, Sasha and Kyle moved to their first apartment in Astoria, N.Y. and got married in 2017. They spent five years in Astoria before moving to Long Beach, N.Y., and taking on their biggest project yet - renovating a two-family home that needed to be gutted. When they finally successfully completed that (it took over a year), they adopted their beloved fur baby, Remi, and are now expecting their first human baby at the end of February 2022. While they might seem like an unlikely pair – a farmer from upstate N.Y. whose favorite pastimes include hunting and riding motorcycles and a girl from Long Island who was raised by two hippies and can’t live without the beach – it somehow just works. They have been with each other through so many milestones and are looking forward to crushing parenthood together as they move into this next phase of their lives.

-Sasha Fine Tillman ’12 and Kyle Tillman ’12, MBA ’14

Amore in Italia

We met while studying abroad in Florence, Italy, through the Binghamton program back in 2017. We both attended Binghamton but never met until we lived in the same apartment building in Italy! We traveled all over Europe, exploring six countries (Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Croatia, Germany and Spain) and a whole bunch of Italian cities together. We started dating there and continued our relationship back in Binghamton, and have been dating for five years now.

- Nicky Quattrocchi ’18 and Michael Morrone ’19, MS ’20

Winners of the #longdistancechallenge

We initially met at Chabad of Binghamton at Shabbat dinner. We quickly became friends and started spending a lot more time together. We would have meals, go on walks and study together. On Nov. 9, 2017, at approximately 11:30 p.m., in Room 303 of Old Digman Hall, we started dating. The next two years were fantastic and we enjoyed the quality time being together in Binghamton. After Betty graduated in 2019, we took the #longdistancechallenge. Betty was pursuing her master’s in bioethics at the Johns Hopkins University Berman Institute of Bio-Ethics, while I continued my studies at Binghamton. We decided that with our busy schedules, we would make the effort to see each other once a month. I was due to make a trip down to Baltimore in the middle of March 2020. Days away from seeing Betty, the world shut down and we didn’t see each other in person for five months. To ensure we were able to see each other, I quarantined in my U Club apartment for two weeks and managed to spend three months straight together, a time that came before vaccines. After the three months, we went back to long-distance until graduation, where Betty was able to be in Binghamton, but not the ceremony due to COVID-19 restrictions for Commencement. Now in 2022, we live in Downtown Baltimore, specifically in Little Italy. Betty is working at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and applying to Ph.D. programs, while I work at a school in Rockville, M.D., right outside of Washington, D.C. Depending on where Betty will start her PhD next year will determine where we go next!

- Betty Cohn ’19 and Daniel Gabel ’21

Chenango Hall brought them together

We met during our freshman year and we were student counselors together in Chenango Hall during our senior year. We started dating after we graduated, after we spent a lot of time together just prior to graduation when the dorms emptied out (in those days, most upperclass men and women lived off campus) and friendship blossomed into something more romantic. Our first date was for dinner at Monte’s Restaurant in Greenwich Village in June 1972. We married in March 1975 during my second year in law school. We are approaching our 47th anniversary as a married couple and 50 years as a couple. We have two homes: one in Stamford, Conn., and another in Bonita Springs, Fla. We have one son who is married and lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. Mary and I are working on our golf games and I still practice law on a part-time basis.

- Richard L. Gold ’72 and Mary Laroe Gold ’72

Video games and walks around campus

Andy and I met in the fall of 2001, our freshman year at Binghamton. We lived across the hall from each other in Lehman Hall and immediately became close friends. That first semester we spent our time playing Snood, taking walks around campus and hanging out with friends. We started dating in January 2002, and have been inseparable ever since! Our second Valentine’s Day together was a memorable one: Andy and his friends surprised their girlfriends with a home-cooked meal and a romantically decorated basement in Lehman Hall. We were married in October 2010 and now have three beautiful children.

