STORRS -- Jonathan the 14th, UConn's fearless mascot, was sent on an extra special mission Monday. He helped two alums get engaged!
"I get to do a lot of cool things as the mascot to the University of Connecticut. I've led parades, sat in Geno's chair, strut across campus like I own the place, and once I even got to spend time with Boomer Esiason," he explained on his Facebook page. "But this. This was incredible to be part of and although I had my bro's back no matter what she said - I was super glad she said yes."
FOX61 sat down with the couple to learn more about their love story.
Holly Korona, Class of 2013, and Daniel Bronko, Class of 2015 got engaged in front of Mirror Lake. The two said they met a few summers ago while at a retreat with UConn recreation center staff. Shortly after, they went on their first date for frozen yogurt, followed by a long chat on a bench at Mirror Lake on campus.
It was that same place Bronko proposed to Korona, Monday, with the help of Jonathan the Husky.
"He started reading to me this letter that he wrote," Korona said. "In comes this dog, it sits down and I see the box around his neck and it was just -- I lost it at that point, I started crying. It was really surprising."
Korona said she was so overwhelmed she forgot what he said, thankfully, he wrote it in a letter and the proposal was recorded by Bronko's brother.
The two said they had no idea their story would go viral.
"I never planned for it to get this much attention I really just wanted to do something special for her, special to us," he said.
Korona said prior to this event, she always watched proposal videos online but never expected to be in one of them.
"It's just amazing to see that our story is having the effect that I’ve seen so many other stories have on me," she said.
The two are teachers in Ellington and said they hope to get married over summer break in 2018.
"We were talking about how we made special places on campus when we first started dating but now we’re gonna be able to look back at that place and say this is where daddy proposed to mommy," Bronko said.
Jonathan the Husky's handlers are part of the community service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. One of his handlers said he's done quite a few engagement photos, and has attended some weddings, but she believes this is his first proposal.
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