It’s no secret that Chapman is a special place. For many students and alumni, Chapman is a transformative time in their lives for reasons like personal growth & development, educational pursuit, career exploration, and more. But, for the Argyros Alumni mentioned in this blog post, Chapman also brought them their “Chapman Sweetheart”. Whether they were together throughout their entire Chapman experience or found a love that blossomed beyond their time on campus, Chapman is a connection they’ll share forever.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Panthers! If you find joy in love as much as we do, read the special stories of a few Argyros Alumni & their Chapman Sweethearts below.

Alex Comfortes ’15 & Sophe Friedman ’15

In August 2016, just over a year after they graduated from Chapman, Alex Comfortes ’15 & Sophe Friedman ’15 matched on Bumble in Los Angeles. When Sophe came across Alex wearing his Chapman FIJI shirt, she immediately recognized him. On their first date, they talked about their shared Chapman experiences that they had separately. From the same sorority and fraternity date parties they went to with different people, to having mutual friends, it’s a wonder their paths never crossed before.

A few months into dating they decided to add each other on social media, only to find out that they were already Facebook friends. It turns out they became Facebook friends in 2011, as college freshmen, and Alex even wrote “Happy birthday :)” on Sophe’s wall for her birthday in 2012. Now, 7+ years later, they are trying to figure out if they ever did meet in college.

Sophe and Alex are currently planning their wedding and will wed this summer, 2024. Their wedding party is made up of mostly college friends, which is very special to them both. Chapman has given Sophe and Alex so much: incredible experiences, a great education, their best friends, and most importantly, each other.

Lauren Belzer ’19 & Max Sanford ’19

Lauren Belzer ’19 and Max Sanford ’19 met early on in their Chapman experience, just before Spring Break of 2016. One fateful night, Max’s Chapman football teammate, Caleb Durst ’18, orchestrated their meeting. Their first date was supposed to be at Justin Bieber’s Purpose World Tour in 2016, however, Lauren was leaving for an unbreakable Spring Break trip and had to say no to the date. She even recalls telling her mom “You’re ruining my life,” fearing that it would be the end of any potential future with Max. But despite not being able to go, Max still had interest, and they began spending time together right after they returned to campus from Spring Break.

Lauren and Max became inseparable throughout the remainder of their college years, with Lauren cheering Max on at Chapman football games, and Max attending Lauren’s Alpha Phi sorority events. Post-graduation, the couple moved to San Diego together, where they added their Persian cat, Todd, to their family. A couple years later and after a short stint in the Pacific Northwest, Lauren & Max moved back to Orange County in 2022, where their story began!

After almost 8 years together, Max popped the question in December 2023 in Napa surrounded by their families. They plan to tie the knot in 2025 and are grateful to have Chapman as a part of their love story!

Serena Healey ’01, EMBA ’22 & Nick Purdom, EMBA ’19

Serena Healey 01, EMBA ’22 & Nick Purdom, EMBA ’19 are both proud to be Argyros alum! Nick, an Orange native and El Modena High School alum, played D1 soccer at the University of Maryland before earning his Executive MBA from Chapman in 2019 and Serena, a Texan turned Chapman business graduate, found her passion in higher education at her alma mater.

During the pandemic, their paths crossed at an alumni event in September 2021 at Hangar 24 Craft Brewing and again at Chapman’s Homecoming celebration. It was then that their connection deepened, leading to the start of their relationship a few weeks later. They got engaged in Fiji in January 2024 and now reside in Huntington Beach, proud parents of their adorable tabby cat, Cowboy. Excited about their upcoming wedding, Nick and Serena look forward to celebrating with their Chapman MBA friends, grateful for their shared alma mater and the love that blossomed within its community.