- Diana Weisholz Cooke ’05 and Andrew Cooke ’05

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Tara and I met on move-in day in 2017 and we bonded over baseball during those awkward floor icebreakers in Hughes Hall in Hinman. Tara often came to our suite to hang out, and after a year we became very close. Between freshman and sophomore year, all of our friends were going to go to a Mets game together, but everyone dropped out besides me and Tara. We still went and since then became best friends. The next semester we hung out almost every day, playing catch in the quad, eating in the old dining hall and going to Tom and Marty’s. I made the hard decision to study abroad in the spring, while she graduated a year early, leaving us with many questions about our future together at the end of the fall semester in 2018. While we were apart, we Facetimed and sent letters as frequently as possible, and shared our first “I love you” from countries away. When I returned, she was waiting at the airport for me and we began dating that week. She is finishing law school at Syracuse and I moved to Tucson after graduation in 2021 to work. While she was out here visiting me, we took a road trip to San Diego and got engaged at Sunset Cliffs on New Year’s Eve 2021.

- Jacob Kerr ’21 and Tara Andryshak ’19

A car ride started it all

David and Brittany first met in 2014 on Dickinson Town Council. They were both on the e-board of Johnson Hall. A year and a half later, they ran into each other in the Hinman Dining Hall, where Brittany offered David a ride home for spring break. They hit it off during the three-hour drive home and back, and have been together ever since. David is a cybersecurity consultant at Coalfire and Brittany is an attorney. They got married Nov. 7, 2021 and were reunited with all of their Binghamton friends at their wedding!

- Brittany Frank ’16 and David Berlin ’18

The landlord played matchmaker

Though Jules had seen Johnny across the food co-op soon after transferring in 2012, they didn’t meet formally until April 2014. Johnny was going about his day at his apartment when Jules and Erin walked in, looking to rent it next year. Polite words and information were exchanged and a lease with the rare kind and fair landlord was signed. In May, Jules reached out to the landlord asking if she could move a few items in early and the landlord connected her with Johnny, who was in Germany with his lab at the time. In an unusual turn of events, they shared the apartment space for a short period as Johnny packed and Jules unpacked. They laughed and shared stories, books and music. A beautiful and mischievous courtship ensued, which has lasted to this day with no plans of slowing down. We are so thankful to our Binghamton family, with whom we are still so actively connected. Here’s to life! Lots of love to and for all!

- Jules Quinn ’14, MAT ’15 and Johnny Condoluci ’15

From Binghamton to California

We first met on the new student orientation. When I first saw her, it was love at first sight, just like in the movies (not kidding). I’m a very introverted person, but I gathered all of my courage and started the first conversation after orientation was over (best decision of my life ever). One thing led to another and we are happily married today living in California with our pet dog as a happy family.

- Swapnil ’17 and Priyanka ’17

She was his RA

Megan and Collin met on the first day of freshman year at Endicott in Newing. After running into each other a few times downtown and finding Collin suspiciously hanging out in Megan’s room, there was an instant attraction. It wasn’t until sophomore year, after Megan randomly became Collin’s RA, that they decided to make it official and be in a relationship. Since then, they’ve been together through graduate school, medical school and multiple years of long-distance spanning NYC to Vermont. Collin proposed to Megan in Central Park, NYC in 2019 and they were married in 2021, ten years after meeting. PS: they had many fellow bearcats standing by their side at their wedding! Shout out to Janet Tenenboym, Michelle Hochman, Tim Friedmann and JP Fauchet.

- Megan Barry ’15 and Collin Anderson ’15

Love at first sight

Bethany and Jordan met on April 24, 2010. As you’d see in the movies, their eyes locked across a crowded room in Jordan’s house downtown and they instantly hit it off. Even though Jordan graduated a few weeks later, they kept in touch and began dating shortly thereafter. They moved in together in 2013, got married in 2015 and welcomed their son, Elijah, in 2019. Currently, Bethany works as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan and Jordan is a manager at Accenture. Bethany, Jordan, Elijah and their cat, Archie, live in Westchester.

- Jordan Spiro ’10, MBA ’14 and Bethany (Stein) Spiro ’11

Monthly Burger King dates