Anne Biddle, HS80, and Rick Biddle, EG78

Year married:

Anne: In September 1977, my friends decided I needed to meet some hilarious guys at Harrington. Little did I know that I’d also walk into the church I’d belong to for the next 40 years and meet my future husband, Rick, the funniest of them all. Four years later, we tied the knot. 

Rick: Anne and I got married in September 1981 at Eagles Nest Country Club in Baltimore, Maryland, surrounded by family, friends and the woman I’m still head-over-heels for.

First date: 

Our first “official” date was probably at a Harrington A/B dorm party. Remember the days when kegs were allowed at dorm-sponsored parties? Wild times. Or maybe we just wanted an excuse to hang out while listening to some awesome 70s music.

Favorite UD memory: 

Anne: One of my favorites has to be when Rick left messages for me in the monkey bowls rolling by on the dishwasher belt at the dining hall. Yes, my job was washing dishes, and, yes, he found the most ridiculous way to flirt.

Rick: My favorite memory was when our groups of friends all started hanging out together. We just clicked—it was so natural, fun and the start of something really special. 

Favorite UD spot:

Main Street has always been a favorite. Whether it was hanging out or meeting friends at the Stone Balloon Happy Hour after a tough week, it was the spot where we could relax, laugh and just enjoy life together. And for us, Main Street still holds up. 

How did UD bring you together?

Anne: UD gave us the perfect environment to meet and grow together. There were endless activities, sports games and campus events that kept us connected. Rick even helped me through a super challenging course, giving me the confidence I needed to get through it. He was my cheerleader before I even knew I needed one. 

Rick: UD just made it easy to connect. Between friends, classes, and nights out, it was impossible not to cross paths. Our mutual friends became lifelong comrades.

What makes your Blue Hen spouse a great partner? 

Anne: Rick has been an incredible provider, a constant source of encouragement and a true friend to everyone he meets. Plus, he can fix anything—seriously, it’s like being married to a walking YouTube tutorial.

Rick: Anne is the definition of selflessness. From her work as a nurse to her endless devotion to our kids and grandkids, she gives her all to others. Her hard work and drive are incredible, and I know UD played a huge part in shaping the amazing person she is today. 

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year? 

This year, we’ll be celebrating in Nettles Island, Florida, also known as “summer camp for old people.” It’s basically paradise, with plenty of laughter and fun activities that keep us feeling young (at heart, anyway). 

How do you keep UD a part of your life?

Anne: Over the years, I’ve stayed connected as a UD Alumni Association board member, a Lori’s Hands ambassador, a mentor for the mentoring program team, a Sim lab staffer and a preceptor to nursing students.  

Rick: At Rosewood Farms, our local wedding venue, we’ve even had the privilege of hiring UD interns and employees, hosting events and participating in an MBA competition where students evaluated our business. It’s been such a rewarding way to give back and stay involved.

Do you have advice for other UD couples?  

Stay in touch with your friends and cherish the connections you made at UD—they’ll last a lifetime. For current students, soak up every moment. And for alumni, find a way to give back, whether it’s through mentoring, volunteering or just sharing your love for UD. Trust us, it’s worth it!

Ian Dunst, AS98, and Liz Dunst, AS98, HS05M

Year married:

2001

First date:

Margherita's Pizzeria on Main Street 

Favorite UD memory:

On graduation day, we got the chance to walk down the aisle and sit together on the field at the football stadium. Somehow, we saw our parents in the crowd (there weren't really cell phones in '98 yet), and they were able to take a picture of us on the field. This moment captured so many emotions: Joy of our achievements, sadness that our time at UD was over and excitement and uncertainty for our future.

Meaningful UD spot:

The kissing arches. We paused there plenty of times as we walked around to our classes, The Mall (The Green), Grotto's or wherever around town.   

How did UD bring you together?

All freshman year, we shared smiles (which felt special) as we passed on the "the Dickinson path." We never knew each other's names until living near each other as sophomores. Like magnets, something continued bringing us together. Our friendship grew that year. By chance, we lived near each other as juniors again, when we began dating. The rest is history!     

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year?

Dinner at home with our kids on Valentine’s Day, and then having a date night for dinner, drinks and to see the show, "A Bronx Tale: The One Man Show Starring Chazz Palminteri" that weekend. 

How do you keep UD part of your life?

Our oldest son is a freshman at UD this year!  We love attending Alumni Weekends! We, and all our children, have A LOT of UD swag. 

 Do you have advice for other UD couples?

