Where it all began

Prior to his first semester at the University of Dayton, Liam Budnik ’20 unknowingly determined his future with the flip of a coin.

“I actually was pretty torn between either going to Dayton or Wisconsin [for college],” Budnik said. “I flipped a coin to decide where I was going to end up. It landed on Wisconsin, but I decided I wanted to go to Dayton while it was in the air.”

Naturally, fate has its way, and that decision led him to his destiny — fiancée Sam Vanek ’20.

“I found the love of my life, so I’d say it worked out pretty well.”

The summer before their sophomore year, Budnik and Vanek met at a Flyer Enterprises get-together at 222 Stonemill and quickly formed a friendship. Two years later, Vanek was living in the house where they’d met, and Budnik had upgraded from ‘friend’ to ‘boyfriend.’

Fast forward another five years, and 222 Stonemill would once again reclaim a special place in their hearts, this time with a new memory.

“I knew I wanted to propose for a while, but planning when exactly to do it took a little bit,” Budnik said. “I had a few ideas, but then I randomly remembered that we had our five-year reunion coming up.”

The stars aligned for Budnik to pop the question. All of their Dayton friends would be there, and he could ask his family from Chicago and her family from Pittsburgh to come join for the big day, June 5.

“We drove down with another friend [from Chicago] and I could see Liam was texting a bit, trying to figure things out,” Vanek said. “I remember thinking, ‘Why is he being so quiet?’ It was so annoying.”

The two had just arrived at the Marriott at the University of Dayton and put their stuff down in their room when Vanek’s best friend came and picked her up. 

“I was in the hotel in sweatpants,” Budnik said. “I had to say ‘I don't want to hang out with you girls right now’ so that Sam would get out of the hotel room, and I could go over.”

When Budnik arrived at the Stonemill house to get everything set up, the house was already hosting other guests. A group of 1995 grads, all members of business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi, had pitched a big tent in the yard. 

But in true UD fashion, when they realized what Budnik, a fellow AKPsi, was trying to do, the gentlemen sprang into action to help create the perfect proposal. And then, it was time.

“We saw this big tent,” Vanek said. “[My friend] was like, ‘Oh, huh, I wonder what that is. Let’s walk over there’ … just so she could get me to walk down Stonemill. We were walking, and she started talking faster and was getting teary as we got closer.”

Budnik’s nerves were also a wreck when he saw Vanek turn the corner, watching her as she walked down Stonemill toward him. 

“I had a little 30-second speech planned out, and I don't know how well that went,” Budnik said.

“I kind of rambled onto it, but then the big question happened, and all the happiness and excitement came flooding back.”

Friend of the couple, Rosemary Claffy ’20, popped out of the sunroof of a car parked in front of the house to take photos. Their parents and friends, who all hid across the street, came rushing over to congratulate them and begin the party with their new Class of ’95 friends. One AKPsi gentleman even gave Vanek’s dad a celebratory cigar. 

“It was my dream engagement because it was at a place I love with so many people I love,” Vanek said. “It was just really, really special to get engaged at the place that means so much to us and the beginning of our relationship.”

Budnik agreed, knowing that Dayton was the best place to take the next step in their journey as a couple — the place where it all began.

“We know Dayton is not a place, it's a people, ” Budnik said, “and that's what really showed is how many people took a day off work and came early to this weekend to celebrate what we've built as a couple.”

Photos courtesy of Rosemary Claffy ’20