Bobcat Weekend’s first-ever Quinnipiac couples’ gathering provided the perfect opportunity for another first: the first Bobcat alumni couple marriage proposal to take place during the special “Q Couples Champagne Toast” on the Mount Carmel Campus.

Vice President for Development and Alumni Affairs Nick Wormley, ’00 MBA ’02, who met his wife of 20 years, Michelle Wormley ‘02 MPT ’04, at Quinnipiac, invited the group to raise their glasses in celebration of their special relationships to each other and with Quinnipiac.

“We’re so excited to start recognizing all the couples that have come through here and that will continue to come through, because their bond to this place is certainly different,” said Wormley.

Just a few minutes later, Erik Plaia '17, DPT '20, quietly got down on one knee and asked Amanda Evans, ’19 to be his bride; and she said yes. The moment, captured by photographers in on the secret together with members of Quinnipiac’s alumni engagement team, drew a huge round of applause from the delighted group of alumni couples.

“I was so nervous. I checked about five times to make sure I had the ring,” said Plaia. “I have to thank Quinnipiac for helping me out and making this go as smooth as possible.”

Evans said it was exciting to become engaged at the couple’s shared alma mater and the place where they first met.

“We met when I was a sophomore, and he was a senior. I joined a sorority, and my big in the sorority was already friends with his group of friends, so we got introduced here,” said Evans. “I had some suspicion that it might happen this weekend, but I didn’t know where or how. It’s incredible.”

Assistant Vice President for Alumni Engagement Heather Alpaugh said the surprise proposal was a special addition to an event that is certain to become a new Bobcat Weekend tradition.

“This first time we’ve done an event for our Quinnipiac couples here at Bobcat Weekend,” said Alpaugh. “We were really excited to kick off the champagne toast, and I can already tell it’s an event we’re going to continue to do. We had 50 people here today and one wonderful engagement. It’s going to be a lot of fun to continue this for our couples.”