For Taylor Dorrin, 2023's Alvernia Homecoming and Family Weekend will always have a nice ring to it.
Fellow 2020 graduate Chase Whaley, Dorrin's boyfriend of seven years, proposed on Saturday morning in the President's Suite beside the athletic field where they spent countless hours competing during their time as Golden Wolves.
"I had no idea; I was wearing this," a laughing Dorrin said, pointing to her comfortable getup. "I had absolutely no clue until he actually got down on one knee."
The couple met at Alvernia during their freshman year while living in Veronica Hall. So, Whaley thought, why not bring it all back home for Homecoming?
"It was something sentimental," said Whaley '19, MBA '20, who also played lacrosse. "Where we started. What better place to do it?"
The inclement weather actually aided the proposal. Dorrin, an occupational therapy major who played field hockey and lacrosse, was slated to play an alumni game Saturday morning, but rain canceled those plans. That made it easier for the family to coordinate relatives coming into town from Delaware and other parts of Pennsylvania for the special occasion.
Though they live in Delaware County — Dorrin an occupational therapist and Whaley an employee at a global insurance carrier — they still feel like Alvernia is home.
"Our whole friend group," Dorrin said, "we're all still friends from Alvernia."
