A Sweet Surprise

As a group of friends from the class of 2016 gathered in front of T-Hall to recreate their senior year photos during their reunion weekend, one of them had no idea that a big question was about to be popped.

Maureen O’Brien ’16 ’17G and her boyfriend Sumer Panesar ’16 met when they were freshman at UNH but didn’t start officially dating until they were seniors. They’ve been together ever since, weathering four years of a long-distance relationship while Panesar was in dental school in Michigan, and O’Brien, an occupational therapist, was back home in Rhode Island. They’ve lived in Indiana now for about a year, where Panesar is completing his residency in orthodontics.

And since UNH is the place where they first met, it seemed fitting to Panesar, with the help of O’Brien’s friends, to do a surprise proposal during their reunion weekend this year.

“I’ve been planning this since March, ever since I bought the ring,” said Panesar, who enlisted friend Laurianne Posch ’16 to pull off the surprise. They contacted UNH Alumni Relations’ Corena Garnas and Phebe Moore, who were thrilled to help make it happen. Together, they devised a plan where O’Brien’s friends would suggest recreating their graduation photos on the brick wall in front of Thompson Hall, an iconic shot for any graduating senior. Then Jeremy Gasowski, senior producer on UNH’s photo and video team, would “happen to walk by” and suggest that he can snap the pics for the group.

The rouse worked.

As the photo shoot ended, Panesar, who O’Brien thought was back home in Indiana, walked up with a small jewelry box and big question to ask her, as he said, back in the place where it all began.

A shocked O’Brien immediately said yes.

“I was completely surprised. I had no idea!” she said afterwards, as friends poured champagne. “I texted him this morning and he said he was going golfing with one of his friends back home while I was here at Reunion.”

In reality, Panesar took the flight out of Indy immediately after O’Brien’s to head east.

He said it was extra special because O’Brien’s friends (and his co-conspirators) were the roommates she had in the Gables when the couple first started dating. “They were around for the whole beginning of the relationship, and now they’re here for this important moment,” echoed O’Brien.

The newly betrothed Panesar and O’Brien were toasted by President Jim Dean at the Brews and Bites luncheon on Saturday, with rounds of applause from alumni of varying classes. The couple hopes to move back to New England once Panesar completes his residency.

So how could the rest of their reunion weekend live up to such a big moment? O’Brien was thrilled that the two celebrations happened at the same time, and at UNH, saying she gets to celebrate both with her closest friends.

“This really was the perfect way to do it.”