Zachary Aisley, B.B.A. ’02 + Abby Lestition, B.A. ’02
Zachary and Abby met during the first few days of their freshman year on the ninth floor of Thurston Hall, but their friendship only turned into romance two years later.
That spring, Zachary and Abby both studied abroad in Florence, Italy. The experience helped forge a shared love of travel, and now Italy is just one of the 22 countries they have visited together. For Valentine’s Day the couple is traveling to Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics. “Nothing says romance like the moguls competition on February 14!” says Abby.
After graduation, Zachary moved back to the Los Angeles area, while Abby stayed in D.C. for graduate school. “After two years of long-distance dating, I decided to take the 3,000 mile leap and move out to Los Angeles,” Abby says.
Zachary is now senior vice president at ZACA Inc., a manufacturing company that produces home products for new construction and renovations. Abby is senior executive of global communications at SmartJog, a French-based technology company.
The couple is planning a wedding this September in Abby’s hometown of Buffalo, N.Y.More than 20 fellow GW alumni will be invited.
Mashaal Ahmadieh, B.A. ’02 + Beth Merlin, B.A. ’02
It was not the most ideal of beginnings. Mashaal and Beth met during move-in their freshman year. They struck up a conversation, which turned into “a bit of an argument” about how close Thurston Hall is to the White House.
But here’s the silver lining – that disagreement gave them a reason to take a walk together later that day to settle the debate. “From that point on we became great friends and toward the end of our freshman year started dating,” they say.
The couple shares many memories of their time at GW, including attending exhibits and shows at the Smithsonian and Kennedy Center, going to each other’s fraternity and sorority events, living in Thurston and Columbia Plaza, and exploring Georgetown and Adams Morgan.
Beth went to law school and now works in employee relations for a financial service company. Mashaal earned an M.B.A. and works for a large pharmaceutical company as a manager in its procurement/strategic sourcing group. The couple lives in New York City and counts fellow GW alumni as some of their closest friends.
Ronni Backer, B.A. ’76 + Ted Backer, B.A. ’74, J.D. ’77
Ronni and Ted started dating after meeting at a grad school party on the second floor of the Marvin Center. Ronni had recently graduated and was working at the newly established Gelman Library, while Tom was headed for his final year of law school. They had met once before, thanks to Ronni’s roommate and a mutual friend of Ted’s, but something about meeting again in the heart of campus brought them together for good.
During their time at GW they frequented basketball games, Swenson’s in Georgetown, the Circle movie theater and Mr. Henry’s on Pennsylvania Avenue. Being in the hub of the city gave them the chance to experience historic events including Vietnam War protests, the first Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall, and the bicentennial in 1976.
After the couple was married in 1978, Ted’s best friend from GW helped him find a job in Connecticut and the couple has lived there ever since. Ted works as an attorney with Cramer & Anderson specializing in environmental law, while Ronni is a project manager concentrating on proposals for a relocation company.
Their son David followed their legacy 30 years later and graduated magna cum laude from GW’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences in 2006.
Beth Brenner, B.A. ’05 + David Feldman, B.A. ’03
Beth and Dave were drawn to GW for different reasons. Dave was “obsessed” with politics, and only would consider college in Washington, D.C., while Beth was interested in GW’s international communications concentration and electronic media program.
But Greek life became an important part of both of their GW experiences: Beth was Alpha Phi, and Dave was a Lambda Chi. The two were introduced by a mutual friend at a party in Columbia Plaza, which eventually spilled over into a fraternity house.
“Many of our best friends, who are still a big part of our life today, belonged to the sorority and fraternity,” the couple says.
Beth now works in high-tech public relations and social media marketing. Dave graduated from Boston University Law School in 2006, and works as a policy consultant within the financial services industry.
The couple lives in the South End neighborhood of Boston, where they frequently get together with the local contingent of GW grads.
Steven K. Brisgel, B.A. ’85 + Joyce Renee Brisgel, J.D. ’91
One day, Steven found himself with an extra ticket to a Washington Capitals game and invited a friend he played ice hockey with to join him. While the friend already had a ticket, he encouraged Steven to invite his cousin Joyce, who was a GW law student at the time. Steven did, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Steven was drawn to GW by its location and reputation, Joyce by the Law School. One particular GW memory that stands out for Steven is working at the Presidential Inaugural Gala for Ronald Reagan in 1984.
The couple lives in Short Hills, N.J., with their three children. Steven is first vice president-wealth management and financial advisor at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.
Jim Core, M.A. ’96 + Wendy Core, M.A. ’94
According to Wendy, she and Jim first met at a party. Jim recalls things a little differently though, “We actually met on a bench at the Foggy Bottom Metro station on the way to a party, but she doesn’t remember that. I do. I'll never forget it. She was wearing a very cool coat.”
