Gator love stories: First dates and fiancés
Current UF student and alumni couples share their stories
Feb. 7, 2024 — Students at the University of Florida often grow to love their academic pursuits, but sometimes, a different kind of chemistry is sparked on campus — the kind that goes beyond classrooms and textbooks. In honor of Valentine’s Day, read about two recent College of Medicine alumni and student couples whose stories started in the Swamp.
Jesse Cason, M.D. '23, and Maraget Ann Kreher, M.D., 23, pose together on a date to watch the Florida Gators football team.
Margaret Ann Kreher, M.D. ’23, and Jesse Cason, M.D. ’23
Margaret Ann Kreher, M.D.’23, and Jesse Cason, M.D.’23, had their first date on Halloween at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, cheering on the Gators. Having met the previous summer at College of Medicine medical student orientation, the two spent the year getting to know each other as they tried to master clinical neuroscience.
“Being paired up for a tough surgery rotation was a unique opportunity to learn to work together,” Kreher said.
Throughout their time in medical school, they supported one another through their personal and academic challenges, reaching several milestones along the way. Before Cason’s father passed away in 2021, Kreher said she made wonderful memories with him that the pair now cherish.
“He took us boating, built bonfires, shared many meals and even more stories,” she said. “He made every day a celebration and always had something to teach.”
Together, the couple worked on translational research in the department of physical medicine & rehabilitation and co-authored a publication on intermittent fasting and the treatment of chronic pain. They were also co-presidents of the Nutrition in Medicine Interest Group. Kreher and Cason were the first recipients of the Dr. Emma Segal Award, which aims to support College of Medicine students who are in relationships to help align their paths.
Now Kreher is completing her transitional year at HCA Florida North Florida Hospital in Gainesville before she heads to the University of Virginia for her dermatology residency, while Cason is completing his general surgery residency at AdventHealth Orlando.
Jeff Dela Cruz and Alex Rodriguez, M.P.H.
Before attending UF for their undergraduate degrees, Alex Rodriguez, M.P.H., and Jeff Dela Cruz made separate visits to friends and family in Gainesville, unaware of a plan others made to set them up. A few months later, when they unknowingly signed up to attend the same orientation session, the new Gators met again.
“By the time undergrad finally started for us both at UF, we were already close friends,” said Dela Cruz, a fourth-year medical student. “We had the same major, and we even had chemistry together and sat together in each class.”
The two share a love for music and have spent several years going to “Free Concert Fridays” at Bo Diddley Plaza. In 2022, Dela Cruz proposed to Rodriguez, now a second-year doctoral candidate at the College of Public Health and Health Professions, after singing her a song on that very stage.
“Music was actually one of the first things that drew us together when we met,” Dela Cruz said. “One of the first times I met Alex in Gainesville, we sang a few songs together while I played the ukulele, and that was one of the first experiences that made us realize there was something special between us.”
Rodriguez and Dela Cruz will tie the knot in May. After completing her Ph.D. program, Rodriguez plans to remain in academia and continue her public health research. Dela Cruz recently completed residency reviews and hopes to match into a program for orthopaedic surgery.
Jeff Dela Cruz proposes to Alex Rodriguez at Gainesville's Bo Diddley Plaza.
