Trinity Love Stories: Relationships that Bloomed ’Neath the Elms

For many Trinity alumni, their most meaningful campus memories aren’t just academic; they’re about the people who became lifelong friends, mentors, and, for some, life partners.  

This Valentine’s Day, Trinity celebrates couples whose love stories bloomed ’neath the elms. These are just some of the relationships that began or deepened in classrooms, residence halls, and chance encounters around campus, and have lasted long after graduation.

Louise Black ’14 and Robert Black ’14

“We met our senior year in 2014 through mutual friends. Rob was a history major on the men’s crew team and in Kappa Sig. Louise was a psychology and educational studies double major and president of The Mill. We had both been cheated on in previous relationships and instantly knew we could trust each other deeply. Both our romantic relationship and foundational friendship have given us the best 12 years since! We’ve been together since 2014 when we met, moved in together and adopted a dog named Kala in 2019, married in August 2020 (mid-pandemic, so our original 200-person wedding became a beautiful backyard wedding with 15 people), had our amazing son Stellan Black in 2022, bought our first home in 2024 in Westchester, New York, and we’re now expecting our second child, a baby girl, in May.”

 

Nick Clifford ’88 and Maria Clifford ’88

“We met on the first day of the program at Trinity’s Rome campus during the spring semester of our junior year in 1987. One month later, we went on our first date in Florence, Italy. We got married at the Trinity Chapel in 1993, moved to St. Louis, have two grown kids, and will celebrate our 33rd anniversary in May.” 

 

 

 

 

Rick Ewing ’89 and Sandy Burke Ewing ’89 

“Rick was a transfer student and sat behind Sandy on the first day of Prof. Gerry Moshell’s ‘Concert Choir’ class. We became fast best friends singing, performing in musical theater shows, and working at The Trinity Tripod. But dating came years later, with marriage in October 2000. We reside in Rick’s hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, where Sandy is an elected city council member and Rick is currently running for a seat in the Tennessee state legislature. Rick is a member of the Trinity College Alumni Association Executive Committee. Sandy and Rick have two children, Richard (22) and Maddie (19). Sandy and Rick are active in many non-profit organizations, but give much of their time for families of the intellectually disabled, as their son Richard was born with tuberous sclerosis.”  

Lisa Nebbia Lindquist ’83 and William Lindquist ’82 

“Carl Rapp was Bill’s roommate and was bringing Bill up to meet Linda Johnson Means ’83, who he was dating at the time. I lived on Linda’s hall and happened to be in her suite when they came up. Bill met me then. He was a bit shy so didn’t say much. Luckily I thought he was kind of cute so the four of us started hanging out and 40 years, two kids, and two grandchildren later we are still hanging out together.”   

 

 

Isabel Monteleone ’16 and Nicolas Robert Nagle ’15 

“We both studied public policy and law with a minor in urban studies. Nico sat behind me in an ‘Intro to Urban Studies’ class when I was a sophomore. We became friends early on but didn’t start dating until after I graduated and he was a senior.” They are now married and living in Oakland, California. 

 

 

 

 

 

Joyce Popovich Petrella ’79 and Mario Petrella ’77 

“We met in math, religion, and philosophy classes that were held on opposite ends of the campus. We got to know each other chatting about the topics as we traveled to the classrooms. It’s a unique combination of shared interests and the rest is history! After decades of corporate careers, we decided to open a small boutique consulting firm. This fun little experiment grew into a business we have run now for over 10 years! We named it Calculus of Talent, as a nod to our shared interest in math and the people side of business.” 

 

Molly Goggins Talbot ’97 P’28 and Jamie Talbot ’94 P’28

“Though Jamie and I coincidentally met a few weeks before I started at Trinity, we got to know each other by singing with The Pipes. Jamie graduated in my freshman year but came back my sophomore year to sing with The Pipes during Freshman Show Weekend. During that weekend, it became clear that we wanted to spend more time together. This was tricky with Jamie in law school in Boston and me going abroad to Russia the following year. But letters, email, and Peter Pan bus lines kept us connected. Soon after I graduated from Trinity, and Jamie from law school, we moved to Brooklyn, New York, where we have lived for the last nearly 29 years. We have two children, 22 and 20, one of whom is a sophomore at Trinity. It’s been a lot of fun to have a great excuse to come back to campus often.” 

 

Michelle Treglia ’18 and Nick Ward ’18 

“We were in the same Spanish class first semester freshman year, but didn’t start becoming friends until senior year. Our Crescent houses were right next door to each other, so all of our friends started hanging out. We became friends first and then at the end of senior year started dating. We weren’t sure if we should continue the relationship after college, since it was so new, but decided to give it a shot since we were both moving home. Michelle back to Fairfield, Connecticut, and Nick to Westport, Connecticut, so we were only 20 minutes away. We dated for about six years before getting married September 14, 2024! We had about 25 Trinity grads at our wedding! We currently live in Stamford, Connecticut. Nick works in NYC for Optimum Media and Michelle works in Westport, Connecticut, at Bridgewater Associates.” 

 

Mary Jo Puglisi Vasquez ’92 and Tito Vasquez ’92 

“We met as freshmen during jazz band rehearsals with Bob Carabillo, the jazz instructor. We actually went out on a date our freshman year after one of our performances, but it never went anywhere. Fast forward to a year later, we bumped into each other and Tito asked me to another concert–and we hit it off! We dated all through college and then Tito started med school. We were engaged shortly after that and married at the Chapel in 1995. We’ve lived up and down the east coast over the past 30 years: we lived in Connecticut for a year after we married, then moved to Washington D.C., Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania, NYC, Long Island, and then finally, back to Connecticut, where we’ve lived with our family (two kids) for the past 18 years.” 

 

Jenn Wrobel ’07 and Dave Mason ’07 

“Dave and I first met as next-door neighbors our freshman year, living in Jarvis. That year, we shared a lighthearted fling, which naturally grew into a deep friendship that lasted through all of college. After graduation, our lives took different paths, though we kept in touch with the occasional message over the years. Then, in 2018, Dave returned to Connecticut and invited me to dinner in Hartford, just down the street from Trinity, where I was working at the time. What was meant to be a simple meal turned into six and a half hours of laughter, conversation, and total honesty. That night, we realized something undeniable: we were meant to be together. A year later, Dave proposed on Trinity’s campus under the Fuller Arch—at the very spot where we shared our first kiss at 18 years old. Dave and I now live in Fairfield County with our son, Nate, who is in ninth grade, and our two cats, Pickles and Waffles.”