Alumni Valentines — Kristen & Dan

Dan and Kristen
Kristen and Dan

What happens when a golfer meets a gymnast? In Dan Mirabella, BBA ’06 and Kristen Simpson’s, BBA ’09 case, sparks flew. As part of the GW athletic ‘family,’ these two were bound to meet, but it took a year or so before they began to date. Between studies, tournaments and competitions, it wasn’t easy finding time to be together, but they made it work.

After graduation, Dan got a job in DC. They were still in the same town, but getting together took a bit more effort. Then, Dan was presented with a career opportunity in New York. Undaunted, they took trains, planes and automobiles, spending weekends and summers together. Dan would regularly come down to attend Kristen’s at-home gymnastics meets, and Kristen took internships in New York to spend as much time as possible with Dan.

Theirs was a relationship tested by busy schedules and long distances, but it passed with flying colors. In December of 2013 in Charleston, SC, Dan and Kristen were married near Kristen’s hometown. Many of the guests were members of their GW athletics family, and most of the bridesmaids and groomsmen were fellow gymnasts and golfers.

Currently, the couple lives in New York, working at hedge funds based in the city—Kristen at Och-Ziff Capital Management and Dan at Moore Capital Management. But that doesn’t keep them from zipping back down to GW to cheer for the gymnastics team or watch the golf team play. “We love GW and everything we accomplished, learned and found there,” Kristen says. “That includes our best friends, the incomparable experience of competing with each of our teams and of course, finding each other. We can’t wait to share it all with our future little Colonials some day!”

 —Mary Follin

 

 

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