Love is in the Air: Alumni Share Florida Tech Love Stories
Valentine’s Day is a time to express the love we have for the special people in our lives. In celebration, Florida Tech alumni shared their personal campus meet-cute stories, which have turned into lasting connections.
1970s
Tino ’74 and Denise Pappas
Tino and Denise met in a fraternity brother’s dorm room. They were both studying management science at Florida Tech, but Denise transferred out and graduated from Old Dominion University in 1975. They will be married 49 years this May.
Michael ’76 and Palma (Sciuto) ’76 Young
Michael and Palma met 50 years ago in one of their management classes. They fell for one another hard and fast, and they were dating exclusively within two months. They have two children and four grandchildren, and they will be married 48 years in August.
“Michael was a Theta Xi brother, and I was an Alpha Epsilon Pi little sister—that made for some interesting interactions!” Palma said. “Michael was also in ROTC, so we attended many military functions—and have been stationed in various posts in the U.S. and Europe.”
1980s
Susan ’80 and Craig ’81 McKay
Craig was a rower on the men’s varsity program and Sue a coxswain on the women’s varsity program. After dating for six months, Craig proposed to Sue in May 1980, just before her June graduation so as not to lose her, given that he had one more year at Florida Tech. They married 18 months later. Though Sue still calls Craig her “current husband,” they have been happily married for over 42 years, with two daughters who also did crew in college (Ithaca College and Georgia Tech).
Gary ’82, ’84 M.S., ’91 M.S., ’92 Ph.D., and Amanda (Gold) ’83, ’84 M.S., Senn
Gary and Amanda didn’t know each other as undergraduates, but they met in the first few weeks of starting their master’s programs. They were engaged the following fall in Melbourne Beach and married three months after graduation. Even though they still had different last names, they were allowed to walk in side by side at graduation. They have two children and two grandchildren and will celebrate 40 years of marriage in March 2025.
Paul Cecala ’85 and Dan Nazzaro ’95
Paul was on campus for homecoming as the vice president of the Florida Tech Alumni Association. He asked then-staff member Rodney Bowers if he knew anyone who would like to meet a bored, lonely New Jersey guy. Rodney set Paul and Dan up on a blind date, and they went to the Sun Shoppe to get to know each other, closing the place after playing backgammon for four hours. Paul flew home the next day and was greeted with a phone message from Dan expressing that the date was his best birthday ever. Three days later, Paul came home from work to find a Valentine’s Day plant and flowers on his doorstep from Dan. That all took place in February 1996. They have been together ever since and now have an 18-year-old son they adopted in 2018—one of nine foster children to come through their home.
2000s
Roberto Perez ’07 and Gladys Montenegro ’07
One day, Roberto came running into the Evans dinning hall after finishing an exam, worried he would be late for dinner and the cafeteria would close. He went straight to his usual table, where his friends would hangout. To his surprise, he saw a new face and immediately said,
“Who are you?!” Gladys was new to the group and picked up from his accent that he spoke Spanish.
She replied, “You speak Spanish! Where are you from?”
The rest is history. They met in 2004 and eventually started dating in 2005. They got married in 2010 and now have two boys.
Lindsay ’10 and Jeff Madenford ’09
Lindsay and Jeff met in Lindsay’s hometown airport, Merritt Island Airport, where she was working and earning her Private Pilot License. Jeff was a freshman at Florida Tech, and Lindsay had just been admitted. They dated through college and got married the same day Lindsay graduated! They have bounced from Florida to Pennsylvania to Connecticut to Rhode Island to North Carolina to South Carolina. Jeff flies for American Airlines and the Charlotte Air National Guard, and Lindsay is the program compliance manager for the development group at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Radoyka Delgado ’09 and Luis Santos
Radoyka and Luis met freshman year in 2003, when their resident assistants from Shaw Hall and Wood Hall had the residents pair up for an icebreaker. Unfortunately, Luis wasn’t quick enough to ask Radoyka, and she was already paired up with someone else. A few days later, however, he noticed his dormmate, Derek, had befriended Radoyka and that they always had lunch together. Radoyka called Derek’s dorm room to see if he was ready to eat, but he said he wasn’t hungry and that she should take Luis instead. Radoyka agreed and had lunch with him. What she didn’t know was that Luis had convinced Derek not to join her for lunch just to get close to her. Who knew that 20 years later, they would still be having lunch together?
