True Love: An Ursinus Tradition; David P. Drea ’19 and Liana M.J. Drea (Weishaar) ’18

It is one of life’s most comforting principles: true love is a narrative with no end. But where do these narratives begin? Some begin in a bar; others on an app. For David Drea ’19 and Liana Drea ’18 (nee Weishaar), and many other alumni, the story begins on the campus of Ursinus College.

From the purview of an onlooker, you might have questioned how the two ended up together. In the classroom, he learned economics, politics, and how markets tick. In the studio, she learned perspective, expression, and how to convey life on canvas. He feasted on grilled chicken sandwiches and cheeseburgers. She enjoyed a vegetarian diet. He pitched for the varsity baseball team. She was recovering from not one, but two torn-ACL knee surgeries.

What forced these two walks of life to cross paths at Ursinus? Perhaps it was CIE, which granted the two an open-minded perspective about individuals. Perhaps they were destined to cross paths, given the compact nature of campus. PerhapsUrsinus is just a special place where special phenomena can occur.

What is certain is this: David and Liana collided, and love was the result.

They shared a competitive spirit which translated well to intramural sports. The two worked in tandem as Senior Fellow and Head Tour Guide in the Admissions Office. They even shared a late-night craving for chocolate-chip pancakes at the Collegeville Diner.

David and Liana would spend hours together in Myrin, where studying was often replaced with conversations about family, aspirations, and career goals. As those conversations got deeper, so did their connection. This romance was becoming a meaningful relationship that valued partnership, communication, and trust. The environment at Ursinus strengthened these attributes and they would prove invaluable as graduations and the “real-world” approached.

As careers began and schedules changed, the love never wavered. David and Liana worked hard early in their careers. This afforded them the opportunity to find a place of their own and live together.

Yet, sometimes life does not go as planned. These sudden shifts or detours can cause strain on any relationship. David and Liana were not immune to this. Unfortunately, in the early days of being in the “real world,” the couple suffered some tragic life events. David lost a business partner and friend to an overdose. Liana lost a best friend to a senseless act of gun violence and a family member to COVID-19. Pile on a global pandemic, constant market fluctuations and a new puppy, and one would think this was a recipe for disaster.

For David and Liana, it was a time for the relationship’s first “real-world” test. Thanks to the strong foundation on which the couple built their love and the attributes reinforced in the Ursinus environment, the two turned a recipe for disaster into a blueprint for success. Through partnership, trust, and love, the two forged a path out of this darkness, together. From then on, David and Liana realized that life was better with the other person by their side. The two together were far stronger than either could ever be alone.

On July 23, 2022, David and Liana tied the knot among family, friends, and a slew of Ursinus College Bears. Before the reception ruckus, the two reflected on their relationship. They laughed about their shared obsession with Wismer cookies. They reminisced about their hours working together in the AdmissionsOffice. They prayed some hors d’oeuvres would still be available for them at cocktail hour. With guests dressed in black tie, one could not avoid the spirit of UC red and old gold that filled the ballroom.

The newlyweds now spend married life in Conshohocken, PA,alongside their golden retriever, Oakley. With a wedding and European honeymoon behind them, the two look towards a promising future: a future, in part, provided by an excellent Ursinus education and its network of alumni. David is an associate with one of Morgan Stanley’s nationally recognizedwealth management teams. Liana works in pharmaceutical sales and operates an art business focused on painting, graphic design, and woodworking. The two soon hope to begin a family and provide Ursinus with a few more recruits in the coming years.