ABIGAIL CAVIZO / ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Class of 2020 USD alumni and college sweethearts, Travis Loranger and Erica Jenkins, tied the knot on Jan. 20, 2024 at the Immaculata — a marriage that wouldn’t have happened, without their four years at USD.

The couple first met in fall of 2016 at their first-year orientation. Behind the Kroc Institute of Peace and Justice (KIPJ), Jenkins was sitting at a bench with her friends when Loranger walked by. Although he was listening to music, her friend Tori suggested they invite him out to get frozen yogurt with them, after the first-year event was finished.

“I remember Tori had said to me, ‘go ask him to get fro-yo with us,’ and I joked to her, ‘yeah, he might be one of our future husbands,’” Jenkins recalled with a laugh. “It was so super cheesy, but it all worked out.”

Looking back now, Loranger can poke fun at the interaction. “I had not made any friends yet, and I remember having a very cringey thought like, ‘what if I walk around campus and someone invites me to hang out?’ Lo and behold: it came true. I was even listening to music, and she still asked me if I wanted to get frozen yogurt, and the rest is history.”

The two remained just friends for the rest of the year, but during their sophomore year, their romance began. At the time, Loranger and Jenkins lived across from one another in the Alcalá Vistas Apartments. Two of their mutual friends (both of whom became members of their bridal party) knew about their brewing feelings for one another, before they even started dating.

“Erica’s friend was talking to her — and my friend was talking to me — and they put two and two together and told us to talk to each other [about our feelings] so we did,” Loranger reminisced. “I was crushing on her throughout freshman year, but she didn’t know that. I got feelings first, and we were friends, but it all worked out.”

Since their relationship was built on friendship first, it was easy for the two to realize they loved each other. They told each other “I love you” a week before their first date at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Downtown San Diego. 

“We’re really sentimental people, so Old Spaghetti Factory is actually also where we had our rehearsal dinner,” Loranger reflected. “It’s sappy, but we just dragged all our friends and family to all the spots that meant something to us during our relationship.” 

On Oct. 13, 2022, Loranger got down on one knee and proposed to Jenkins, his college sweetheart. After knowing one another for so long, it was difficult to make the proposal a surprise. 

“I didn’t surprise her with the actual proposal… but there were small surprises over the weekend,” Loranger said. “On the waterfront over in Coronado, I put this stone bench on a spot near the water and I said to Erica, ‘this bench is so cute, we should take it home’ and she laughed, but then I told her to check underneath it. I had signed it with our initials, because it’s our bench like the one we had met at at USD.” 

Their wedding took place on a cloudy day this past January. Despite the rain, they looked at the weather positively on their special day. Both of them acknowledged the rain as a sign of good luck, as there’s a popular belief that rain indicates a long-lasting marriage.

Reflecting on their wedding day, the alumni cited USD as a place that helped foster their love.

“[Getting married at the Immaculata] was really full circle. We hadn’t been there in a while, since it’s been a few years since we graduated, but to go back to a campus that meant so much in the beginning of our relationship and seeing how far we’ve come was so nice,” Jenkins said.

“We have all these beautiful photographs [at USD], but also memories too,” Loranger added. “When we think back on the time we had at USD to grow into the people we are now since our formative, influential years… to have [our wedding at the Immaculata] as a marker of our relationship and love is really special because it reminds us of all the good times.”

The USD community is a huge part of how the newlyweds got together. For those who may be struggling to find a home in the people around them, Loranger stressed the importance of putting yourself out there.

“Whether it’s romantic love or companionship, if you foster those bonds — whether it be just one person or 50 people — once you’re post-grad, you will have those people in your life who will be your anchor,” Loranger said. “For me, I’ve never been the most extroverted person, but if you can figure out on a college campus with so many places and people where you can put yourself out there, you never know who you’re going to meet and the relationships you’ll build. Down the road, you’ll always have your alma mater. It’s invaluable to us… to have that shared history.”

Similar to her husband, Jenkins also attributed her willingness to reach out to strangers to the life she’s built today.

“If I hadn’t asked a total stranger to get fro-yo, I don’t know if we would have met. In the college environment where there’s so many people around you, just take a chance and talk to people you see,” Jenkins said.

Thanks to a chance interaction, frozen yogurt and the USD community, Mr. and Mrs. Loranger are happily beginning their married lives together.

Mrs. and Mr. Loranger on their wedding day smiling atop the USD bench where they first met and posing in front of the Immaculata: their full circle moment. Photo courtesy of Travis Loranger