Skyline Sweethearts

Throughout the decades, Trinity University has been the place where couples have found each other or strengthened the bonds of their relationship. Meet eight alumni couples who have a special place in their hearts for Trinity and for each other.

Olga Rithianos Jones ’73 and Trent Jones ’71

“If you saw the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you can get a really good idea of exactly what happened leading up to the wedding and the actual wedding itself. It was an amazing day of love and family in Greek tradition and style,” Trent recalls.

Trent and Olga recently celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary, and as they look back on their marriage on January 10, 1971, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, they point out that their connections to Greece extend even further back.

Olga, who was originally from Greece, decided to attend Trinity because it had outstanding theatre and classical studies programs. Trent’s father’s interest in Greek philosophy inspired him to take Greek mythology at Trinity. As the Fates would have it, Trent and Olga were in the same Greek mythology class.

The couple first met when Olga was having a hard time selling donuts at a booth at Trinity’s homecoming festival. When Trent approached, Olga asked if he would buy her one. He told her he did not have any money on him but would come back. When he returned, Olga was gone. She confesses that she was not interested in him after that initial meeting, but everything changed the next day.

“Olga arrived late to class the next day. There was only one seat left, and I had my coat hanging on it. She took the seat, and it was in that class that we began our life together,” Trent says.

Olga was so amazed at how much she liked Trent after sitting next to him that she wrote a song about it.

The first time that I met you I didn't feel a thing
I had no way of knowing, I'd wear your wedding ring 
The next time you smiled at me with that familiar grin, Cupid's arrow got me. Haven't been the same since then.

Chorus:
I think if I didn't know better, it was planned from up above 
Like the sunrise on the ocean I'm surrounded by your love 
And when the moon tells its secrets about your love for me 
The stars shine brighter in joy and ecstasy

The days that followed you made promises to me
We'd travel the world over 
We'd sail the seven seas
On magic carpets we will ride to strange and foreign lands 
The clouds will swirl around us and in the wind we'll dance

We climbed the highest mountains
We bathed in summer streams
We waited for the rainbows 
And shared each other's dreams

To make the world a better place
and raise a family 
To have you here beside me 
For all eternity

Lyla El-Messidi Hampton ’05 and Stephen Hampton ’08

Stephen was a first-year when Lyla was a senior at Trinity. They met for the first time when Gage Paine, former vice president for Student Affairs, hosted a “residents who make a difference” dinner, and Stephen was the resident chosen by Lyla’s friend Alex Peterson ’05. Lyla and Stephen reconnected after the dinner when he was going to become the resident assistant for Herndon Hall on the same floor she had been on.

“I even left a message for him written under one of the bookshelves, although I think they renovated soon after I left, and he never saw the most rebellious thing I did at Trinity,” Lyla says.

Lyla moved to Boston after graduating from Trinity, but she returned to San Antonio to visit friends. One of them, Matthew Rullo ’08, invited Stephen to a party with them, and the pair kept in touch and tried long-distance dating. After Stephen graduated from Trinity, they were able to coordinate medical and graduate school in Houston, and now training and job opportunities have brought them to Philadelphia.

Lyla and Stephen decided to get married near where they first met and in a location that was a good meeting ground for family and friends. Their wedding on March 13, 2010, was at the top of the Bushnell, a venue that overlooked Trinity, and it included aspects of their favorites from their time at Trinity, including being catered by Central Market.

“It was so special to share our favorite place with many of our favorite people,” Lyla says. “We both thoroughly enjoyed our time at Trinity, and our longest friendships have been from our time there. Really, without the help of Alex, Matt, and our friend Lauren Madrid ’05, who hosted that fateful party, we would have never reconnected!”

Lydia Duncombe McAfee ’14 and Darren McAfee ’14

“I can definitely say it was not love at first sight,” Lydia says, remembering the first time she met Darren.

Lydia lived on the same floor in Beze Hall as one of Darren’s soccer teammates. One day, he was over playing video games when Lydia burst into the room and shot Nerf guns at them. A friendship developed over the next year after that Nerf gun surprise attack, and Lydia and a couple of friends drove to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to visit Darren the summer before their sophomore year. They officially started dating that fall semester, and they have been together ever since.

“I don’t think there was a singular ‘you’re the one’ moment for either of us. It was the cumulation of laughter, friendship, and just the growing up we did together,” Lydia explains. “We didn’t even talk about marriage until several years after we graduated. We had built a strong foundation together at Trinity, and we wanted to carry that into adulthood before we took the big step.”

The couple got married on December 7, 2019, in Wimberly, Texas. Their fondest memories from their wedding are dancing with their friends and family, having their two dogs be part of their special day, and Callum Squires ’17 officiating the wedding after jokingly proposing it many years earlier.

“We’re lucky to have built such a fun, loving life together,” Lydia says.

