When Umang Chaudhry heard Lara Lee Russell-Lasalandra belt out a version of Kelly Clarkson’s “Walk Away” during an audition for Vanderbilt University’s a cappella ensemble, Spectrum, he was blown away by her voice. But he never expected that moment to lead to love.
At the time, in August 2019, Mr. Chaudhry, a former member of Spectrum and part of its leadership committee, was overseeing auditions for the next class of singers. Ms. Russell-Lasalandra, he said, was “by far the best performer I had seen.”
But she was intimidated by Mr. Chaudhry. “He was asking me to complete various musical exercises, and he seemed really tough,” she said. “This was the guy I had to impress to make the team.”
Mr. Chaudhry, who had come from India to attend college, had just begun a master’s program at the university; Ms. Russell-Lasalandra was part of the incoming freshman class.
Dating was the last thing on their minds, they said.
Ms. Russell-Lasalandra joined the ensemble, and the two warmed to each other over the group dinners that often followed their three-times-a-week practices. “As I got to know Umang, I realized how friendly and easy to talk to he was,” she said.
One evening, after other members had finished their meals and left, the two found themselves alone. Over a basket of mozzarella sticks and sliders at a local Chili’s, the conversation shifted to more personal subjects, including their families and backgrounds.
Ms. Russell-Lasalandra, 25, grew up in Bolton Landing, N.Y. and Saddle River, N.J. She earned a bachelor’s degree in the communication of science and technology from Vanderbilt and is pursuing a doctorate in quantitative methods at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
Mr. Chaudhry, 28, is from New Delhi. He has bachelor’s degrees in earth and environmental sciences and in the communication of science and technology from Vanderbilt, as well as a master’s degree in data science from the school. He is a senior data scientist at Vanderbilt’s Data Science Institute, working remotely.
“I found her personality more and more endearing,” Mr. Chaudhry said.
“I felt as if I had known him for years,” Ms. Russell-Lasalandra said.
They stayed until the restaurant closed, and in the days after, texted nonstop. Ms. Russell-Lasalandra hoped Mr. Chaudhry would ask her out. When he didn’t, she made the move.
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“I wanted to go out with Lara, but I was hesitant to ask, given that I was one of the people overseeing the group,” he said. Plus, he “had never been on a real date.”
They met the following week for dinner at a popular Italian spot near campus, Amerigo. There, they shared pizzas and picked up where they left off the week before. Mr. Chaudhry spoke about his life in India and how he had aspired since elementary school to come to the U.S. for college.
Ms. Russell-Lasalandra opened up about the challenges of growing up with two fathers. “I was touched that Lara felt comfortable,” Mr. Chaudhry said.
When the restaurant closed, they headed to his apartment and talked on his couch until 3 a.m., then shared their first kiss.
After that night, they spent most of their time together. When a cappella practices and competitions weren’t keeping them busy, they hit escape rooms and coffee shops in Nashville.
In March 2020, Mr. Chaudhry accompanied Ms. Russell-Lasalandra to Miami to meet her fathers. During their trip, the pandemic hit. “I ended up staying and didn’t leave until the lockdown was over,” Mr. Chaudhry said, about three months later. “They welcomed me into the family like a son.”
“He quickly became one of us,” Ms. Russell-Lasalandra said. They passed the days trying new recipes, playing video games and settling into marathon movie nights.
By fall of 2020, they were back on campus, continuing to date and devoting much of their free time to a cappella.
“I was only a sophomore, but there was no doubt that Umang was the person I wanted to be with for life,” Ms. Russell-Lasalandra said.
In her senior year, they moved into a larger apartment near campus. By then, he had completed a master’s degree and started working.
After Ms. Russell-Lasalandra was accepted to a doctorate program at the University of Virginia, they moved to a house in Charlottesville, where they still reside.
They became engaged in September 2024, during a trip to Dallas to visit friends. One evening, the group went to an escape room. When it was time for the final clue, Mr. Chaudhry insisted that Ms. Russell-Lasalandra read it out loud. She opened a box to find a scroll that said, “Will you marry me?”
They wed Dec. 20, before 190 guests, by the Rev. John Yonkovigat, a Catholic priest, at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Lake Placid, N.Y. Ms. Russell-Lasalandra surprised Mr. Chaudhry by reciting her vows in Hindi, his native language.
The couple hosted a Hindu ceremony the next day at Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid. Later, guests danced for hours to Bollywood songs.
The post She Passed the Audition — and Later Won His Heart appeared first on New York Times.
