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TRUE LOVE AT TULANE 2022

by Theo Mitchell

Dr. John once sung that dreams do come true in New Orleans. And we couldn’t agree more with the beloved legend! Dreams are achieved daily in the Crescent City, and so is the emotion that we all aspire to give and have: love.

Tulane is not only the grounds to watch future leaders rise but also the setting to see romances bloom and flourish. From under the oak trees in Audubon Park to the stands in Yulman Stadium, it delights us to share the stories of our Greenies finding their match at Tulane and the Big Easy, So, without further ado, we are proud to present to you our 2022 edition of True Love at Tulane.

Richard Fontaine (TC ’97) & Karen Fontaine (NC ’97)

Karen Tipton and I met during our junior year abroad in England – she was at LSE and I was at Oxford. Started dating once we were back at Tulane and here we are: married 21 years, four kids, and together through it all.

Christopher M. Gismondi (TC ’06) & Haley Dupree Gismondi (B ’08, B *08)

If not for Hurricane Katrina, we never would have met! Haley was in Kappa and Chris in SAE, and although we had friends in common, we didn’t meet until the Lagniappe Semester after Chris graduated. We met at Pat O’s in May then in June again at Grits, and the rest is history! 15 years together, 2 kids and lots of adventures later, and it’s been a beautiful ride. We owe it all to Tulane!

Noah B. Slade (SLA ’18) & Daniel P. Horowitz (SLA ’18)

We met in Cristina Kiel’s Peace Studies and Conflict Management course during our junior year at Tulane. After our final, the two of us went for a drink at The Boot to celebrate. Five years later, we’re living together in Washington, D.C., with one of us finishing law school and the other about to start business school. Tulane will forever be the place we got our education, earned our degrees, and fell in love.

Matt Feigenbaum (B ’09) & Annick Brand Feigenbaum (B ’12)

Annick Brand and Matt Feigenbaum met at a Mardi Gras parade during her freshman, and his senior year! After graduation, they bought their first home in Uptown New Orleans. They brought all of their friends back down to NOLA and got married at the Hotel Monteleone on 10.10.15. After 12 perfect years, they have moved back to the Northeast where they both grew up. Annick and Matt welcomed their first son in November, little Cooper Jazz!

John Payne (A ’77) and Gale Ciceric Payne (N ’77)

We met at a party in Monroe in the fall of ‘74, and started dating in ‘75. We got married on 2/14/81. Our passion for Tulane and New Orleans was rekindled when our daughter Alexandra (BS ’15, MS ’16) attended Tulane. For our 40th anniversary, we bought a Pied-a-Terre in the Arts District, and spend as much time as possible in the city we love.

Jeremy Goh (B ’16) & Amy Zhou (PHTM ’16, PHTM *17)

We were fortunate enough to meet in our freshman year at the first Chinese students association meeting. I was there with some friends that knew Jeremy was from Singapore and asked him to help us translate but he said no. Despite leaving me to struggle with my toddler level of Chinese, I agreed to a Bruff date. We’ve now been together for 9 years, got a pandemic pup and just got engaged.

Carter Santos (A&S ’92) & Joni Santos (NC ’92)

My husband, Carter, and I met on my very first day at Tulane in 1989! I always say he was the first guy to speak to me on campus! We started dating that Fall and got married 6 years later… 26 years and 2 amazing children later, we still think of NOLA as our home-away-from-home and visit as often as we can! Roll Wave!

Danny Beckerman (B ’19, SLA ’19) & Elli Goldberg (SLA ’19)

Our love story began sorting through trash. We met in 2015 through Tulane Trash to Treasure, a student organization that recycles dorm goods to improve sustainability on campus. From friends to more than friends to now fiancées over the last five years, Tulane continues to hold a special place in our hearts.

Sam Ramirez (PHTM *99, PA ’22) & Shokufeh Mojgani Ramirez (PHTM *99, PHTM *21)

We met in the elevator in Tidewater (SPHTM) the first week of the semester in January 1998. This summer, we’ll celebrate 20 years of marriage.

Chris Esemplare (B ’15) & Molly Cheslin (B ’15)

We met on our semester abroad in Madrid despite living on the same floor in Sharp and Mayer. After eight years together, we got married — all thanks to Tulane!