Lauren Krummel ’15 and Jacob Hall ’15

High school sweethearts Lauren and Jacob met in algebra in ninth grade. Jacob jokes that when their teacher tried to convince Lauren to move into honors algebra, she declined so they could stay in the same class together.

“I know how it sounds, but I knew from the time I was 16 that Jacob was going to be my lifelong partner,” Lauren says. “The next step was getting him to follow me to college—insert Taylor Swift’s ‘Mastermind’ chorus here.”

Sure enough, Jacob followed Lauren to Trinity, and they immersed themselves in the vibrant campus life.

“Looking back on our time as students, I miss the close proximity to friends and the spontaneity that it brings. I also miss the variety of clubs, events, and interests that our diverse student life creates, and, of course, I miss the campus cats,” Lauren says.

“I miss the intramural sports, Mabee Dining Hall, and just being around a community where everyone is geared towards learning,” Jacob adds.

Lauren and Jacob celebrated their wedding on June 23, 2018, in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

“I remember being so overwhelmingly joyful that I had a whole weekend where my sole focus was celebrating my love for Jacob and sharing it with the most important people in our lives,” Lauren says. “The DJ also played for 10-15 minutes after they were supposed to because I was crying so hard knowing such an incredible day was coming to an end!”

Brenna Hill Hure ’17 and Robert Hure ’17

During their first year at Trinity, Brenna lived in HOPE Hall in Murchison Hall, and Robert lived in Calvert Hall. He would study in Murchison Lounge, which led him to walk past Brenna’s dorm every day. They soon started dating, enjoying strolls to Taco Taco for late-night study snacks and building a close-knit community of friends together.

On September 28, 2019, Chaplain Alex Serna-Wallender ’08, M’09 officiated their wedding in Parker Chapel.

“It felt like a special, full-circle moment to be married in the chapel where we attended Vespers every year as students and to show our extended families the campus we love so much. Several members of our wedding party were close friends from our time at Trinity,” the Hures say. “Trinity truly set us up for success by preparing us for our careers, giving us the opportunity to be close to the faculty, allowing us to meet our best friends, and bringing the two of us together.”

Beth Legg ’18 and Paola Herrera ’18

Beth and Paola actually met each other through a mutual ex, and what was intrigue at first sight quickly became love.

“As we got to know each other, we felt safe, comfortable, and supported as we grew into our early adult lives,” they say. “We knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime love meant to last!”

For their first date, they watched a new episode of Broad City and stayed up until 4 a.m. talking. They followed that up with their first formal date at Jazz, TX, at the Pearl.

The couple traveled to San Diego in 2018 and found a spot featuring a breathtaking view of a cliff overlooking the ocean where they fell in love with the city, joked about moving there, and dreamed about their future life together. Paola began plotting the proposal from that moment, and a few years later, they returned to that very spot to pop the question.

Beth and Paola were married on October 1, 2023, in downtown San Diego, where they now live.

“We will always remember the outpouring of love and excitement from our family and friends, a true gift we don’t take for granted, especially as part of the LGBTQ+ community,” they say.

Kaylee Ho Young ’22 and Douglas Young ’22

Kaylee and Douglas met during their first year at Trinity when they both lived on the third floor of McLean Hall and were in the same section of their Social Justice First-Year Experience. They began hanging out as friends almost immediately and started dating at the end of October 2018. Their first date was at Josephine Street, a spot they still frequent for burgers and chicken fried steak.

While students at Trinity, Kaylee and Douglas’ relationship grew as they discovered new passions and opportunities.

“A big part of our journey at Trinity was growing in our faiths, and we were both very involved in InterVarsity, which helped us grow individually and also together. As time went on, we became more certain that we wanted to be together for the long haul,” they say.

In January of their senior year, Douglas proposed on the Trinity football field, the same place where he had asked Kaylee out their first year. The couple got married on August 6, 2022, at First Presbyterian Church in downtown San Antonio, where they had attended church together all throughout their time at Trinity.

They recall, “For both of us, the most special part of the day was being surrounded by friends and family that showed us so much love.”

Amelia Powell Smith ’22, M’23 and Tristan Smith ’22

Valentine’s Day holds special significance for Amelia and Tristan. The couple met through social media and mutual friends, and they hung out for the first time on that day five years ago at Starbucks in Coates Library.

Tristan knew he had found the one after witnessing Amelia beat his friends in ping-pong and basketball. He proposed at Parker Chapel’s Meditation Garden during Thanksgiving break of their senior year, and they got married on June 11, 2023, in Dripping Springs, Texas.

“The thing I remember most about our wedding day was the feeling of pure joy as we danced with our friends and family and the giddy laughter while hearing our friends, most of whom we met at Trinity, give heartwarming speeches,” Amelia recalls.

“I remember how beautiful she looked and how excited I was to say ‘I do,’” Tristan adds.

Amelia and Tristan celebrated their honeymoon in Hawaii with many delicious cups of Kona coffee, reminiscent of their first meeting over coffee in Coates Library.