2010s
Amanda ’10, ’11 M.S., and Brian ’12, ’16 MBA, Bomser
Brian and Amanda originally met during a Florida Tech Relay for Life event in the Clemente Center in 2010. They didn’t reconnect until 2012 at a Florida Tech basketball game. They had their unofficial first date at Clemente for a Harlem Globetrotters game. In 2014, they got engaged during a Florida Tech Relay for Life event in the Olin Quad. They have been married for almost eight years and have a 4-year-old daughter, Halley, who loves to eat at Panther Dining Hall.
Michael ’11 and Brittany ’13 McLeod
Brittany and Michel met each other through a mutual friend during their sophomore year, and they started dating six days later. They both admit there was an instant connection. They got engaged seven months later and married in 2010. Michael graduated in 2011, while Brittany took some time off to help sick family. During that time, they got pregnant. Brittany went back to finish her degree and graduated on their daughter’s first birthday. They are still going strong 15 years later.
Preeti Sali ’15 M.S. and Niraj Patel ’15 M.S.
Preeti and Niraj met for the first time at Florida Tech. They were in the same major and quickly became friends. They started dating when they had only one class in common without any of their friends and got to know each other. Although they were from different states in their country, with very different cultures, they found great compatibility with each other. They are happily married and just welcomed their first child, a daughter, in December 2023.
Ariana Tate ’16 and Ian LaFlamme ’16
Ariana and Ian had a lot of missed opportunities when they attended Florida Tech. His roommates had a get-together in Southgate, and she stopped by. They were in the same dorm, yet didn’t cross paths. Multiple times, Ariana was invited to come over and play Dungeons & Dragons when Ian was the Dungeon Master. Everyone raved about him in tabletop games. Unfortunately, Ariana always had some conflicting event. Their friend group also consisted of two Ians—Ian M. and Ian L.—and everyone assumed Ariana knew both. Flash forward four years after graduation, and their mutual friend Taylor set them up on a blind date. It turns out Ariana did know Ian L., as she sat behind him in class for a week. Since then, they’ve been inseparable.
“I’m so grateful to have met the two coolest Ians on campus,” Ariana said. “Both are humble engineers…One is my best friend, and the other is my soon-to-be husband. Ian L. proposed to me last year, while we were in the process of moving cross country. We’ll be married this April. And, of course, Ian M. and Taylor will be there to witness.”
Katie ’17, ’18 M.S., and Wilfred ’18 Manrique
Katie and Wilfred met in Panther Dining Hall in September 2014. It was not love at first sight—Katie actually told him to leave her alone. But it turns out, he didn’t listen very well. They first spent time together playing Humans vs. Zombies on campus and, later, on long walks in the Botanical Garden. Wilfred also tutored Katie in calculus for a while in between hanging out with the Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy and the Anime Club. Their first off-campus “real” date was planned after Katie asked him out on Friday the 13th before Valentine’s Day. Nine years later, they’re married and celebrating their fifth anniversary in July.
Chase ’17 and Gabby ’19 Stein
While attending Florida Tech, Gabby and Chase met through a mutual friend at one of her get-togethers. Chase was in Pi Kappa Aplha, and Gabby was in Gamma Phi Beta. They quickly found out they were very compatible and enjoyed each other’s company. Fast-forward six years, they are now married and living out an adventurous life in beautiful Utah.
