# @hofstrau on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/BQgjZOPADFN
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/13285723-hofstrau-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/98982956dc.jpg
- **Posted:** 2017-02-14T22:23:32.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Hofstra University (@hofstrau) — https://gondola.cc/hofstrau

## Caption

John: We were doing a show for WRHU our freshman year when Maria first caught my eye. Then one day she was on the air while I was in D.C. interning for ABC. We never had a conversation in person at that point, but I called into the show to critique her on something. I hung up the phone after making a complete fool of myself. I was convinced she’d never want to speak to me again. We had a lot of moments like that. One night after doing a news cast, I asked her to dinner. She had rejected me so many times before that I lost count. So she must have been really hungry this time because she said yes. It was during that first date that she told me how she wanted to be proposed to – in a fortune cookie.

Although a fortune cookie wasn’t involved, I did keep the surprise element when I proposed. I coordinated this big production (violinist and all) with the help of some of our WRHU family. Maria thought she was coming back to campus for a retirement party, but when she hit the quad, I was standing in the gazebo waiting for her. 
Maria: I was so surprised. Hofstra was such a big foundation for our relationship, which made it happening on campus all the more special. It was perfect. 
John: It snowed the night before, so Hofstra’s facilities and operations team was out at 6 a.m. to clear the quad for us. They really helped to make March 7, 2015 a special day.

Maria: We’ve come long way. We’ve been together for almost eight years and married just a few months. We put each other first, and that’s why we work. John is such a go-getter with everything in life. Whether working or making Sunday sauce, he puts so much passion into everything he does, and that inspires me every day. 
John Santucci ’11 & Maria Santucci ’11

#HofstraEverAfter
#HumansOfHofstra

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## Tags

humansofhofstra, hofstraeverafter

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