Anna Halbur (Nelson) ’14 & Brian Halbur ’15

It all started one sunny spring semester day in Accounting 331. Anna Halbur (Nelson) ’14 had just returned from her semester abroad in Madrid, and her Chapman tennis doubles partner had told her about this new guy, Brian Halbur ’15, whom she had met in one of her fall accounting classes. Sure enough, Brian showed up again and the pair quickly became friends.

The first few years were platonic, with study sessions and “family dinners” and at least one late-night trip for blueberry donuts. When Anna graduated, they kept in touch but really rekindled their friendship a year later when Brian joined the “real world” as well. Their friend circles merged again, and the two started hanging out pretty regularly. It turns out that they were the last to know that they would be getting together, and hints were dropping from friends all around them. They decided to give it a shot, and three years later, tied the knot on August 10, 2019 surrounded by many fellow Panthers! Anna and Brian are happily married with a little pup named Ranger and look forward to the many adventures ahead together!

Tim Altman ’17 & Allie Altman (Hoch) ’17

Tim Altman ’17 and Allie Altman (Hoch) ’17 met on move-in day, freshmen year of college, and a friendship quickly grew. By the Spring semester, the pair went on our first official date and were together throughout all of their time at Chapman.

In 2019, Tim proposed while they were back in Orange County visiting the Laguna Beach area. While COVID-19 drastically changed their wedding plans, they had a very intimate wedding on June 19th, 2020, and celebrated with their loved ones (including many Chapman alumni) for their first wedding anniversary.

Their wedding included the following alumni: Kamila Evans, Charlie Evans, Mikaela Meade, Fran Miller, Tara Sonnemaker, Charlie Werman, Bryan Wise, George Pierce, and Arthur Fontana.

Most recently, the couple welcomed their first child, a sweet baby girl, into the world in July 2023. They often reminisce on their college memories and are proud to be Chapman Sweethearts!

Brandon Lewis ‘03, JD/MBA ’08 & Pia Lewis (Dyquiangco) ’03

It all started at Argyros Forum when Pia Lewis (Dyquiangco) ’03 met Brandon Lewis ’03 through a common friend when he used to hang out at the Associated Students Office in 2002 when she was working there. Pia had a cubicle and Brandon often would be up there with friends who also served in AS. The couple ended up going to the Chapman Formal in 2003 at the Waterfront Hilton and were in Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity as well. After graduation, Brian stayed at Chapman to do his joint JD/MBA and Pia went to the University of La Verne for law school.

Pia says she knew that Brandon was “the one” because things were easy with the two of them and they could be completely themselves around each other, as they had a friendship before the relationship began. They both graduated and passed the bar in 2008, with Brandon popping the question the day before Pia’s bar results were released that May. They got married at the Crystal Cathedral as it was a halfway point between their homes in Orange County. They had their reception at the Waterfront Hilton in the same ballroom where they had their first date for the Chapman formal in 2003.

The couple is happily married with two kids, a son and a daughter, and reside in North Tustin. They both practice law at their own firm, The Lewis Law Group, APLC!

Alex Hanono ’15 & Leah Hanono (Freeman) ’15

Alex Hanono ’15 and Leah Hanono (Freeman) ’15 met only two days into college when he and his friends happened to sit next to her and her friends at one of the orientation events. The group all got to chatting, and Leah ended up back on the bus with them at the end of the night to head back to campus.

After that night, Leah happened to run into Alex again the very next day at another school event and then again during the Club Chapman dance that evening. The couple shared a dance and hung out the rest of the night and the night after that, too! Alex and Leah went on their first date at Downtown Disney a week later and the rest is history!

Alex and Leah, the proud Chapman U alumni, were married on May 22, 2022 – their bridal party including alumni Frieda Freeman ’19, Allison Stein ’15, Alli Witzman ’14, Michael Hanono ’23, Nick Portillo ’15, and Jim Byron ’15!

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These are just a few stories of Argyros Alumni and their Chapman Sweethearts! Did you meet your significant other at Chapman? The Office of Alumni Engagement would love to keep track of your stories. Submit them here.