When Laurel Ridge alumni Ian Bailey and Denisse Suasnavas got engaged in April, it only made sense they would do so where they first began their relationship – on the Middletown Campus.
Ian proposed beside the pond near the Student Union Building. And he did so in front of the two college employees who were instrumental in getting the couple together.
They met as work-study students in the Office of Student Life in fall 2021.
Ian, a 2017 Sherando High School graduate, had just returned to Laurel Ridge after taking some time off to work and gain some maturity.
“When I heard that Laurel Ridge was going to start an esports program, I got excited,” he said of his decision to give the college another try.
Ian worked closely with Chris Lambert, Laurel Ridge’s coordinator of student leadership, engagement and development, as well as interns from Shenandoah University, to help establish the esports arena, which opened in October 2023 with 12 PCs and three Nintendo Switches.
Meanwhile, Denisse had emigrated from Ecuador in 2018.
“My journey was different from Ian’s because I didn’t speak any English,” she said.
That did little to deter Ian, though.
Denisse’s experience at Laurel Ridge started with ESL classes with Professor Lisa Currie, who she calls “my American mom.” Following two years of ESL courses, she was ready for regular college classes. Prior to the pandemic, she had been a Student Ambassador and a work-study in the Student Life Office under Sarah Pangle, who is now a Communications professor.
When Laurel Ridge was back open, Professor Pangle reached out to Denisse and suggested she continue as a work-study in Student Life, but this time with Lambert.
“That’s when we met,” she said. “Everyone thought that we were dating right away. We just had a big chemistry with us. I was so shy because I didn’t speak English so well. He wanted to talk to me.”
Ian said he was very proactive in getting Denisse to talk, despite her strong accent, which many others found difficult to decipher.
“He knew exactly what I was saying,” she said. “I started talking to him more often. He introduced me to friends. I started to be more social.”
They started to talk every day while also working together in Student Life. By October 2021, they were a couple. They helped plan the student Halloween dance and went together as Sandy and Danny from “Grease.”
The couple enjoyed working on event planning. Ian organized a visit with an AirCare helicopter to provide Nursing students exposure to flight nursing. Denisse planned the first post-pandemic spring dance. And both worked on the semi-annual picnics.
They also enjoyed going on the Student Life “Mystery Bus” trips.
“Those were my favorite,” said Denisse, who benefitted from an Apple Federal Credit Union grant.
While at Laurel Ridge, Denisse also kept busy as a Student Ambassador and Ian with the Esports Club.
“Whatever I could do to get it going, I did,” he said. “I think both of us agree our favorite staff members were Chris Lambert and Sarah Pangle. They were both there for the proposal.”
Both Ian and Denisse are Laurel Ridge grads.
“We met and started dating because of them,” Denisse said. “When we met, it was my last year at Laurel Ridge because I was about to graduate. It wouldn’t have happened if Ian didn’t come back that year.”
Her fiancé said she originally had planned to transfer to another university.
“There was a day on campus where transfer schools were coming in and SU was there,” he said. “I was like, ‘Hey, Shenandoah aligns better with what you’re trying to do. I told her that someone from Shenandoah wanted to talk to her.”
Ian actually made that last part up, but he did talk up her credentials to the rep from SU, according to Denisse, and she is grateful he did.
“I was the first transfer student to get a Presidential Scholarship at SU,” she said.
Winchester resident Denisse graduated from Laurel Ridge in 2022 with a degree in Science. Ian graduated the following year with an associate degree in Business Administration. Both transferred to Shenandoah University.
In spring 2025, Denisse and Ian graduated from Shenandoah University. She earned bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Environmental Science with minors in Biology, Geography and Global Studies, while he graduated cum laude with his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.
Ian is working in the parts department of a car dealership while Denisse works in the Office of Spiritual Life at SU and as a warehouse lead at the Macy’s distribution center. Ian is also working on earning a certificate in Cybersecurity through Google. Ultimately, he said he hopes to work in protocol reinforcement in the cybersecurity realm. Denisse hopes to earn her master’s degree in Organizational Leadership and work for an environmental organization.
It made perfect sense to Ian, who lives in Stephens City, to propose to Denisse by the campus pond.
“I felt like where we met had the deepest meaning of ‘I love you; this is where we started,’” he explained. “We love this place. We come to visit Chris and Sarah when we can. We schedule to meet them because we miss them.”
Denisse, who became a U.S. citizen in 2023, explained that she and Ian even came back to help Lambert with a casino night last year at the Fauquier Campus.
There are family ties to Laurel Ridge for both of them. Denisse’s siblings and mother have taken ESL classes with the college, and Ian’s sister attended Laurel Ridge before transferring to Radford University.
Fortunately for the couple, Ian’s sister is a wedding photographer and was able to get beautiful pictures of the proposal and the moments after. Denisse’s birthday was the day before the proposal, so he told her he was getting her professional photos as a present. A pre-arranged text, asking them to stop by campus, was sent by Lambert.
Lambert said he was thrilled to be part of helping set the stage for Ian to get down on one knee, and is looking forward to their big day.
“Ian and Denisse are both rock stars individually and together,” said Lambert. “Ian was the main force driving our esports program and getting it off the ground. He recruited students to be part of the program, made connections at Shenandoah, and hosted our first esports events. Denisse was a force to be reckoned with as an ambassador. She accepted all challenges, always represented our college well, and was also the driving force behind breathing new life into Global Awareness Day.
“Together, they were an amazing work-study team, complementing each other’s strengths. I knew from the moment they started working together that they would be fast friends. I am over the moon that it blossomed into a relationship!”
The wedding is planned for October 2027.