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Alvernia hosts second annual Alvernia Sweethearts Contest

 

The ����91��Ƭ�� Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement holds its second annual Alvernia Sweethearts Contest for alumni.

 

The contest took place during the three weeks before Valentine’s Day. Alumni could submit their love stories and photos to be considered, but couples had to both be Alvernia alumni. If alumni submitted last year, they were encouraged to resubmit this year.

 

Last year’s winners were Mark Boyce ‘97 and Shannon (Miller) Boyce ’97. They received a set of wine glasses etched with their names and “Alvernia Sweethearts 2021” as well as a gift card to a local restaurant for a date night. Read their love story from last year below. All other participants received special Sweetheart cookies as a Valentine’s treat.

 

“My husband and I are Alvernia Alumni and High school Sweethearts! I am a home-grown girl who spent all her life in one town and my husband was a Navy Brat who traveled the United States living in exciting places. In 1990 his family settled in Pottstown and the rest is history. We both attended St Pius X high school, where we met sophomore year and started dating our junior year. We both continued our education at ����91��Ƭ��, then Alvernia College. While there I majored in nursing and my husband Criminal justice. The first semester of our freshman year my husband started the men’s soccer team and served as captain his sophomore, junior, and senior years. We graduated in 1997 and married that December. My husband is a sergeant at The Pottstown Police department serving the community for 22 years and I am a part-time nurse at Pottstown Oral surgery. We are the PROUD parents of four amazing children, 2 boys, and 2 girls. Our oldest daughter, is currently a Freshman at ����91��Ƭ��, following in her parents’ footsteps! We enjoy exploring the campus, seeing all the wonderful growth and changes that have occurred, and look forward to the future! We feel with 29 years of dating and 23 years of marriage we are The Ultimate Alvernia Sweethearts!!”

 

If you didn’t get the chance to participate this year, be sure to submit your story next year!

 

Grace (Belsky) Bugera ‘18 and Andrew Bugera ’18

My name is Grace Bugera (formerly Belsky) and my husband’s name is Andrew (same last name). We met at Alvernia and graduated together in 2018, and what a ride it was/has been! Neither of us attended Alvernia directly out of high school. I was a single mother furthering my education/career and he was fresh out of active duty with the Air Force. With the encouragement of a mutual veteran friend, we had our first date after my first year of nursing and his first semester as a history major. The following three years after that we endured the remainder of my nursing degree, his studies, and deployment in 2017 (he was/is still in the Air National Guard). Spring semester of 2018 he popped the question which began one of the best years so far for us. As was mentioned, in March of 2018 we got engaged, May we graduated and at the end of September of that same year, we got married. It took us a while to find it, but in March of 2020 we bought our first home and we recently had the blessing of welcoming our first child together in January of this year. 

We credit Alvernia and our God for bringing us together under circumstances well outside of our control and continue to count our blessings daily.

 

Ashley (Vincent) Hugg ‘12 and Jason Hugg ’12

“Jason and I met during my sophomore year at Alvernia. He was originally from Collegeville and I am originally from Connecticut. We were both Criminal Justice majors and he asked me out on a date in between classes. We had our first date at Shocktoberfest and have stayed with each other ever since. After graduating in 2012 we stayed here in Reading and began our journey into supporting our community. We got married in 2014 and now have two great kids Michael and Miranda. We are proud local business owners who love to give back and help our community. We are so happy Alvernia brought us together!”

 

Janessa (Rasmus) Shainline ‘16 and Kevin Shainline ’15

“Kevin and I met during my sophomore year and his junior year of college at Alvernia in the fall of 2013. Our initial interactions occurred amid ice breakers during RA training. In between rounds, bulletin boards, and programs, we started spending more time with each other. At the end of the school year, we had been selected by Campus Ministry to co-lead a new retreat program called “SEARCH” by serving on the “Head Team” together. Neither of us had any idea how much time we would spend together over the following year, between planning and implementing the SEARCH I Retreat and SEARCH II Retreat, doing rounds, attending SGA meetings, going to Mass together, making bulletin boards, and enjoying each other’s company. Unfortunately, things were not meant to be at that time, and Kevin graduated from Alvernia in 2015. We reconnected over spring break during my senior year of college in 2016 and it seemed like it was finally “our time.” We started dating in October of 2017 and on our one-year anniversary, Kevin asked me to marry him! We got married in Sacred Heart Chapel (at the motherhouse) on November 10, 2018.”

 

Becky (Peal) Morrow ’05 M.Ed. ’07 and Justin Morrow ’00

Our story is probably a little different than most. We did not meet during our undergraduate classes or at a student activities event as freshmen. We did not run into each other in the cafe or get assigned to a class project together. In fact, we both graduated from Alvernia without ever formally meeting each other.

 

Unbeknownst to us, our paths had crossed many times during our tenancy at Alvernia. For example, my placement testing was the same day as Justin’s graduation. At the time, commencement was only once a year. Even though Justin graduated in December 2000, the ceremony wasn’t until May 2001. I vividly remember walking into Bernardine Hall as a nervous high school senior from out of state to check-in for my placement test, meanwhile, graduates in cap and gown were lining up for their procession. I had no idea that my future husband was in that very line. I was an RA during my time at Alvernia and worked the front desk at Veronica Hall. I most likely checked my husband in to visit my boss who was a graduate assistant at the time and living in the apartment in Veronica Hall. I would have neatly filed my future husband’s driver’s license into an index card holder for safekeeping until he checked out of the building. I even used his portable charcoal grills for a s’mores program that I held for my residents at the townhouses without actually meeting him!