Becca ’18, ’19 MBA, and Rhett ’19 Willis
Rhett and Becca met at an intervarsity event put on by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He was a pitcher on the baseball team, and she was the libero for volleyball. They were both injured but still playing Spikeball at the beach. They got in touch with each other, but summer was coming, and Becca had her undergraduate graduation. She was sticking around for another year to get her MBA, but they lost touch over summer. When school and sports resumed, they reconnected. Rhett came to volleyball in the fall, and Becca went to baseball in the spring. They both graduated, moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, adopted a dog, bought a house, got engaged, took their engagement pictures back on campus at Florida Tech and, finally, got married just down the road at the Grand Manor. They have two dogs, Stella and Artois, and the rest is yet to come.
Bridgette ’18, ’20 M.S., and Thore ’18, ’19 M.S., Rasmussen
Thore and Bridgette moved into Columbia Village in August 2014. Bridgette spotted Thore from a mile away—he was tall and handsome, what’s not to like? Eventually, they both joined the Residence Halls Association, and Thore said a whole of, “Hi, my name’s Thore,” to Bridgette the entire year. Thankfully, in August 2015, Thore and Bridgette both became resident assistants. Thore joined Bridgette as she ate her lunch alone on the first day of training. Less than a week later, they had their first kiss, and the rest is history. Years of endless adventures have ensued since that first night: scuba diving and ski trips, Christmases in Denmark and Kenya, a few crazy road trips and lots of laughter and smiles in the Florida sun. On Dec. 22, 2019, Thore finally popped the question during a carriage ride through a vineyard, and Bridgette said yes. They were married in October 2020, despite COVID being a looming gray cloud. Since then, they have moved twice and got a dog named Melly, after Melbourne, since the town holds a special place in their hearts.
Romeo Charron ’19 MBA and Maria Escude ’21
Romeo and Maria were both scholar-athletes back in the day—he in soccer and she in tennis. Fast-forward six years, they are engaged and have relocated to Switzerland, where his home field is.
2020s
Lauren-Ann Graham ’20 and Andrew Chrustic ’22
Andrew and Lauren-Ann met on the Florida Tech Orientation team over 2.5 years ago. During one of the team-building exercises, referred to as “speed dating,” they were instructed to get into an inner and outer circle. One circle would spin, and they would meet different people on the team. As they got to the end of the exercise, Andrew was the only person Laren-Ann had not met yet. They had a little extra time, so the leader told them to do one more final round, and the rest is history. They were inseparable the rest of Orientation week. One of their first dates was a rocket launch on the beach.
“We were both in Greek Life and very involved on campus, so experiencing college together was something I will forever be grateful for,” Lauren-Ann said. “Since then, we’re stronger than ever, and I love him so much! Florida Tech already had a huge place in my heart because it made my dreams of working at NASA come true, but it also brought me one of the most important people in my life.”
Aditya Monga ’20 and Mikayla Thamm ’20
Aditya and Mikayla met in October 2017 on Florida Tech’s campus and officially started their relationship Jan. 1, 2018. Aditya was born and raised in New Delhi, and Mikayla was born and raised in Kernersville, North Carolina. Their relationship blossomed throughout the years, and they graduated together in December 2020. Aditya proposed to Mikayla on March 4, 2022, in Texas. They bought their first home in February 2023 in Houston with their two cats, Gucci and Fendi. They tied the knot Aug. 4, 2023. They plan to have their Indian wedding Feb. 29, 2024. If it wasn’t for each of them attending Florida Tech, they would have never met.
Sarah Butler ’23 and Isabella Dudgeon ’23
Sarah and Isabella met through the Student Life Office. They both worked there and had been telling assistant dean of students Cat Nanney how much they liked each other, but they never spoke to each other about it. Finally, Cat pushed them to talk to each other, and they have been together ever since.
Want to share your love story or another important milestone? Maybe you received an award, started a business or published a book. Perhaps, you welcomed a new baby Panther into the world. Whatever news you have, your alma mater and fellow alumni want to hear about it! Submit an AlumNote.
