Roses are Red, Violets are Blue The Best Love Stories Begin on North Avenue
As a College rooted in faith and community, where scholars pursuing the qualities of character, thoughtfulness and spirit walk the halls – it is only natural that some of the greatest love stories are formed at Iona. In honor of Valentine’s Day, here are the stories of six Gaels who came to Iona for an education, but left with more than they could have ever imagined.
Perfectly Imperfect Together
Domenico Sacchinelli ’95 and Diana (Gallo) Sacchinelli ’95
Diana (Gallo) Sacchinelli ’95 and Domenico Sacchinelli ’95 began their Iona College love story in the Hynes Athletics Center, setting up for a WICR “Battle of the Bands” event in 1993. Fast forward 29 years later, the couple has sustained life’s hardships and tackled each obstacle together, side by side, on a foundation built on resiliency and love.
What many Gaels view as simply the entrance to campus, the front gate on North Avenue is a landmark in the Sacchinelli love story – it was the first place Domenico said “I love you,” and several years later, on a cold November night, it was where he got down on one knee and asked Diana to be his wife.
“There are many spots on campus that we hold dear,” Diana said. “We often would meet between classes on the stone wall outside of Doorley Hall. It would be short, but we both remember it fondly as something we looked forward to each day.”
However, once leaving Iona, the couple found themselves face-to-face with challenge after challenge. Only 60 hours after their first dance as husband and wife, the Sacchinellis were united with fellow New Yorkers, and the world, by the horror of 9/11. In the early stages of their marriage, they only had each other to hold onto, eventually returning home from their honeymoon to a completely different landscape and a transformed world.
Diana and Domenico met in 1993 setting up for a WICR “Battle of the Bands” in the Hynes Athletics Center and have been together for 29 years.
The couple have many spots on campus they hold dear, especially the front gate on North Avenue.
“In big ways and small, there has always been a sacrifice of sorts,” Diana said. “However, through all of this, our love for one another has remained the constant. Like the great Renaissance masters that I studied while abroad with Iona in Italy, who would incorporate imperfections into their art to illustrate that only God is perfect, I like to think these a metaphor for our union. There is beauty in the imperfections and beauty itself is not permanent. With change and growth, family, faith, career; we too are flawed. Yet, like [the Japanese art] Kintsugi, mending the breaks with gold, making it more beautiful for having been broken, we have a love that has endured. And thankfully, we are perfectly imperfect together.”
The couple credits the grounding, faith and friendships found and cultivated at Iona to be what helped prepare them and continues to sustain them in the beautiful union they still have today.
In their home in Bethel, Conn., before their children leave for school and the Sacchinellis for work, they tap or refer to a framed sign of a quote from Jim Valvano, Iona’s head basketball coach from 1975 to 1980, that says, “Don’t give up…don’t ever give up!”
From Cradle to Commencement
Joe Golia ’14 and Jennifer (Passaretti) Golia ’14
The love story of Jennifer (Passaretti) Golia ’14 and Joe Golia ’14 can be summed up in three short words – meant to be. Proof that soulmates do exist, life has put them in the same place at the same time since birth – they were born in the same hospital, one day apart, and spent the first moments of life together in the same hospital nursery.
“We didn’t have any connections after that and we’re not from the same town,” said Jennifer.
Years later, the pair crossed paths again, fate leading them both to Iona and then Loftus Hall, where they lived on the same floor during their freshman year in 2010. Once their roommates became friends, the rest was history. The Golias went on their first date to the movies at the end of freshman year and began dating that summer – their local date night spot was Sherwood’s in Larchmont. In fact, their favorite Valentine’s Day was their first one spent together; Joe surprised Jennifer with flowers in her dorm room and took her to their favorite restaurant.
The connections the pair formed at Iona remained strong. For the past seven years, they have planned an annual ski trip to Vermont with 25 Iona alumni. Last year’s trip was canceled due to the pandemic, but the Gaels made sure they still connected with one another by hosting a virtual Iona-themed trivia night with questions all related to Iona and their time at the College. Similarly, in addition to meeting her now husband in Loftus Hall, Jennifer’s freshman and sophomore year roommates are still her best friends and were bridesmaids in their wedding.
Joe proposed near their home on Lido Beach, Long Island.
In 2018, the couple purchased their home in Lido Beach, Long Island, an extra special occasion as Joe’s grandparents lived there prior. Right before moving in, Joe proposed on the beach and then they were married on July 11, 2021, at Breeze Hill Farm and Preserve on Long Island.
“In addition to Joe and me, a bunch of our Iona friends also got married last year. During our wedding reception, we took a group Gael picture with the Iona flag and then we passed the flag on to the Iona couple who was getting married next – this is something that each of our friends did at their weddings!”
For other Gaels looking for advice, Jennifer says, “Be open to new experiences together, but also individually and with friends. Take advantage of the opportunities available at Iona in order to help determine your future path, and be supportive of each other. Soak in every moment and have fun, because college absolutely flies by. My time at Iona was life-changing. I had so many amazing experiences at Iona that truly shaped my future both personally and professionally, and I’m grateful for those four years there!”
Fate led Jennifer and Joe to Iona and after they met, the rest was history.
She Had Him at Hello
Gabrielle (Simpson) Gambrell ’08, ’10MA and Jeffrey Gambrell ’11 with their son, Jeffrey Michael Gambrell II.
Gabrielle (Simpson) Gambrell ’08, ’10MA and Jeffrey Gambrell ’11 met at a house party on a Saturday night. Gabrielle, 21 years old at the time, was finishing the last year of her master’s degree program, and Jeffrey, a student-athlete, was a year younger completing his bachelor’s. Gabrielle made the first move, approaching Jeffrey by saying, “You’re so cute, but you’re a baby. I’m finishing my masters and you’re a junior in college.” Jeffrey’s response was, “I’m 36, you didn’t know?” This was the first time he made her laugh; unbeknownst to them that this conversation would be the beginning of the rest of their lives.
Although these two Gaels bleed maroon and gold, purple and gold also run through their veins, as one commonality that bonded them was their love of the Los Angeles Lakers.
“We love sports wholeheartedly,” said Gabrielle. “Los Angeles is my hometown and first love. It’s the best city in the country and Jeffrey agrees. We instantly bonded over our love of Los Angeles and we look forward to the day when we relocate out west. We also love Westchester and purchased our first home there seven years ago.”
The Gambrells became young homeowners in their 20s and it was in their White Plains, N.Y., home that Jeffrey proposed over dinner. Gabrielle described it as “intimate and perfect.”
The pair then had an epic rooftop wedding in California with a wedding theme of “Broadway Takes Hollywood,” inspired by their hometowns of New York and Los Angeles. Their wedding featured live praise dances, gospel, R&B and pop performances, as well as unique signature drinks named: I Love NY, Lake Show and California Love.
Unbeknownst to them, their first conversation at an Iona party would be the beginning of the rest of their lives.
Now, they are going on four years of marriage and welcomed their first child, Jeffrey Michael Gambrell II, in November 2019. They will also welcome their daughter, Gigi Gabrielle Gambrell, this spring.
Their Iona traditions include taking a “Gael photo” at any event or gathering where Gaels are present to remember the day.
“We are so blessed to have our growing family, son and daughter, and are forever grateful to God and Iona for our destined intro,” said Gabrielle.
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2025 national list of “The Best 390 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.