Colin Gant (B ’03) & Katie Gant (E ’05, SSE *07)

The Tulane love story of Colin and Katie Gant BSE begins at “The Boot.” Colin and Katie were out far too late on a Thursday evening/Friday morning dancing to “We’re halfway there” or some other typical late night “Boot Song” when they first met. Now over twenty years later they reside in Miami, FL and have two future Tulanians, Henley and Arleigh Gant.

Cliff Merrell (TC ’97) & Rachel Reed Merrell (NC ’97)

Rachel and I met while we were vice presidents of ASB Fall of Junior year. Our first date was to see a Tulane produced play, Peer Gynt, dinner at Maple Gardens, and a movie at McAlister Auditorium. I was President of Tulane College and she was homecoming queen our senior year. We were married a year after graduation at the chapel on campus and returned in 2017 to take a picture in the chapel.

Shawn McCorry (CS ’12) & Jennifer McCorry (CS ’13)

Shawn came to class on crutches. He had completely obliterated his ankle playing rugby. Being my awkward self, the only thing I knew to do was make a crack about him being on crutches. We made plans to get a drink after class and he stood me up. 10 years and 2 kids later….

Jon Vickner (SLA ’16) & Madison Vickner (SSE ’17)

We met in a Willow Study Room in 2014. I was studying for a chem test. He was determined to distract me. We talked and laughed together until 3 am. The next day, I made an apple pie and brought him a piece. We dated at Tulane until my final semester, when we got engaged. We were married in 2017, and now we have a baby girl. I did fail that chemistry test though.

Frankie Gaudio (SSE ’17) & Mackenzie B. Gelernter (SSE ’17)

Frankie and I met our second semester of senior year in Dr Jordan Karubian’s zoo class. We were both biology majors but had never crossed paths before. We had one convo at the zoo (where Frankie was holding the map upside down, lol) and the rest is history! We got engaged in December 2021 and can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together ❤️ #zoolove

Jason Polsky (SSE ’16) and Sara Fass (SLA ’17)

We met during Mardi Gras 2016 during the Endymion parade. Jason struck up a conversation with Sara because she was carrying around a blow up doll she caught from one of the floats. Six years later and here we are!

Lieutenant Daniel (Dan) M. Wiltshire, USCG (TC ’06) and Christina Houser Wiltshire, MD (SLA ’12)

We met on Valentines Day at the Bacchus parade. Seven years later, after Christina finished medical school and Dan returned from commanding a ship in the Middle East, we tied the knot under the oak trees in Audubon Park. Since then we’ve adopted two dogs, Gibson and Monroe, and welcomed a son to our Tulane loving family.

Brett Allen (B ’06) and Meg Lacey Allen (B ’06)

He walked in comically late to my first microeconomics class Freshman year and my heart skipped a beat. A week later he asked me over for a study date in his dorm room in Monroe. We fell madly in love during our hurricane Katrina evacuation semester. He proposed at Mardi Gras and we celebrated our engagement at Bacchus ball. It’s been almost 20 years from our first meeting and I still get butterflies around him.

Steve Gerken (B ‘18) and Elizabeth Jacobs (SSE ‘18)

Our story began on Monroe 11, specifically with a floor-wide game of Cards against Humanity. After 4 years of exploring New Orleans, and a few more away, we can’t wait to tie the knot in our favorite city!

Geoffrey Hogan (SLA ’11) and Jena Bourgeois Hogan (SLA ’09, L *12)

We met during Geoffrey’s freshman orientation at the Wesley Foundation when Jena (a junior) was welcoming new students. A year later, we realized we could talk and laugh for hours, closing down every place we went on a date. Through four years of dating, we juggled Geoffrey’s basketball schedule and premed requirements and Jena’s studies at Tulane Law. After almost 10 years married, we’ve had two kids, two basset hounds, and four moves!

Benjamin Matzen (TC ’00) and Karina Rodriguez-Matzen (NC ’00)

We met as Resident Advisors our senior year. This Oregonian boy and Miami girl found true love in New Orleans. 20 years of marriage and two wonderful daughters later, the love we discovered at Tulane is still going strong!

David B. Dubin (A&S ’89) and Robin Wasser Dubin (NC ’89)

Graduates in 1989, Robin (Wasser) and I met as freshmen and we’ve been together since, including running our foundation for Lynch Syndrome, AliveAndKickn. Our oldest son not only inherited my cancer predisposition mutation, but also my love for genetics, as he received his Masters in Medical Genetics from Tulane in 2020. Roll wave. #IamAliveAndKickn

Alex Katz (B ’05) and Erin Katz (NC ’05)

We met the first day of Freshman year. We lived on the only co-ed floor and Erin needed help with her wi-fi which was a novelty back in 2001. We were friends for years before we started dating. Now we’ve made New Orleans our home, started businesses and a family here.