Their relationship grew during their time at GW. Wendy and Jim both like to reminisce about one of their favorite experiences at GW, “Thursday Night Outs” with students at the Elliott School of International Affairs.
“The Elliott School community was a great group,” says Jim. “Our fellow students were collegial and the professors were engaging – and more than a little challenging.” He also remembers nights at local restaurants Samantha’s and the Black Rooster.
Today, Jim works as a senior program analyst at the U.S. Department of State, and Wendy works for the Transportation Security Administration, identifying and procuring passenger screening technology to counter threats.
The couple stays in touch with many of their fellow classmates. Still active members of the GW Alumni Association, they joke that their wedding party and reception probably could have counted as an alumni event.
John Gilmore, B.B.A. ’92, M.B.A. ’94 + Naya (Chichester) Gilmore, B.A. ’93, M.A. ’97
John and Naya met freshman year in an intro-level Spanish class and started dating their first semester at GW. During their time at GW the couple says they “cultivated a lasting friendship that blossomed into a deeply loving relationship that has continued through our 12 years of marriage.”
John, who attended GW on a Navy ROTC scholarship, chose GW for its academic reputation and proximity to home and family. Naya had an older brother studying at GW, which helped draw her to Foggy Bottom.
John and Naya both stayed at GW for their graduate education. John was selected as a Presidential Administrative Fellow (PAF) and completed an M.B.A. He is now senior vice president with Atlas Research LLC, a consulting and research firm. Naya, who earned a master’s degree in speech-language pathology, is a speech pathologist and recently launched her own private practice, Speech Solutions LLC.
The couple lives in Upper Marlboro, Md., with their three daughters and dog. They see other GW graduates frequently, including friends from their undergraduate and graduate studies, the Navy ROTC Program, and fellow PAFs and their families.
Kevin Hostetler, B.A. ’08 + Joseph Walker, B.A. ’07
The allure of a diverse, international environment drew both Kevin and Joe to the nation’s capital and to GW. Kevin and Joe met in the spring of 2005 when they both served on Colonial Cabinet. “We started out as friends, began dating and here we are together four years later—happier than ever!” they say.
Both active in student life at GW, the couple has many memories of attending each other’s events. In addition to Colonial Cabinet, Kevin was a GW Troubadour and Joe was involved in Program Board.
One of their favorite shared experiences happened during college but far from Foggy Bottom. In 2006, Kevin and several friends flew to Spain during spring break to visit Joe, who was studying abroad in Seville, for “an incredibly exciting and memorable trip.”
The couple currently lives together in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C., where they still see many friends from GW. Joe works in the government affairs office of an international agriculture company. Kevin works in marketing and business development for an intellectual property law firm alongside one of his fellow Cabinet members, Sarah Schmidt, B.B.A. ’06.
Rabia Mir, B.S. ’07, M.P.H. '08 + Sajjid Rauf, B.A. '04
Although their families had known each other since they were children, Sajjid and Rabia had never formally met—until GW.
While Rabia was just beginning her freshman year, Sajjid was getting ready to graduate. However, after several chance meetings on campus and a shared friendship on Friendster.com, he was soon visiting GW regularly to pursue Rabia.
Sajjid and Rabia both come from GW families: three of Sajjid’s older siblings attended GW, as well as two of Rabia’s older sisters. Her father was also a professor at the University when she was young. “I decided to attend so I could not only be close to home but also participate in one of the many prestigious South Asian dance teams,” she says.
They have fond memories of attending cultural events together on campus and say they were especially on the lookout for activities with free food. They also enjoyed exploring Georgetown and meeting up with friends in University Yard.
Sajjid recently passed the bar exam in Maryland and started his own general law practice, while Rabia works as a public health research analyst for the Department of Defense.
Peter BG Shoemaker, B.A. ’92 + Diep N. Taggart, B.A. ’92
For Peter and Diep, GW “just seemed the right place to be” in the late 1980s. Peter, a transfer student, was interested in history, philosophy and comparative studies; Diep’s forte was international business.
They met in a class about traditional civilizations of East Asia. The couple’s first date was on Valentine’s Day in 1990, and they were married several years later. They remember fondly GW’s “intellectual vibrancy,” a number of classes, and quiet walks around campus and the city.
Diep now works for the federal government, after careers as an archaeologist and an attorney at a large law firm. Peter says that “after four start-ups and a lifelong mission to craft one of the world’s most eclectic resumes, I am now a co-founder and senior partner of a strategic foresight research and consulting firm working with national governments, industry, and non-governmental organizations.
The couple now lives in the northern Virginia suburbs, after previous stops in Cambridge, Chicago, Oxford, York, Los Angeles, Albuquerque and Atlanta.
This article is adapted from one that originally appeared GW’s Colonial Cable.