Appreciate all the little moments that you have together, while also planning ahead for bigger events. Always listen to, make time for and respect each other. Apologize. Share how you feel about things and be willing to discuss difficult topics.   

Urvashi Jain, BE23M, and Neetek Kumar, BE23M

Year married:

2022

First date:

It was in November 2008, in India. We had planned to meet in a busy marketplace, but on a whim, we decided to go to a restaurant instead. This was in a small town where having a boyfriend was still considered a bit of a taboo—maybe it still is! At the time, we weren’t even sure where our relationship was headed, but looking back, that spontaneous outing has become our first official date.

Favorite UD memory:

It’s hard to pick just one because our time at UD for our master’s degrees was filled with so many meaningful and beautiful memories—working side by side at Lerner Career Services, rebooting the MBA Student Organization (MBASA) after COVID-19, winning the Carol A. Ammon Case Competition together with two amazing teammates and eventually graduating together.

On top of that, we got married twice—once in India and then again in the U.S.—all while we were students at UD. But if I had to choose one memory that stands out above the rest, it would be the moment he went down on one knee to propose to me at the Newark Reservoir. In our culture, proposals like that aren’t common, especially since we were already set to marry in two weeks. But he did it anyway, just to give me the moment of my life—so unexpected, so thoughtful and absolutely cherished.

Favorite UD spot:  

Urvashi: Perkins. It holds a special place in our hearts because we spent most of our Friday nights at Perkins Live, our go-to spot for fun, relaxation and creating memories together.

Neetek: The Green is very special to us. We took our graduation photos there and it was also a big part of our 20-minute walks together from our rented studio apartment to our classes.  

How did UD bring you together?  

Urvashi: UD gave us the incredible opportunity to experience and live a college life together—something we had only dreamed of in India but couldn’t do before. During undergrad, our different majors and studying in separate cities meant we missed out on sharing that chapter of life. But UD changed that.  

Neetek: We collaborated on assignments, attended diversity lunches and helped form the MBA Students’ Association. Spending so much time working on things as a team naturally brought us closer as a couple. It was such a fun and rewarding experience.

What makes your Blue Hen spouse a good partner? 
Urvashi: It’s the perfect balance of my chaos meeting his calm. His calm demeanor grounds me when things get overwhelming, and he has a way of creating a sense of peace no matter how chaotic life gets. He truly brings out the best in me, and that’s what makes him such an incredible partner.

Neetek: She’s incredibly disciplined, while I’m more on the spontaneous side. She brought much-needed organization into my life, and because of her, I’m far more disciplined than I used to be.

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year?

We’ll probably keep it simple and cozy—making dinner together at home, opening a bottle of wine, and enjoying a quiet evening.

How do you keep UD part of your life?  

Urvashi: When we got married, we made sure to include UD in the celebration—everyone wore UD masks (a post-COVID protocol, of course). We still rock our UD T-shirts and branded sweatshirts in the winter, and our first coffee of the day always comes from a UD MBASA-gifted camper mug.  

Neetek: We always stay connected with the friends we made at UD. Reminiscing about the fun days we shared there keeps the Blue Hen spirit alive in our hearts.

Do you have advice for other UD couples?  

Stay close to your flock. Whether it's your UD friends, your shared experiences, or the traditions you’ve built together, nurture those connections—they’ll always be a part of your journey. And in some years from now, you'll cherish them even more than you do today.

Lawrence Jones, EOE81, and Linda Laskowski Jones, HS83

Year married:

We were married in 1988.

First date:

Larry invited me to go skiing on Valentine’s Day at Little Gap, a small ski area in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, where he was a volunteer member of the National Ski Patrol. I had learned to ski in high school and loved it, so I readily accepted his invitation. We had a snowstorm that day and the skiing could not have been more perfect—just like the company. We started dating after that.

Favorite UD memory:

We met in the back of an ambulance. He was a crew member on the University of Delaware Emergency Care Unit (UDECU) and was studying for an exam there because it was a quiet place. I had just joined UDECU and was being oriented to the supplies and equipment on the ambulance. I was introduced to Larry by the person responsible for educating new crew members.

Favorite UD spot:

Our University life was centered on our volunteer work with UDECU and the friendships we developed in that student organization. Larry and I were both passionate about emergency care. So, strangely enough, the most meaningful spot for us was the Public Safety Office where we pulled our duty shifts. The ambulance was parked next to that building. And then there was the Deer Park…

How did UD bring you together? 