Conrad Flynn (NT ’11) and Lindsay Flynn (CS ’08)

I was working as a tutor for the athletic department in 2008 when I was assigned to a baseball player that transferred to Tulane… married in New Orleans in 2013 and now raising 2 future greenies!

Michael Weinstein (B ’13) and Alyssa Weinstein (PHTM ’13, PHTM *15)

Michael Weinstein and Alyssa Weinstein met each other in 2012 during their junior year at Tulane. Via mutual friends, the two realized that they enjoyed cooking together, watching TV, seeing stand up comedy, and spending time in nature. Alyssa and Michael got married in City Park in 2017, and have been loving married life since. They moved to Colorado in August 2021 and spend a lot of time skiing and hiking.

Sam Stephens (SLA ’11, SW *14) and Tina Hua (B ’10)

We met at Tulane in 2008 while living in Wall Residential College. Our love for New Orleans, food, music, and adventure has taken us around the world. Now, we are happily married and living right up the Mississippi River in St. Louis with our two dogs, Harry and Irma.

John Robertson (SSE *19) and Elsie M. Rodebeck, MD (SSE ’13, M *17)

We met at a mutual friends wedding, and we went on a date to The Milk Bar and I got her yellow roses.

Jay Mattappally (SSE ’08) and Natasha Mattappally (SLA ’09)

We met in 2007 at a party at Jay’s fraternity, Zeta Psi. We got married in August 2012. Now, we have three kids, Mila, Kian, and Luka, and enjoy life in New Orleans!

Alan Feigenbaum (TC ’00) & Talia Nochumson (NC ’00)

Class of 2000…we met freshman year…Mo’12 (Monroe)…we danced at a frat party and then he told me he wanted to kiss me…I replied, “It’s good to want things!” We were inseparable for 4 years…Fast forward to almost 18 years of marriage, two kids, Jack & Nola (yes, she’s named for the city)…he’s a divorce attorney and I’m a teacher…we feel like we’re in our 20s again, but a little wiser…there’s no one else I’d rather be with on this crazy adventure called life!

Jake Cross (SLA ’16, M *20) and Zoe Cross (LA ’16)

We met freshman year right after hurricane Isaac, and had our first date shortly after that. We shared many fabulous memories together during our time at Tulane and were long distance for four years during grad school. To this day, we still love saying ‘Roll Wave’ to each other. Since graduation we got married, both found jobs in Chicago, and adopted a beautiful dog named Matilda!

Stephen Tsang, MD (E ’88, M *92, R *96) and Thuxoan Tsang (NC ’88)

1984. Green Wave Orientation. Basement Bookstore.

Thuxoan, “Excuse me, Is this our Biology book?” (Holding THE Biology Book)
Stephen, “Yes. By the way, are you going on the Riverboat Party?”
Thuxoan, “Yes.”
Stephen, “Great! See you there!”

Frosh – Dated then broke up
Soph – Friend Zone
Junior – The fire re-ignites and together ever since…

16 years in N’awlins
23 years in Tracy, California
4 children

1 true love

“A great book + great biology = an amazing journey”

Ethan Krell (SSE ’16, M *17) and Amelia Krell (SLA ’16)

We met on Sharp 3 during the 2013 Spring semester. A mutual friend convinced me to ask Ethan on a date. I popped my head into his dorm room, asked him to go out, and he said “Sure!” The rest is history. We started dating as sophomores and got married seven years later, on October 16, 2021 surrounded by all of our closest Tulane friends.

Andrew Dowley (SSE ’15) and Patricia Dowley (PHTM ’15)

We met as orientation coordinators for The NOLA Experience our sophomore year. I had a crush on Andrew and did nothing about it, until we reconnected and started dating senior year. One of our first dates ended with a walk in Crescent Park at sunset. We returned to the same spot a few years later, when Andrew proposed, and again on the day of our wedding.

Landon Wade (TC’ 95) and Shelly Wade (NC ’95)

Landon and I met in the basement of Newcomb Hall during Dr. Joel Devine’s Social Theory Class. I thought the after-class conversation that led to Landon and I’s first date was spontaneous, but a few years after we started dating Landon confessed he had planned for over a week to ask me out on a date. 29 years later we still thank Dr. Devine and Social Theory for bringing us together.

