Heart to Heart: Rhody Love Stories
Since 1892, URI has been educating minds, generating groundbreaking research…and inspiring true love! We asked alumni couples to share their love stories that started right here in little Rhody.
Dan Mart ’16 and Jennifer Daigle ’16:
Dan and Jennifer met at URI while he was a civil engineering student in ROTC, and she was an English major. After a mutual friend suggested Dan as the fourth roommate in a house down the line, a fast friendship began to blossom, and their love continued to grow through their remaining years at URI. Now, 10 years later, they were honored to have a wedding ceremony in RI a few years back and pay homage to the place where they fell in love.
“Today, we still love taking trips to URI whenever we can to reminisce and are so thankful that not only did we find ourselves and our careers through URI, but we also found each other.”
Erica ’04 and Tony DiFruscio ’04:
Erica and Tony were living across the hall from one another in Heathman when they met at URI in 2000. He was a freshman ROTC cadet, and she was on the women’s soccer team. They got married in 2007 after Tony became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Vilseck, Germany. They returned to the U.S. in 2009 and now live in Northern Virginia with their two daughters.
Lauri ’96, M.S. ’98 and Kevin Chung ’97:
“We met at URI in the spring of ’93 through a mutual friend at the Biological Science Center. We have two sons and plan on celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this September! Thanks to URI for our love connection!”
Jackie ’11 and Kevin Christofaro ’10 (ft. Rhody the dog):
Jackie and Kevin first met at a party back in 2008 and spent the next three years having the best time of their lives at URI. They both played on the URI men’s and women’s rugby teams and are still best friends with some of their teammates to this day. This past year they were thrilled to add a baby to their family to keep their dog Rhody company.
“If it weren’t for URI I don’t know where we’d be today, but we are so grateful we got to spend some of the best years of our lives there and believe it shaped who we are today.”
Ally ’13 and Timothy St. Pierre ’13:
Ally and Timothy met at URI in 2011. They got married in 2014 and now live in Virginia Beach, Virginia with their three children.
Cindy ’97 and Nathan Dean ’98:
Cindy and Nathan started dating freshman year in 1993 while she was living in Weldin and he was in Barlow. They were married in July of 2000 and have two sons—one of whom is hoping to be a Rhody Ram soon!
Kate ’06, M.S. ’08 and Randy Wolfe ’06, M.S. ’13:
Kate and Randy met at URI over 20 years ago through the Student Alumni Association. One of their first interactions was at Oozeball, when Randy threw Kate in the mud! They’ve had an adventure-filled journey ever since, with three boys and a dog added to the mix. Now they are settled in South County and still cheering on the Rhody Rams at every game and event they can, fondly knowing their beloved Rhody is where it all began.
Crystal ’07 and Fermin Diaz ’07:
Crystal and Fermin, both Talent Development alumni, first met in URI 101 in 2002. They spent their time on campus as part of CVSA and Sigma Pi, and often reflect on how their paths may not have crossed had they not ended up at URI at the same time. The Diazes were married in 2012 and are still living in little Rhody with their two sons.
Eddie Shabomardenly ’18 and Erin Maher ’18:
Eddie and Erin met during the first week of their freshman year at URI in 2014 and have been inseparable ever since. The newlyweds were recently married on 11/11/23 and Rhody continues to hold a special place in both of their hearts.
Neil ’07 and Shannon Amore ’07, M.S. ’09:
Neil and Shannon met in 2004 during statistics class. After falling in love, they were married in the URI rose garden in 2011 and now live in South County with their two daughters.
Domenic ’05 and Jen Passarella ’06:
Domenic and Jen met on her 21st birthday during a URI Greek Week event and will be celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary this year!