Besides meeting Larry in the back of the ambulance, he volunteered to drive me to my off-campus EMT classes since the course held on campus conflicted with my freshman chemistry lab. As a freshman, I was not allowed to have a vehicle on campus. Larry, a junior at that point, borrowed his roommate’s car and drove me to the weekly courses as well as gave me opportunities to practice my new emergency care skills. We developed a friendship based on shared interests that has lasted to this day.

What makes your Blue Hen spouse a good partner? 

Larry is my best friend and life partner. We have continued to share our common interests through patrolling together on Blue Mountain Ski Patrol (formerly Little Gap) in Palmerton (he jokes that I joined as part of our wedding vows). We have maintained our EMT credentials and offer continuing education presentations in Pennsylvania and even with UDECU when invited. We both enjoy wilderness activities and teach wilderness medicine to healthcare professionals. These common interests keep us well-engaged with our friends and community and give us both fulfillment as a couple.

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year? 
As Valentine’s Day will be the anniversary of our first date, we will likely celebrate at a favorite restaurant or in the mountains where we feel most at home.

How do you keep UD part of your life? 

We established the Lawrence J. Jones and Linda Laskowski Jones Nursing Scholarship to give back to the University for my wonderful career in nursing. We also donate to support UDECU as it will always hold a special place in our hearts. We attend UD events whenever possible. Linda also serves as the chair of the UD College of Health Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council, presents guest lectures to the School of Nursing upon request, and mentors UD students in the School of Nursing.

Do you have advice for other UD couples? 
Make sure you have at least some common interests and develop a strong friendship as the foundation for a strong and long relationship or marriage. When we were married, the tradition was that the bride and groom were each to light their own candles and then light a single unity candle together. Next, they were to blow out their individual candles. We refused to blow out our individual candles after lighting the unity candle. We saw that as maintaining our individuality while still being unified in marriage. That’s been highly symbolic of our lives. Finally, don’t smash the wedding cake in each other’s faces. Always be kind and respectful.

Amanda Mouser, AS14, and Cullen Worsh, AS14

Year married:

2018

First date:

We are high school sweetheart Double Dels so our first date was at the Christiana Mall in Newark, DE (with other future Blue Hens)! When we were there, we spent the majority of our time taking pictures on the Apple Store Macbooks, a classic 2009 high school date in Newark!

Favorite UD memory:

We were both RAs (Cullen in Russell and Amanda in Rodney) and we had so much fun at RA Training Camp. Shout out to West Side, Best Side!

Favorite UD spot:

Our schedules were so busy during the day that we would meet early in the morning for our treasured chicken biscuit breakfast dates in Trabant. It was so hard to find seats that we spent many of those dates sitting on the floor. That hallway will always be special to us.

How did UD bring you together? 

We often credit our RA training for much of our ability to communicate and work together.

What makes your Blue Hen spouse a good partner? 

Cullen: Amanda is the most loving and compassionate person I know.  

Amanda: He never stops growing with me.  

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year? 

Every year we cook a new recipe at home. We started the tradition our first year as Blue Hens in the Rodney Hall Underground kitchen. That first year we made our fried rice so spicy we couldn't even eat it. Our cooking has come a long way!

How do you keep UD part of your life? 

We're so lucky to still have so many Blue Hen friends in our life! You'll find us at Alumni Weekend and Philly alumni events, especially the sports games.  

Do you have advice for other UD couples? 

Amanda: Meet each other's vulnerability with safety. 

Cullen: Keep your relationship at the center of your life. It is the strongest bond that will provide you with safety and warmth through the unpredictability of life.

Alyssa Mojica, AS22, and Trevor Simmons, AS23 

Year you started dating:

We started dating in 2022.

First date:

We went to Taco Grande in Wilmington and went for a walk on the Riverfront afterwards.

Favorite UD memory:

We would take midnight walks around campus together to enjoy the peace and quiet that is hard to get during the day and enjoy the beauty around campus. 

Favorite UD spot:

The Harrington Turf is where we first officially met, so that will always be special to us.

How did UD bring you together? 

We were Munson Fellows together in Redding our sophomore year. Trevor was floor 4B Munson and Alyssa was 3B Munson. Trevor and his roommate would often annoy Alyssa because they moved our furniture around every few months or so.

What makes your Blue Hen a good partner?

Alyssa: Trevor is thoughtful and kind. Knows how to pick me up when I am down and is always down to spend time with family and friends. 