Zack Hartfield and Charlotte Rosenberg (PHTM ’20)

Zack and I (class of 2020) met at Bruff our freshman year of Tulane! He made fun of me for eating Captain Crunch for dinner and the rest was history. We just got engaged!

Sean Kemp (L *20) and Caroline Kemp (L *21)

We met in the beginning of our first semester of 1L year of law school at a Sports Law meeting. We discovered Sean grew up thirty minutes from where Caroline went to college in small-town Pennsylvania. By our second semester of 1L year, we were dating. And he proposed our first semester of 3L year! Thanks, Tulane Law, for being the reason we found our people!

David Greenlee (A&S ’91) and Dawn Hutcherson (NC ’91)

We met at Tulane the Summer of ‘88 while taking an Intimate Relationships class one summer. We both graduated in ‘91 and went on a trip touring our national parks. We married in ‘92 and divorced in ‘95. We found our way back to each other in 2011 after our son graduated high school and plan on spending the rest of our lives together.

Michael Triessl (A&S ’92) and Alison Bloom Triessl (NC ’93)

My husband and I will forever be grateful to Tulane. Tulane provided us with amazing education, four fantastic years, lifelong friends, and a beautiful marriage.

My name is Alison Bloom Triessl and I graduated from Tulane in 1993. My husband Michael Triessl graduated from Tulane in 1992. We met when I was a Junior at Sophie Newcomb majoring in political science and he was a Senior on the Tulane baseball team. We have been together for the last 30 years. We are both attorneys living in Los Angeles. We are raising 3 wonderful boys. The one pictured here in the Tulane onesie is Jacob Triessl and in fact, tomorrow he is supposed to learn whether or not he has been accepted into Tulane. He would be a third generation Tulanian as my father Dr. Lee Bloom also attended Tulane. As far as we are concerned, Tulane is the greatest place on Earth and central to our love story!

Benjamin Griswold (SSE ’18) and Briana Young (SSE ’19, M *22, PHTM *22)

Ben and Bri met as undergraduates through Tulane Emergency Medical Services, a student-run volunteer EMS program. Although they began as friends, their shared passion for medicine, adventure, and New Orleans cuisine eventually led to an engagement 5 years later. Their love for the city remains as Ben works for New Orleans EMS and Bri is pursuing an MD/MPH at Tulane. They will be getting married in New Orleans in May 2022. Roll Wave!

Michael Epstein (A&S ’89) and Rachel Epstein (NC ’93)

Met at PJS on Maple. Tunes at Tipitina’s and runs through Audubon Park. Still dancing 30 years later….

Gerardo R. Galdamez (E ’06) and Amy Butenschoen Galdamez, MD (NC ’05)

My husband, Gerardo Galdamez, and I met as juniors the night before Homecoming in 2003. MTV featured Tulane, and Outkast was our halftime show. The hullabaloo brought in a lot of out-of-towners who wanted to see The Quarter. While walking in a big group of mutual friends, we met and sparks flew. He proposed Mardi Gras of 2007, and we were married in October 2008. We live in Little Rock with our three *incredible* rascals.

Brett Salomon (SSE ‘16) and Melissa Dominach (SSE ‘17)

Although Brett and I never met while at Tulane, we happened to sit next to each other at Tchoup Yard while he was in medical school and I was in NOLA for the Tulane 2018 graduation after my first year of veterinary school. We bonded about Tulane, and the rest is history! Brett proposed this past May, and we are excited for our wedding in 2023! (and for our Tulane Alumni filled wedding party!)

Aaron Rose (A&S ’88) & Sarah Rose (NC ’87)

We met during Mardi Gras 1986. Aaron came to visit friends at Tulane. He had so much fun he transferred to Tulane! Married October 1989 in Boston. Several Tulane classmates were part of the wedding party – Todd Olson, Cecilia Gutierrez Kernodle, Omar del Rio, Pargen Robertson, Ann Levin Lane, Julie Strong Stermer, and Sarah Wells Kocsis.

Eric Arbor (B ’07, B *08) and Sara Arbor (SSE ’11)

A Boston Tulane Alumni reception brought us together a few years after graduation. Our mutual love for New Orleans even inspired our first daughter’s name, Addison Nola!

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