The love story of Marissa and Daniel began in fall 2013 when Daniel, an international student from Brazil, came for a campus tour to the Study Abroad office and met student worker Marissa. Marissa showed Daniel around Milwaukee and introduced him to American culture – tailgating before his first baseball game and converting him into a Green Bay Packers fan. The next year, Marissa visited him in Brazil. Together they have explored 24 countries across five continents, and Daniel proposed at Victoria Falls in 2019. They married amid the pandemic in 2020, and had a proper celebration in 2022. They reside in Rio de Janeiro their two daughters, Victoria and Emilia.
Bryan and Jennifer met in fall 1997 in the hallway of the Music Building, where Jennifer was waiting for University Band practice to begin. Bryan, a music education major, and Jennifer, a political science major, struck up a friendship while playing in the UWM pep band for basketball games. They began dating in January 1998 and married in September 2002. They now have two daughters, Victoria and Madeline.
Tim and Ali Wiencek met at UW-Milwaukee in a Business Living Learning Community class during their first semester. Ali had noticed Tim from afar, and through a mutual friend learned he was a big Wisconsin sports fan. A fan herself, she purposefully wore a Milwaukee Brewers shirt when she knew they were going to be paired for a class project. They hit it off and started dating shortly thereafter. The couple got engaged in 2018, married in 2020 and recently moved into their first house in Grafton. Tim has worked in finance at Baird since starting as an intern during his sophomore year, and Ali is the executive assistant to UWM Chancellor Mark Mone after starting her career on campus in the Human Resources department.
Alana and Aden met through a mutual friend in the Black Student Cultural Center. Because of proximity to each other, they commuted to school together almost every day. It wasn't until they saw the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” at a student org meeting that their feelings for each other were confirmed. Since then, they have been joined at the hip, enjoying meals and attending various events. Aden is a graduate student at UWM studying health psychology, while Alana is close to completing her undergraduate degree in public health.
In 2011, freshmen Sean and Katie joined an intramural dodgeball team. At the final game of the year, Katie noticed a set of keys with an ice cream gift card attached. When Sean claimed them as his, Katie seized the moment and told him to pick her up for a date. With only two weeks left before summer break, they went on dates to the Milwaukee Art Museum, a friend’s choir concert and a Brewers game. It was time to leave Milwaukee for the summer, but Sean knew three dates weren’t enough with this girl. Seven years later, they tied the knot in Lake Geneva. Today, Katie is an academic advisor in UWM’s School of Nursing, and Sean works as an international finance manager for SC Johnson. Outside of work, they spend their time playing and exploring with their two sons.
Angga and Ajeng met as graduate students at UWM in 2007. Both were born in Jakarta, Indonesia, and their paths crossed in Milwaukee. They spent countless hours playing badminton, camping, cooking Indonesian food and playing board games with other Indonesian students throughout graduate school. They got married in 2013 and now are raising two children together in Milwaukee.
Drew and Becca met the first week of freshman year in 2011 during an “aggressively friendly” elevator ride. “Hey! That’s my floor, too!” Drew exclaimed, and then, as they walked to their rooms, “Is that where you live?! We’re neighbors!” Becca wondered if she had just gained an overly enthusiastic new best friend. Turns out, she had — they’ve been inseparable ever since, and married in 2019. They’re now live with two enormous Great Danes in Virginia, where Drew is doing an emergency medicine residency through the Navy while Becca serves as executive director of the Newport News Public Art Foundation. Looking back, that first elevator ride set the tone for their entire relationship — Drew’s boundless excitement, Becca’s mild skepticism and the undeniable fact that they just fit.
Steve and Alyssa met sophomore year in 2009 at Sandburg Hall when Alyssa borrowed eggs from Steve’s suitemate for a cake. A few days later, Steve added Alyssa on Facebook, and they became instant friends. Both originally from Waukesha, hung out at many of the same places growing up, but never crossed paths until college. Steve asked Alyssa out on a Valentine’s Day date, where they went to Noodles on Oakland and rode the bus to a movie at Bayshore. They have been together ever since, graduating in 2012 and marrying in 2014. They have two sons, 7 and 3, and live in Wauwatosa. Steve is a police officer, and Alyssa is a photographer, and they run a small backyard greenhouse.
Sally and Josh met through Sally’s roommate, and quickly discovered that they both worked in the Student Union restaurant operations. Sally had just changed her major to fine arts, and Josh was an English major at the time. Josh offered to give Sally guitar lessons, and eventually they went on their first date to throw clay at the Studio Arts & Crafts Center. Fast forward 17 years, and they are living on the east side of Milwaukee with their two small rescue pups. Sally works as a hairdresser and trainer for Neroli Salon & Spa, and Josh is a sous chef at the downtown Uncle Wolfie’s.
Meet nine couples whose love stories all share a common thread – their time at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we asked couples to share their stories with us — how they met, what made them for fall each other, how the magic struck. Their stories will fill your heart with warmth and love.