Trevor: Lissie is the nicest person I have ever met. She always puts others first and only helps herself when everyone has been taken care of. She is always there to listen when I need it and gives the best advice. I tend to be hot-headed and she is there to keep me in check.

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year? 

We will try a new Mexican spot and then spend the rest of the time with our puppy. We will normally try to play a board game or two as well.

How do you keep UD part of your life?

We take walks around campus with our puppy often, when the weather permits. We frequent Main Street establishments that remind us of our time at UD. We also get UDairy every time they have new seasonal flavors. 

Do you have advice for other UD couples?

Make the little things fun and always put time aside to try new activities together.

Alison Rainis, BE16, and Joe Rainis, EG16

Year married:

2019

First date:

We went to the Starbucks on campus before a club meeting our sophomore year.

Favorite UD memory:

Alison: Graduation day is a favorite, not just because of the milestone, but because I got to share it with Joe. The ceremony felt surreal, but the best part was walking across the stage knowing we had made it together, ready to face the future side by side.

Joe: On our very first Valentine’s Day together, I nervously went to Christiana Towers to pick Alison up to go to Del Pez on Main St. And… I promptly slipped down the bridge from North Campus on our way. It was mortifying in the moment but makes for a good story now. 

Favorite UD spot:

Alison: We don’t make it over there very often, but we met at the auditorium of Pearson Hall. Whenever I go by, I can’t help but remember meeting Joe for the first time. 

Joe: I always liked Smith/Kirkbride since we could meet up between classes. Alison was usually on one side of campus, being in the business school and I was on the other in the engineering buildings. It was our middle ground. 

How did UD bring you together?

We met in 2013 during a Harrington Theatre Arts Company (HTAC) production of Into the Woods. If it weren’t for HTAC, there’s pretty much no chance our paths—as Alison was a hospitality major and Joe was a mechanical engineering major—would’ve ever crossed. 

What makes your Blue Hen spouse a good partner?

Alison: Joe is incredibly supportive, no matter what. Whether it's staying up late with me and our six-month-old or just being there when I need to vent, he’s got my back every step of the way.

Joe: I’ll simplify by saying everything.

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year?

 We welcomed our son in July of 2024. So, this Valentine’s Day will be something quiet, like take out and a movie after our little one goes to bed! 

How do you keep UD part of your life?

We are still very involved in the UD community. Alison is an Executive Chef Instructor at Vita Nova, UD’s student operated restaurant. So, we are always going to UD events, like Newark Live, Homecoming or Alumni Weekend. We are really looking forward to bringing the baby to Ag Day this year!

Do you have advice for other UD couples?

Say yes to any opportunities that come your way! UD is such a special place and a special time in your lives. And it makes it all the more wonderful when you can share it with your partner! 

Christopher Remley, BE20, and Jessica Gray, AS20

Year married:

We are getting married October 2025!

First date:

Study date at Morris Library 

Favorite UD memory:

Our favorite UD memory together is when we first started dating and we were able to introduce all of our friends to each other. All of the memories we made with our friends are still so special to us. 

Favorite UD spot:

Perkins Student Center—Chris visited Jessie when she was working at Perkins on Valentine’s Day. He brought her flowers and gummy bears. He has done the same on every anniversary and special occasion since then!

How did UD bring you together?

In fall of their senior year, Chris came to see a Harrington Theater Arts Company (HTAC) production, Mamma Mia, in which Jessie played the character Donna. After the show ended, Chris connected with Jessie expressing how much he loved the show. The rest is history!

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year?

This year for Valentine’s Day we will be going out to a restaurant and watching a good movie after. With gummy bears! 

How do you keep UD part of your life?

We have kept in touch with our college friends and attend Alumni Weekend. Additionally, there are so many proud Blue Hens where we live and we often get connected to strangers when out and about. If we are wearing a UD hat or shirt, we always get a shout-out from someone walking by saying “Go Blue Hens.” We love it! 

Do you have advice for other UD couples?

Enjoy your college years together. You are a part of a lucky group of people who connected and fell in love with their college sweetheart. Always remember what brought you together and cherish your early memories together at UD.

Chris Vuoso, AS15, and Maddie Lopez, AS15

Year married:

We were married on our 10-year dating anniversary: April 22, 2022

First date:

While neither of us recalls our exact first date, the date Chris asked Maddie to officially be his girlfriend was April 22, 2012 (our freshman year)

Favorite UD memory:

None jumps out to us because for us, all of them are special. From the late nights in Morris Library to the President’s Ball, the getting caught in the rain, the bike ticket one of us received on Main Street, the phone call to find out a family member is getting married or is expecting a new baby, the birthdays, celebrations and everything else along the way. Ten years out of college, while the memories have started to run together, the feelings have remained the same. 