 

We didn’t formally meet until after I graduated, four years after Justin, while I was now working as a graduate assistant for residence life at Alvernia. We both attended the birthday party of our mutual friend (the graduate assistant he visited years before). Over the next few weeks, we began dating and realized how many times our paths had likely crossed. The rest is history. We have been together for 16 years, have been married 12 years, and have three children together.

 

During our wedding ceremony, I believe the officiant summed up our path to each other best. She said:
“Legend tells us that when your souls are created in heaven, an angel cries out, “this man is made for this woman!” It is said, if these people meet on earth and recognize each other for who they truly are, they will fall in love and become as one, working together in unison. Then no hardship can alter the strength of their enduring love. Everything they do shall succeed.

 

I believe there is no such thing as coincidence, and that people who are patient and learn to know themselves, will find their soulmate when the time is right. For years Rebecca and Justin ran in the same circles, often attending events at the same time and never meeting. Then, when the timing was perfect, they met, on their own. And so here we are, just as the legend says, this man is made for this woman.”

 

Kelly (Steber) Gausch OTR/L ’11 and Samson Gausch ’09

“We met in the fall of 2007 shortly after I transferred into Alvernia’s occupational therapy program. We both decided to play ultimate frisbee one day in October with the intervarsity group and met on the field, thanks to a mutual friend, Stacey Babula (who is still very much in our lives!). We’ve been together ever since. We have a 4-year-old daughter, Helen. So thankful for our time at Alvernia and that we ran into each other that day!”

 

Kim Whelan ’18 and James Colgan ’16

“James and I met in college and started dating in March of 2016. We have had tons of adventures together including supporting each other through our first adult jobs, celebrating our friend's weddings, traveling to Ireland, creating wonderful memories with our friends and family, moving in together during the pandemic, and getting engaged in July 2021! We are so excited for our future together and cannot wait for our wedding on June 9th, 2023!”

 

Trish (Herber) Zona ’99 and Joe Zona ’99

“My name is Joe Zona. My wife Trish (Herber) Zona and I both graduated in 1999. We met in the fall of 1997 while we were starting Physical Therapist Assistant School. When the semester began, we didn’t know each other at all. By the end of September, our professor paired us together for practical instruction and I was paired up with Trish. The funny thing is, that what we were learning was massage therapy techniques. From that point on we would work on other projects for school together. We would help each other study for exams and I even learned the difference between a doughnut and a PA Dutch Fasnacht. We graduated in 1999 and studied for our licensure exam and found jobs. We got married in 2001 and have been married for 19 years! We have had so many great experiences and she gave me two great sons that we are very proud of. She also has been there through my toughest time dealing with eye cancer. I have dealt with that for 17 years and I have been as close to cancer-free as you can be. Without her support, I don’t know what I would do.

 

Devon (Reeves) Yuros ’16 and Aaron Yuros ’16

"Devon and I met in Dr. Rochowicz’s Physics class. I had never seen her before and was completely blown away. Instantly after class, I ran to my off-campus apartment I split with Tennis teammates and began to ask if anyone knew of her. Unfortunately, no one did, so I had to approach her on my own. I began subtly trying to speak with her in class, such as asking her questions about the material as if I didn’t understand. This bought me some conversation with her until we got our first exams returned, which I scored better on than her. Luckily for me, Devon appreciated the intelligence and I was able to score a date with her. We decided to go to dinner at Austin’s in Wyomissing, and then hit the Imax Theater to see “Gravity”. We have been together since that first date, October 19, 2013. After graduation, Devon and I settled in Lancaster where we still reside to this day. I accepted a High School Math Teaching position in Havre de Grace, MD, and am currently teaching 7^th Grade Math and the Head Basketball Coach for Reynolds Middle School in the School District of Lancaster; while Devon began working for Eurofins Lancaster Labs before graduation and is still there today. We were married in Cape May, NJ on July 12, 2019. And on August 28, 2020, we welcomed our firstborn, a son named Grayson. We are currently navigating parenthood together, but will forever be grateful for the opportunity Alvernia provided us. It seems surreal that I met the love of my life sitting in a physics class in Bernadine Hall."

 

Lucy Horn MSOT ’20 and Benjamin Koons ’19

“Benjamin Koons (2019) and I (2020) met after being randomly assigned to the same group project group in Psychology 101 our first semester at Alvernia. At the start of the spring semester, we went to see a comic on campus and officially became a couple that night. During our time at Alvernia, we had the chance to attend many more comedy shows, volunteer on days of service, work as tutors, serve as OWLs, and participate in a SEARCH retreat together.

We have officially been a couple for over 6 years now, and we are getting married in September 2022. We are beyond thrilled to be going from group project partners to life partners!

 

Gina (Ferrara) Bateman ’15 and Brandon Bateman ’14

“My now-husband Brandon and I met on the first day of classes in 2013. Brandon was starting his senior year and I my second to last year after transferring. Brandon happened to live across the hallway from me in Zygmunta in the RA room. We often crossed paths around campus and in our building. After we got back from winter break, we started hanging out more amongst friends at lunch, Trooper’s, bingo, etc. I wanted to ask him to Winter Formal as friends, so my roommate asked him to come over and “kill a bug” so I could ask him. We had a good time and seemed to hit it off. When recounting the night, he always says, “We just clicked” and knew not to let me get away. The next morning, I got his number from my roommate and thanked him for a great night. He immediately came knocking and asked me out on our first date. We continued to talk aimlessly for three hours followed by attending the men’s basketball game. One night after digging my car out of the snow, and watching Harry Potter, he gave me the sweetest handmade card asking me to be his girlfriend. On January 6^th, 2018 he took me to Angelica Park, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him! A year and a half later on August 3^rd, 2019 we got married with our family and Alvernia friends in attenda