2026 Alumni Love Stories

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Meredith Waldref ’13 and Chris Waldref ’13

Chris and I met a few days into freshman year in a class held in the USF [Community] Garden. We were in a living learning community for freshmen called, “The Garden Project.” He was from Seattle, WA, and I was from Omaha, NE. 

Our friendship began while working on a small project on the apiaceae plant family (carrot family), that first fall semester. By the end of the semester, we were dating. To this day, we have a painting of a bunch of carrots in our kitchen as a reminder of how it all began. 

Throughout our time at USF, we enjoyed singing in the University Classical Choral Ensembles, the gospel choir, and the student choir. We were both resident advisors in the dorms, and enjoyed biking all over that city. We went on immersion trips to Peru and West Virginia together, and loved every minute of our time at USF. 

When it came time to decide what to do after graduation, we both decided to join the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC). Chris spent a year in Spokane, WA doing JVC Northwest, and I went to Pohnpei, Micronesia for two years. We have both lived in the Seattle area since, married in 2020, and now have two children together.
 
The Garden Project and our whole experience at USF has taught us about community, social justice, and sustainability — tenets that are at the center of how we live our lives today.

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Eric Medrano MBA ’24 and Michelle Li MBA ’25

We met in my second year of USF's MBA program. I invited friends to a happy hour down the street from the downtown campus. I went into what felt like a typical happy hour, unaware it would be the night I met the love of my life through a mutual friend. As soon as I saw Michelle, I thought, “Wow, she's really pretty,” and sparked a conversation. 

As it turned out, we had a lot in common. We are both Oakland natives who grew up and frequented a lot of the same shops, stores, and neighborhoods. We both have a deep love for Bay Area culture and cuisines, enjoy hiking, and have very similar family dynamics as  first-generation and the youngest in our families. I never forgot my first interaction with her and was surprised to find her in my communications class months later!

Seeing her again months later felt fated. We started going on study dates, where we basically studied everything about each other except the class material itself. We still passed, of course, and eventually also studied abroad in the Netherlands together.

As soon as we returned from our study abroad trip, I made sure to ask her on our first date; a picnic at Dolores Park, dinner at Dumpling Story, and drinks at Blondie's to end the night. To this day, I say, “Sure, I got my master's degree, but my girlfriend, Michelle, was the best thing I ever got out of the USF MBA program.”

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Ashley May ’15 and Kaimana May ’16

We met in the second semester of our sophomore year, in the lounge of Toler Hall on Superbowl Sunday. Kaimana was a business major, and I was a psychology major living exactly one floor above him. We quickly became best friends, for the rest of the year, and our friend groups became intertwined. 

It wasn’t until he went home to spend the summer with his family, while I stayed in the city, that we realized we had feelings for each other. He flew back early to ask me on a date, and I said, “Yes, of course!” We were already best friends, so starting our relationship was the easiest thing we did.

Since then, we’ve moved back to his hometown, Honolulu, Hawaii. We have two dogs, and one beautiful daughter. It’s been a wonderful 11 years together — six of them married!

We’ve learned a lot about love during our time together — how to be more patient, understanding, and accepting of each other. We truly balance one another, and it’s been a blessing to share my life with my best friend, which, to me, is the most important part of any relationship.

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Carol Williams ’80 and Rod Williams ’78

I came to USF on a basketball scholarship and played for four years. I met Carol at USF when we lived in the dorms together. She was a freshman, I was a sophomore, and the Dons men’s basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the nation that year.

One day, while Carol was hanging out in her dorm, she saw a tall athlete in his basketball clothes. Carol jokingly turned to her friend, Claudia, and told her, “I think I’m going to marry him.” They laughed about it — until, by chance, we met at a campus gathering. I complimented her sweater and later asked if she wanted to come watch me shoot hoops.

Carol went on to work as head ticket manager during her sophomore, junior, and senior years. I would sometimes head down to get my mail and find an excuse to stop by the ticket office where she was working.

After we both graduated, we dated for a while and then decided to get married at St. Cecilia’s Church, with Fr. Lo Schiavo officiating. Our wedding reflected our strong connection to USF, a bond that has only deepened over time. 

USF gave us four wonderful years, and now we get to give back to it. We are season ticket holders and members of the Hilltop Club. 

We lived in the city for several years before moving to Larkspur, where we raised our three children. Now, we are grandparents to our first granddaughter.

“This has been the easiest 41 years of my life,” said Carol. “We always felt like we were a team. Rod is hilarious and I have a good sense of humor. We laugh, tease, and joke together a lot.”

Can’t get enough of Don's love stories? Here are a few more that remind us why connection matters, 2025 Alumni Love Stories.