Favorite UD spot:

Harrington C & Caffe Gelato

How did UD bring you together?

By luck and by chance, we both ended up living on the 2nd floor of Harrington C, which we lovingly all called “Harry C2” and later on, “Dirty Harry’s.” Little did we know on our first day of college that the Harry C2 floor would introduce not only us to one another, but also to some of our lifelong pals. Two members of that floor, one of whom was Chris’s roommate and the other who lived next door (Brian Garie and Tim Longacre) co-officiated our wedding. It felt only fitting, since they were a part of our story from the very beginning. Two others were in our wedding party (Matt Montaño and Sam Donovan), and three others still remain wonderful friends to this day (Jessica Colton, Dylan Galimore and Lindsay Arndt). We have nothing but gratitude to the “UD Housing Gods” who not only introduced us to one another, but to some of the most important friends in our lives. We feel so lucky that we get to stay in touch with our OG Dirty Harry’s crew to this day and feel very grateful to have met them. 

What makes your Blue Hen spouse a good partner?

Chris: Maddie is thoughtful, kind, caring, fun-loving, intelligent, driven – anything and everything you’d look for in a better half. Her passion for her work is contagious and inspires me to be better every day. We support each other in following our dreams and adore spending time together. We have UD to thank for bringing us together and for being such a nurturing environment that led to such a strong life-long bond.

Maddie: Chris embodies everything that one could want in a perfect partner: a best friend, a person to laugh with, a person to cry with, a loving soulmate and everything in between. We (along with several members of our floor) decided to take an HDFS class together during the second semester of our freshman year (shout out to Dr. Bahira Sherif-Trask). The class was on marriage and family systems, coming highly recommended by classmates due to the engagement and passion of the aforementioned professor. One day, Dr. Sherif-Trask asked us to write down what we thought our top three qualities would be in a life partner. Neither of us can remember why or what the point was, but shortly after the in-class assignment, as we all revealed to one another what we’d written, Chris and I were stunned to learn we’d written down identical responses. At this point, we weren’t even dating, but as our friendship grew stronger and stronger and we were quickly falling for one another, the chemistry was undeniable. We wrote to Dr. Sherif-Trask some years ago to thank her for this moment. While neither of us were HDFS majors and, sadly, never got to take a class with her again, we’ll always think fondly of this creative and passionate faculty member and the unexpected impact she had. 

How are you celebrating Valentine’s Day this year?

We are both in our 30s, and in April will be celebrating 13 years together (if our math is correct, this is our 12th Valentine’s Day together!). We’ve been through many phases of this holiday - from Valentine’s Day study sessions because of whatever big exam was on February 15th, Chris surprising Maddie at her apartment after sorority recruitment with late-night chocolates and flowers, romantic Valentine’s Day dates at our favorite Main Street spot (Caffe Gelato - we love you guys!), and never-ending attempts to get more and more creative with gifts, long love letters and the like. This continued while Maddie completed graduate school in NYC (along with beautiful date nights in the lower Hudson Valley), and even saw us through some flu-ish Valentine’s Days once we moved into our NYC apartment eight years ago. Because we’ve had so many, we see it as a low-stakes excuse to follow whatever we’re feeling in the moment. If we’re both exhausted from a long work week, we’ll stay in, order food and watch an episode of a favorite TV show. If we’re feeling energetic, we’ll make a big night out of it, complete with dinner and a concert, Broadway or comedy show.  As disgustingly cheesy as this sounds, every day honestly feels like Valentine’s Day for us, with every date night feeling like that magically special first date, as long as we’re together.  

How do you keep UD part of your life?

We’re self-described “big Alumni Weekend people” - Chris even organized our surprise engagement (well, surprise to Maddie) at UDAW in 2019! We’re lucky to have many friends who settled in or near the state of Delaware, and we make a point to go back to campus at least once a year. Like many of our friends, we’ve got UD magnets on the fridge, sweatshirts in rotation, a bumper sticker on the car and even a set of Double Del mugs from UDAW 2024. Weirdly enough, we meet a fair amount of people in NYC who have either attended UD or have a family member who has, so it comes up more than one would think. UD is one of our favorite places, so while we may be physically far, it will always have a special place in our heart.

Do you have advice for other UD couples?

That one’s easy: Marry your best friend.