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Mike Guerriere, MMS ‘18, may not have known it at the time, but he was at his most romantic when shoveling snow. At least that’s how his wife, Alexandra (Adolph-Gothier) Guerriere, MMS ‘18, sees it.
The two first met during orientation for the Physician Assistant (PA) Studies program at Salus University. Initially, the two were in both the same study group and a note-taking group and the relationship was purely platonic. They also lived in the same apartment complex, and the more time they spent together, the more friendly they became.
Then one winter during their graduate school time together, Alex left the Philadelphia area and went on an out-of-town trip. While she was gone, there was a heavy snow that blanketed the area. When she returned home, she discovered Mike had shoveled all the snow away from around her car.
“I thought that was a pretty romantic gesture from somebody who was just a friend at that point,” said Alex.
Mike had started to notice Alex by that point as well. He asked her if she played tennis — although he did not — and also asked her if she worked out — which she did.
“So, we met in the gym. Not that romantic, but I was definitely interested,” said Mike.
Once that interest started to grow, they realized they had similar study habits. Not only were they together every day at school, but for four or five more hours in the evening studying. Once the relationship started to take off, they kept up their studying and workout times together, and then on the weekends, would visit new coffee shops and explore Philadelphia in a way that worked into their study schedule and on a grad school budget.
“It was like two best friends going to school together and hanging out all the time. That’s how it felt,” said Mike.
When things progressed to the point where it was time to pop the question, Mike planned the proposal with Alex’s entire family. Although Mike hadn’t yet purchased the ring, an annual vacation by Alex’s family to Key Largo, Florida, provided the opportunity to propose. The jeweler helped the effort by providing a stand-in ring while the real ring was still being made.
When the time came, the big moment happened on the waterfront in Florida with both families there as witnesses.
“There was a 40-foot banner that said, ‘Will You Marry Me?’” on a pier and when we walked around the corner, she saw that sign,” he said. “When she turned around, I was already on my knee.”
The couple got married in June 2019, right after graduating from Salus. And, they’re still going strong. They have a mini cockapoo named Pepper, and in September 2021, they added son Axton to the family.
“He’s everything we ever asked for and he makes every day more exciting,” said Alex. “He’s a happy kid and he makes us very happy.”
Mike, originally from upstate New York, is an emergency room PA and currently works at a hospital in Baltimore, where the couple lives. Alex, who grew up in Baltimore, works in various locations around the city as a part-time PA for MedStart Urgent Care. She’s also undertaking a new endeavor by opening her own indoor pickleball facility in Baltimore.
While their schedules are hectic, they get blocks of time off together, where they spend time with their son as well as hiking and skiing at a getaway property they have at a ski resort in the Virginia mountains.
To keep family time special and the romance alive, Mike has made it a goal to take one three-day weekend a month and spend it with his family.
“That makes it special. I don’t think everybody takes the time to make sure they have that time together every month,” said Alex.
