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Happy Valentine's Day to you and your Valentine! And, special cheers to our over 2,000 BW couples. Below are a few of their stories. Enjoy!
Randy
Bierman
'16
and
Natalie
(Castrigano)
Bierman
'17
were
education
majors
at
BW.
Randy
was
a
special
education
major,
and
Natalie
was
a
middle
childhood
education
major.
They met at a "Teaching Together" club meeting and kept returning in hopes of seeing each other. On November 20, 2015, they started their dating journey, and on that day, four years later, Randy took Natalie back to the spot where they met behind Wheeler Hall and proposed. They married on June 26, 2021.
They say their passion and love for teaching, instilled by BW, played a big role in their relationship. Natalie says, "BW holds a special place in our hearts. We both chose to attend BW because of its amazing education program. Because of BW, we earned our degrees and got our dream teaching jobs and fell in love!"
Cliff
Powell
'04
was
in
his
last
semester
at
BW
when
Angela
Golden
'06
arrived
on
campus
and
started
hanging
out
in
the
same
group
of
friends.
Cliff
claims
he
could
tell
Angie
was
interested
in
him
because
she
broke
out
in
a
sweat
around
him.
Eventually,
friendship
led
to
dating.
The
photo
here
was
taken
at
a
Black
Student
Association
(BSA)
Ball.
"BW means everything to us," Powell says. "We got to see a lot of each other after I graduated because I soon started working at BW in the BW Scholars Program, Office of Community Outreach."
They both added graduate degrees from BW as well. Angie earned an MAEd in 2011, and Cliff earned an MBA in 2008. "We actually got married at the chapel on campus on my last official day as a graduate assistant," he added.
"We often dream of moving back to Berea," Powell says. "Our time at BW was some of the greatest of our lives."
Doug
MacGilpin
'69
and
Sally
(Hart)
MacGilpin
'69
met
the
first
week
of
May
in
their
freshman
year
in
Ritter
Library.
Although
they
met
fresh
into
college,
they
didn't
begin
dating
until
senior
year.
They
married
in
the
summer
of
'71
after
Doug's
first
year
at
Meharry
Medical
College
in
Nashville,
Tennessee.
Sally
taught
second
grade
in
Nashville
for
three
years
while
Doug
completed
medical
school.
In 1974, they moved to Hartford, Connecticut, for Doug's internship and residency program at the University of Connecticut. In 1977, Doug opened a pediatric practice in Newington, Connecticut. They bought a house in West Hartford and then had their first son. Two more sons and a daughter would follow. This past August, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their family.
The couple says, "We would never have met if it wasn't for BW. Doug came from Worcester, Massachusetts, and Sally grew up in Elyria, Ohio. The education we received at BW helped us reach our goals in life! We were thankful to be able to attend our 50th reunion and reunite with friends and classmates. We feel by supporting BW, we are helping other students reach their goals!"
It
was
a
Sunday
in
September
1969
when
junior
Tom
Maher
'71
met
Gail
(Stephens)
Maher
'73
on
her
first
day
on
campus
as
a
freshman.
Tom
saw
Gail
in
the
Union
and
knew
he
had
to
meet
her.
When
Gail
sat
down
in
the
Hive,
Tom
walked
over
and
introduced
himself.
Their
first
date,
a
week
later,
was
a
Blood
Sweat
and
Tears
concert
followed
by
a
fraternity
party,
and
they
have
been
together
ever
since.
They both majored in health and physical education and enjoyed success at BW academically and athletically. Tom was a captain of the football team and a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. Gail was a captain of the volleyball team and an Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority sister.
Following graduation, they entered the field of education. Together, they have served children for a total of 72 years. Tom and Gail raised two sons, Rich and Tim, both football players and now successful businessmen. They also thoroughly enjoy being grandparents.
After being together for 53 years and married for almost 49, they say, "BW is truly a very special place for us." They remain in contact with classmates and continue to support BW in all endeavors. They reside in sunny Vero Beach, Florida, and enjoy the Atlantic Ocean. Both are still active; Tom bikes, and Gail plays tennis.
Austen
Peppo
'19
and
Jiana
Koussa-Peppo
met
their
freshman
year
through
a
mutual
friend
in
Lang
Hall.
Although
they
shared
many
classes,
they
didn't
share
many
conversations.
Jiana
transferred
to
another
school
her
junior
year
but
reconnected
with
Austin
a
few
months
later
at
Wild
Senoritas
restaurant
on
Front
Street.
They
describe
the
November
2016
serendipitous
event
as
"when
we
met
again,"
and
the
rest
is
history.
They
got
engaged
in
November
2020
and
married
on
December
18,
2021.
Jiana describes their BW connections as life-changing, "BW means so much to us. It is where we found each other and where we found love. We even took our engagement photos at BW! We found our 'chosen few' (which is a line from my sorority's purpose): Austen with the BW lacrosse team, where he was a goalie, and me with Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. We stay connected with our friends and even invited two of our favorite professors to our wedding!"
Brandon
Wojtasik
'13
and
Stephanie
(Starek)
Wojtasik
'15
met
while
she
was
eating
dinner
with
her
ZTA
sisters
in
the
Union.
Steph
saw
Brandon
(a
PKT)
across
the
room
talking
with
one
of
her
co-workers.
Steph,
smitten,
asked
her
co-worker
to
arrange
for
them
to
"randomly"
meet
for
a
drink
at
Mike's
Bar
and
Grill
near
campus.
Fast
forward
almost
10
years,
and
Steph
and
Brandon
would
return
to
Mike's
for
drinks
followed
by
an
engagement
photo
shoot
on
BW's
campus.
When asked what BW means to them, they responded that BW is not only where they met and fell in love, but it is also where they both gained life-long friendships and the education to help them excel in law school and become attorneys. The couple comes back to campus regularly for Homecoming and other alumni events. Brandon also serves on the advisory board for PKT. "We continue to support Baldwin Wallace as a way to ensure future Yellow Jackets can continue to have the same amazing experience that we had."
