“Love isn’t something you find, it is something that finds you.”
– Loretta Young
Those words couldn’t be more true than in the case of Gonzaga alumni Ryan Leong (’05) and Tamarae Cooney (’09). Their time at Gonzaga never overlapped; but, through Gonzaga and family connections their paths continued to cross until love found its way to them.
Their first encounter was at the 2009 WCC tournament in Las Vegas where they were introduced by Tamarae’s brother, Jimmy (’04). One year later, basketball and Gonzaga brought these two together again, when they met at Spokane’s Hoopfest. Despite sharing an extensive network of friends and family, a love connection had not yet been made. The two started dating later that summer after attending a concert at the Gorge with mutual friends. As Tamarae says, “the rest is history.”
Between WCC tournaments, Coaches vs. Cancer, the Maui Invitational and Tamarae’s law school graduation, the couple has logged plenty of time together at Gonzaga events. The common foundation laid by Gonzaga helped to cement the bond between them.
Ryan and Tamarae at Coaches v. Cancer 2012
“GU tied us together even though we didn’t ever attend at the same time,” Tamarae said. Ryan added, “We never would have met without that lasting GU connection. We both still have great friends from GU and that community of people is like an extended family.”
Ryan has made gifts to the Fund for Gonzaga, the General Scholarship Fund, the Gonzaga Scholars Program, CCASL and is a member of the Young Alumni President’s Council. He is a principal at SRM Development, the same company where he interned during his time at Gonzaga. He recently proposed to Tamarae and the couple has plans to be wed in February of 2015 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
If you or someone you know has a love story in which Gonzaga played a role, send an email to annualcampaign@gonzaga.edu and let us share how Gonzaga launched true love. Also, If you have a little love to give, visit gonzaga.edu/give today.